CAUSE NOT OBVIOUS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 November 1943, Page 4

CAUSE NOT OBVIOUS

HUTT RAILWAY SMASH BOARD OPENS INQUIRY. NO SUGGESTION OF EXCESSIVE SPEED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. An inquiry into the derailment of the train from Upper Hutt, on the morning of November 8, which resulted in the deaths of three persons and injury to 20 others, opened today. Sir Francis Frazer is chairman of the board of inquiry. Associated with him are Mr John Wood, former Engineer-in-Chief of Public Works, and Mr H. L. Cole, secretary of the New Zealand Institute of Engineers. About 26 witnesses are to be called. Mr W. H. Cunningham, who appears for the driver and fireman of the train and for their association, said the coincidence that the same train, drawn by the same engine, should have met with two derailments in the, same vicinity within three months had naturally caused public comment. The first derailment. however, was attributable to a trailing bogie yoke casting on the engine breaking. The Department’s experts were frankly puzzled as to the precise cause of the derailment on November 8. There had been no suggestion that the train was travelling at other than a normal speed. There was no question about the sobriety of the driver, James Barr, and it appeared that the brakes were applied promptly immediately the driver realised something was. amiss. Evidence about the track, while it showed irregularities and variations from standard, did not appear to establish anything in track conditions sufficient in itself to have caused an accident. The up train passed over the section only a few minutes before the accident occurred. The driver noticed nothing unusual about the track, nor did the driver of the down train, which went through less than an hour before. Both these drivers would be witnesses. A very careful inspection of the locomotive after the accident revealed nothing in its condition that could have caused the accident. What happened was reasonably clear from marks on a rail. What precisely caused it to happen was a difficult question. Mi' Cunningham expressed the sympathy of the Minister of Railways, the management and staff with those bereaved, and hope for a spedy and complete recovery of the injured. He also expressed the management’s appreciation of the behaviour of the injured and other passengers, and its thanks to all who helped after the accident, particularly members of the United States and New Zealand forces, local doctors, police and traffic officers.

Frank Leineweber, permanent way inspector, said the accident occurred on a fifteen-chain radius curve. He last inspected the section on foot, with a ganger, on November 4. On the curve where the accident occurred, he found the track had a little excess cant up to three-eighths of an inch in places. He told the ganger the track needed attention ,and approved the latter’s proposal to deal with it on the following Tuesday, he having other work to do in the meantime. The variation was nothing unusual, and did not worry him in the slightest. The curve was also a little wide of gauge in places, but well within safety limits. After the accident, he found that the cant, at practically the same place as before, had increased by a quarter of an inch. A few dog spikes had been bent back, three in one place and two in another. He attributed this to the sudden stopping of the vehicles. He also noticed a broken screw spike on one of the plates holding a rail in position, but as far as he could see the rail had not. shifted. Questioned as to the roughness of the travelling in the area from Andrews to Silverstream, witness said it appeared rough sometimes, but there was a reason in corrugated rails. (Proceeding.)