BROKEN AXLE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 438, 20 May 1937, Page 6

BROKEN AXLE

CARRIAGES DERAILED .MISHAP TO TRAIN NEAR MERCER None Of The Passengers Injured Press Association —Copyright. Auckland, May 19Disaster nearly ovek'took the 3 p.m. touth-bound express from Auckland this afternoon as the result ef a derailment which occurred at 4.30 p.m. at Whangumarino Bridge, one mile and a-half south of Mercer. No one was injured but there was serious dislocation In the railway service. The express had passed through Mercer and was travelling at high speed. Just before the bridge which spans the Whangamarino Stream was reached the axle of a wheel of the rear bogey of a woman’s carriage, four carriages behind the engine, snapped. One wheel remained attached 'to the bogey while the other wheel and axle were dragged nearly the full length of the train and came to rest under the guard’s van, ripping up the track and damaging the understructure of the carriages as it did so and causing the derailment of five vehicles, Imcluding three cart-rages, a sleeper and the guard’s van. One of the carriages.' was overturned. Three carriages Immediately behind the engine were not affected and a postal van at the rear of the train also kept to the -rails.. The loose wheel of the rear bogey which went astray ripped up the track, smashed numerous sleepers.' on the bridge and did considerable damage to the track on the far aide of the bridge before the train was pulled up. There were great gaps in the bridge and the damage had to be repaired by planks. The Limited express left for Wellington at 11.15 o’clock to-night, four and a-quarter hours behind schedule. Passengers Shaken. When the train came 'to a standstill the guard’s van was partly on the bridge while the portal van was actually on the structure. Passengers were considerably shaken by the bumping of the train, but no injuries occurred. Officials in the postal van had, to clamber on to the top of the vehicle and had to walk along the top of the guard’s van to get clear, there being no room on the bridge for them to gain a footing. From the appearance of the damaged bridge and track it was a miracle that the train did not fall into the Wnangamarino Stream. Check rails on the bridge appeared to have proved an effective safeguard. After a delay of two hours ths paseeng4r s were crowded into the three carriages in front of the train and were taken to Frankton Junction, where additional carriages were assembled. The express left Frankton Junction for Wellington at 7.40 p.m., a little over two hours behind time. The mail van was taken back to Mercer and its contents were sent touth by the second express. Immediately the accident was reported Mr C. M. Todd, stationmaster at Mercer, and his staff did all possible to deal with the emergency. Referring to the accident, Mr G. H. Mackley, General Manager of Railways, said to-night that accidents of this kind were very rare in passenger trains. The axle which broke was comparatively new, being manufactured in Britain in 1935 and fitted to the car in 1936. Everything possible was done to ensure that axles were sound.

The express Way thoroughly examined before leaving Auckland and also at Mercer, from which it had travelled only a mile and a-half when the axle broke three-quarters of an inch inside the boss of the wheel. This was due io an internal latent defect which would not be revealed by a train examination. When an accident of this kind occurred the whole of the axle parts were brought to Wellington and subjected to laboratory examination and the results sent to the manufacturers.