RAILWAY INQUIRY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 42, 29 November 1940, Page 7

RAILWAY INQUIRY

SPEEDS AND CURVES.

EVIDENCE BY ENGINEERS.

IPer Press Association). AUCKLAND, November 28

The inquiry into the derailment of the Limited express near Mercer on the morning of October 28, when an engine-driver and fireman were killed, was continued to-day.

Sir Francis Frazer presided, with Professor S. E. Lamb and Mr F.. W • Furkert. Messrs V. R. MercUth and I. Thomas represented the Minister for Railways and the Railway Department, and G. P. Finlay and A. E. Johnston watched the interests of the Enginedrivers’ and Firemen’s and Cleaners’ Association. Mr L. Mcllvride, general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, appeared on behalf of his union. Mr P. G. Harkness, of Hamilton, appeared for the widow of the fireman, and Mr N. S. Johnson for the widow of the engine-driver. Counsel were also present for various passengers who were injured.

The first witness to-day was George James Bertinshaw, chief engineer of the. maintenance branch of the Railways Department, who said that after the ballast had been cleared away and the sleepers and ,fastenings washed with water, he noticed a diagonal mark of a length of about 14 inches aiong the head of the outside rail, such as would be made by the flange of a wheel mounting the rail. There was no sigii of any qbstruction having been placed on the, track. It would, however, be very difficult to detect an obstruction if there had been one, owing to the debris and the disturbance in the ballast, etc.

His investigation indicated that the cant and the run-out of the cant were satisfactory, and the variations within the tolerance allowed. If there had been anything seriously wrong with the track it was reasonable to conclude, that a goods train which passed over the. curve two hours before would have had trouble. He Avas satisfied that the accident Avas not caused by faulty condition of the track. Margin Allowed. Bertinshaw said that a table he had prepared showed that the total time between Frankton and Mercer Avas 63 minutes. Based on a 50-miles-an-hour maximum, Avithout allowing for temporary speed restrictions, this meant that the driver would run 50 miles an hour on straights and full authorised speeds on curves. The time-table speed alloAved a margin of time as a full speed of 50 miles an hour was not adopted on straights. The table indicated that# the total time on the day of the accident Avould he 69.7 minutes from Frankton to Mercer, which Avould giA r e “slack” of 3.3 niinutes as compared Avith the timetable time.

To Mr Finlay, Avitness said that K engines had been in use for four or five years. K’s were not as bad cn curves as other engines they had. Witness said he Avould put a train OA r er the curve as it was after the accident and as it was then distorted. He and his branch had no objection to the use of speed recorders on engines; they would welcome them.

The next Avitness, Percy Roy Angus, locomotive superintendent for the department, detailed the damage . done to the train. His examination did not disclose any defects that Avould contribute to the derailment. Up to the time of the accident the K engine on the Limited allocated to the Frankton district had run 35,189 miles since its last complete overhaul. The scliedxile mileage betAveen overhauls Avas 90,000. The locomotive Avas not fitted Avith a speed recorder or a speed indicator. Reginald John Gard, a designing engineer in the locomotive superintendent’s branch of the Railway Department, said there Avere no mechanical defects or breakages in the ' engine which could he regarded as contributing to the accident. Witness said he had not heard of a K engine developing at speed a marked roll at almost regular intervals. If that condition did exist, he said, he could not say what would account for it. If there was a roll by the engine at the apex of a curve, that was, a rolling toAvards the higher side of the line, the engine would overturn at a loAver speed than if there had been no depression in the track.

“I do not think that under excellent conditions there would be a danger in an engine doing 60 miles an hour on the straight,” added witness. “The restrictions set on curves are peri’oeCy safe for all engines.” The maximum speed in the North Island was 50 r iles an hour.

The hearing will he continued tomorrow, when it is expected that the last witnesses will be heard,

MODEL ENGINE ON DISPLAY. AUCKLAND, November 28. Complete to the smallest detail, and mounted on rails, a steam-driv'en working model, of a K engine, the same type as the one derailed near Mercer, assisted to-day in the clarification of many important points at the inquiry into the derailment.

Built by Mr Frank Roberts l , of Epsom, Auckland, the model was greatly admired by raihvay men.