AVERTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 213, 9 September 1935, Page 8

AVERTED.

TRAIN WRECK. CONSTABLE'S ACTION. BRAKES APPLIED. AUCKLAND -TARANAKI EXPRESS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, this day. A train wreck which might easily have been a disaster of considerable dimension was averted by the presence of mind of a member of the New Plymouth police, force, Constable L. Quin, aboard tho Auckland-New Plymouth express last night. All that Constable Quin did was to operate the Westinghou.se brakes system with which every train is equipped, but the statement was made subsequently by members of the train crew that if he had delayed his action even a minute the chances were that Ihe whole train would have leapt from the rails and piled itself into a heap of wreckage. The cause was the slipping of a tyvi on one of the wheels .if a sleeping ear on the train. Even though a serious accident was averted, the train was delayed at Otorohanga for five hours, and did not reach New Plymouth until midday to-day. The Auckland-New Plymouth express, which is usually attached to the Auck-land-Wellington Limited express as far as Taumarumii, was last night run as a separate train comprising a big K engine and four .cars and a van. " The train left Auckland 18 minutes behind the Limited and made a fast run to To Awamutu. After leaving Te Awamutu at 11 p.m. passengers in the leading car noticed a loud knocking in the undercarriage. This grew more pronounced as speed increased. As the train was running into Otorohanga the knocking became a bumping and passengers were so alarmed that the constable took action to stop the train. The trouble wae inspected and arrangements made for a breakdown gang. No damage was done to the track.