SEDDON TRAIN WRECK

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 145, 1 April 1948, Page 6

SEDDON TRAIN WRECK

Opening of Inquiry

EVIDENCE ON TIMES

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, March 31. Evidence was given when the board of inquiry. into the Seddon train wreck began its sitting today that the train came to a halt at the Blenheim station with the van at the south end instead of Ihe north end, that the train lost nine minutes between Vernon and Seddon, and that it was the first time the driver had driven an express train.

The accident happened on February 25 at approximately 11.32 a.m. Six persons were killed and 59 were injured. Mr W. F. Stihvell, S.M., is chairman of the board. The other members are Messrs , John Wood and G. E. Breeze.

Mr W. H. Cunningham, Crown Solicitor, with him Mr F. W. Aiekin, chief legal adviser to the Railway Department, is representing the department. Mr I-I. R. C. Wild is representing the New Zealand Locomotive Enginedrivers’, Firemen, and Cleaners’ Association, and the driver of the train Joseph William Gurr, and the fireman, Edward Donald Blackburn. With Mr Wild is Mr T. H. Stephenson, general secretary of the association. Several other counsel represent injured passengers or relatives of deceased passengers.

e Superintendent’s Evidence

Alfred John Ede, transportation superintendent, New Zealand Railways, said the train involved (No. 104) was scheduled to run three days a week, leaving Picton at 9.50 a.m. The accident occurred between Seddon and Blind River stations, about. 181 miles from Christchurch. The engine crew at the time of the accident was Acting-Engine-Driver Gurr and Fireman Blackburn. These two men had been booked on duty at Kaikoura at 2.15 a.m. on February 25 and left there as the engine crew of No. 931 at 5.17 a.m., three hours two minutes behind schedule. They changed over with the crew of No. 104 at Taumarina.

Mr Ede said the running record of train No. 104 on February 25 showed: Taumarina -to Blenheim, guard’s re*cord, 11 minutes (minimum running time, 12 minutes 5S seconds); Blenheim to Vernon, guard’s record, seven minutes (working time-table, nine minutes, and minimum running time, seven minutes 25 seconds); Vernon to Seddon, guard’s record, 34 minutes (working time-table, 25 minutes, and minimum running time, .24 minutes 49 seconds). No. 104 lost nine minutes between Vernon and Seddon. The train at the time of the accident consisted of an AB locomotive, •seven day-passenger cars, a guard’s van and a Z roadside van. There were 110 passengers. The assessed load of the train was 212 tons, which was within the authorised load. Three trains had passed over the point on the line where the accident occurred on February 25 before the accident.

Speed Over Crossings

Mr Ede said mention might he made at come stage of the speed at. which No. 104 passed over three level crossings immediately north of Blenheim station. A speed restriction was put on these crossings by train advice No. 764 On December 18, 1947, and Mr Gurr should have been but was not checked as_to his possession of that train advice before, he left Kaikoura on No. 931 on February 25. There was a permanent speed restriction board indicating that speed should be reduced to 20 miles an hour on the north side of the most northern of the three crossings.

“I have mentioned this because of the circumstances that when Mr Gurr ■stopped No. 104 at Blenheim the train came to a halt with the van at the south' end of the station instead or the north end,” continued witness. “The engine-driver could not, have been in any doubt as to his position on approaching Blenheim as there is a signal semaphore (up home signal) protecting the station, which he could have seen from some distance away. After the stop the train was set back and the engine then cut off and went to'the water tanks.”

Time of Accident

Mr Ede said he had tried to fix the time of the accident according to clocks or watches that were showing the same time. If noise which the train control officer (Mr L. W. Dixon) said he heard wan due to the engine of No. 104 crashing into a railway telephone post then, as the clock in the train control office was said fo have shown 11.32 at the time, the accident occurred at that time by the clock. Further as the Blenheim train control office clock was said to have agreed with the Picton station clock at 9.47 a.m., and the guard’s watch was said to have agreed with the Picton clock when he came on duty, then, subject to verification in evidence by several employees, the running of No. 104 from Seddon to the railway telephone post was 11.29 to 11.32, or three minutes.

To Mr Wild, Mr Ede replied that as far as could be ascertained Mr Gurr had not received the train advice before leaving Kaikoura. It was the responsibility of the guard to check advices with the driver before starting off. The next advice issued i about level crossings was on February 27, 1948.

Mr Wild: It looks as if someone attempted to make up for a previous deficiency. Mr Ede: I don’t know that I would call it that. In that area They are all Picton drivers and there is not the same need to issue advices as there would be. say, in an area like Auck-land-Frankton. Lose of Time on Run Mr Ede said that the record of the train on the Vernon-Seddon section did not suggest that the timetable was too tight for this part. Tn 8(1 trips HI had been to schedule or under. Mr Wild: Would not the loss of nine minutes in nearly 11 miles have a disturbing effect, on the mind of a. driver? Mr Ede: I don’t think so. On tile Main Trunk they often lose more. Mr Wild: You know that Mr Ourr was driving his first express?—l have been told so. Did you think the lose of time might upset his confidence?—l don’t see wny it should. Witness, in reply to another question, said the estimate of three miiv

utes from Seddon to the point of the accident was based on. a number of assumptions. It was 10 miles 67 chians between Vernon and Seddon, eo that No. 104 had lost nearly a minute a mile. There were 8S trips of No. 104 between September and February and on only nine or 10 occasions had there been a maximum load for an Aii engine.

To Mr N. T. Gillespie, representing two passengers, Mr Ede said he thought it was between two and three miles from Seddon to the scene of toe accident. ,

Foreman Ganger’s Evidence

Frank Forster, foreman ganger on the section of the line stretching for 10 miles north and south of Seddon, •said the whole length of the section was covered daily by trolley inspection. There was a walking inspection fortnightly, when a test gauge was carried and all curves, points, crossings, and bridges were examined. The length where the accident occurred was inspected 11 days before, and the 10-chain curve was, in his opinion, in good order. The last serious work on the curve was the renewal of sleepers, and the lifting and regauging of the curve about June-July, 1947. On February 25 witness passed over the curve where the accident occim’od shortly after 8 a.m. and saw nothing wrong with it. To Mr Wild: Mr Forster said it was a good curve on good formation. The inquiry will be continued tomorrow.

NO OBSTRUCTION SEEN EVIDENCE OF INSPECTOR (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. He saw nothing in the nature of an obstruction that might have caused the derailment, and the track was in good order. This was stated in evidence by Thomas David Lauder Garth, of Kaikoura, an inspector of the permanent way before the Board of Inquiry today into the Seddon railway disaster. Witness detailed various inspections he had made during the past 15 months of the curve where the derailment occurred, and said the curve was in good order on his last visit before the smash. On the day of the disaster he was at Seddon, and went immediately to the scene in a railway bus. After doing what he could for the injured, he inspected the track for some distance back.

Wtiness was then asked by Mr Cunningham, for the Railway Department., whether he saw anything in the nature of an obstruction that might have caused the. derailment, or anything that could in any way have been a contributing cause. , Witness said he had never received any complaint from a driver about the area “where the smash occurred. Continuing, witness said that since the disaster, during the relaying of the track, he had imposed a speed restriction of six miles an hour round the curve. The track had been restored almost in a normal manner and to. a normal pant. The speed round the curve was normally 30 miles an hour. To Mr H. R. G. Wild (representing the New Zealand Locomotive Enginedrivers’, Firemen’s and Cleaners’ Association and the driver and fireman of the train), witness said that any variations in the cant or slack on a curve sufficient to -set. up oscillations that would derail a locomotive would lie clearly apparent to anyone riding over the track in a trolley. Oliver Joseph Doidge, district civil engineer, of Christchurch, said he was at Seddon with the previous witness on the day of the crash, and reached the scene at approximately 1 p.m. Witness proceeded to unfold plans and diagrams of such a size that the chairman (Mr W. F. Stihvell, S.M.), eventually remarked: “The difficulty will soon be to see where the members of the board are? (Laughter). The plans, were moved to the floor, to the clerk’s table and to the bar table and handed up one at a time, instructions were given for another long table to be brought to the room.