RAILWAYS SMASH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 August 1938, Page 5

RAILWAYS SMASH

STANDING TRAIN STRUCK BY ANOTHER FOLLOWING ON SAME LINE SOME FORTUNATE ESCAPES FROM INJURY (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, August 2. Struck by the engine of a suburban passenger train which was following on the same line, two empty carriages and a guard’s van at the rear of a stationary goods train were completely telescoped at the northern extremity of Takinini station yards shortly after two o’clock this afternoon. . There were no passengers in the wrecked cars, and although the locomotive of the suburban train was partially buried in the wreckage of the guard’s van, it did not leave the rails and the engine crew was unhurt. The collision occurred almost directly on a level crossing which cuts across the road leading from the Great South Road to Takanini post office, about three miles north of Papakura. The goods train, which had left Auckland at 12.5 p.m. for Frankton, was standing for about half an hour at Takanini while shunting proceeded, the last units in the long line of trucks and carriages lying about 200 yards north of the station itself. No official explanation of the cause of the accident was furnished but several Takanini residents heard th' suburban train approaching along the straight stretch of track between Mahia and Takanini almost coincident with the time when the engine turned the slight bend which brings the Takanini station and the automatic signal into view for south-bound traffic. CARRIAGES CRUMPLED The train rapidly reduced speed. However, the use of the maximum braking power could not avert a collision and, although the train was actually travelling slowly when the impact occurred, the wooden cars at the rear of the stationary train smashed like matchwood, crumpling into a mass of twisted iron and splintered wood-work. The unoccupied guard’s van was reduced to less than a shell, the top and portion of the battered sides being wrapped around the engine almost as far back as the cab. The two preceding carriages were 'also telescoped as one was forced through the other. Seats and fittings were torn from their mountings, the floor and chassis were torn from the bodywork and the wreckage of the top and sides of the foremost carriage hung drunkenly from the roof of the car behind it. Sections of the wooden cars were reduced to firewood and even the staunch iron stanchions and heavy steel members of the chassis of the carriages were twisted and snapped. The chaos was increased by the litter pf'small debris which lay between the telescoped van arid the carriages. The front portion of . the engine was fairly extensively damaged, but the three carriages, which it was drawing were not affected by the collision. Included among the passengers were 20 school children returning to Takanini after attending fortnightly manual training classes at Otahuhu Technical School. Although all escaped even slight injury, a number who were travelling in the second car from the engine were flung from their seats on to the floor when the impact occurred.

SPEEDY CLEARANCE MADE As the collision 'occurred on a section of line where a double track is used, no serious dislocation of Main Trunk traffic resulted. It was a coincidence that a heavy-duty mobile crane used by the department in emergencies should be included in the rolling stock drawn by the goods train that was struck, and it was immediately shunted on to a siding to raise steam. A breakdown gang was also dispatched from Auckland, and upon its arrival oxy-acetylene' torches were employed to cut through sections of twisted steel so that the removal of the damaged cars would be facilitated. With the assistance of the crane and powerful jacks, the work was continued after nightfall. It was found necessary to cut some of the bogeys and undercarriage from the wreckage, but shortly after 8.30 p.m. it was possible for the disabled engine and telescoped cars to be drawn to Otahuhu, thus leaving both lines clear for traffic. Two expresses were delayed for about 45 minutes in the afternoon. The afternoon train to Wellington was detained at Manurewa until the line was clear and the northbound express from Rotorua was held at Papakura. Some interruption was also caused to the normal suburban time-table, which is to a degree dependent upon the double track, but no delay was caused to the southbound Limited express tonight. Five trotting horses from Takanini, which were travelling south for the Addington meeting, were in the forward part of the stationary train. They were uninjured and continued the journey to Wellington en route to the South Island later in the afternoon. Sulkies and other equipment being transported for the team were undamaged. It is understood a departmental inquiry will be held into the collision.