Safe Travel

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 442, 25 August 1928, Page 1

Safe Travel

Aucklander's Invention TO PREVENT DERAILMENT The menace of derailment, illustrated by the recent bad smash of cattle trucks at Paerata, has been urging railway engineers to devise some preventive device. Now an Auckland engineer, Mr. N. J. Hamlin, has invented and patented a device which he claims will make impossible the disastrous and expensive accidents so prevalent of late. It is possible that a wagon may leave the rails and be dragged for a great distance without the driver or the guard of the train being aware of it. The derailed wagon will sometimes cut through the sleepers, making the permanent way unsafe for the following traffic. Should a passenger train spread the rails through the damage to the sleepers, a serious accident might easily result. There is also the risk that the sleepers of a bridge might be broken. Broken sleepers buried in ballast might not be noticed. Moreover most of the derailments occur at night. LOCKS THE WHEELS Mr; Hamlin’s invention automatically applies the Westinghouse brakes through the whole of the train immediately a wagon leaves the rails or if an axle breaks. All the wheels are blocked and the train brought to a standstill in a short distance. The device could be fitted to each vehicle on the train at a comparatively small cost. If it justifies the claim of the inventor, the gear should practically eliminate the loss of life, merchandise, rolling stock and permanent way. It is to be hoped that the invention will be given a trial by the Railway Department. •