TRAIN DERAILED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 295, 26 September 1935, Page 7

TRAIN DERAILED

FOUR CARRIAGES DAMAGED. SEVENTY PASSENGERS ON BOARD ONLY SLIGHT INJURIES REjSULT. t (Per Press Association). INVERCARGILL, September 25. A serious train derailment occurred on the main Invercargill-Christ-church line early this evening, when the mixed afternoon train from Invercargill to Clinton was almost completely (derailed at the foot of a long incline between Kamahi and Edendale. Almost the whole train, including four carriages carrying about 70 passengers, left the rails. The carriages, together with 12 loaded and six empty tracks, were piled up in the greatest confusion. . .

Tire front two carnages were occupied by 50 secondary school pupils, who suffered a shaking, but escaped serious injury. . Only three children received injuries requiring attention, and none of these was too seriously hurt to proceed to their homes. The two carriages followed immediately after two empty petrol waggons, but a fire occurred in the second carriage through the gas lighting cylinder being forced through the flooring. The fire was quickly extinguished. Timber was splintered! and raised about the centre of this carriage to a height almost level with the bottom of the windows. This would probably have caused serious injury to the children had not the carriage been of the old type, with longitudinal seating, through which the occupants were rocketed to the front end of the carriage in a heap. The front carriage came to rest across the permanent way, against a pile of smashed trucks, a great deal of glass being broken. The platforms of three carriages were telescoped, and the cars divorced from their bogey wheels. The permanent way was torn up for a distance of 55 yards, , and splintered trucks, bogey wheels, and the cargo of lime, timber, and coke was piled in great confusion in front of the carriages. . , , x When a breakdown crew arrived late in the evening the indications were that the line would take a consider-: able time, to clear. Passengers by the south' - bound express from Christchurch were transferred to a relief) train and proceeded to Invercargill, arriving 90 minutes late.

It was stated to-night that passengers from the north to-inorrow would lie taken as far as the scene, of the accident and transferred to another train. . •