SPECTACULAR SMASH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 July 1943, Page 2

SPECTACULAR SMASH

j GOODS TRAIN PILED UP. DERAILMENT AT HORNBY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, July 18. The most spectacular railway derailment in Canterbury for many years occurred at Hornby, six miles south of Christchurch, early this morning, when a goods train carrying hundreds of tons of coal from the West Coast piled up in the station yard. In all, 19 trucks of coal left the rails and at one point eight heavy iron wagons were piled high in a twisted wreck Through traffic was diverted round the shunting sidings and so no services were delayed. The wreckage had all been cleared away tonight. A fault developed in the undercarriage of a truck toward the front of the train as it was passing through the station, and as the truck pitched on the line it tore gaps of concrete from the ledge of the platform . When the undercarriage collapsed and ploughed into the permanent way, the wrench parted the trucks, causing instantaneous application of the Westinghouse brake system. Though the train was travelling at only 20 miles an hour, the huge weight of coal in the oncoming trucks caused them to pile up on top of those in front which braked first. In the worst section of the wrecked train, eight trucks piled up, huge iron L.A. wagons being bent and torn like cardboard, while smaller wooden trucks were smashed to splinters.

One of the wagons of-a meat train proceeding from Napier to Wellington was derailed on a curve a mile from Opapa, some 27 miles from Napier about 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon. No other traffic was affected. The wagon was undamaged and was got back on the rails about 10 o’clock last night.