RATANA RAILWAY DISASTER

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22388, 29 April 1938, Page 12

RATANA RAILWAY DISASTER

Inquiry Continued At Wellington

SPEED OF TRAINS

DISCUSSED

Engine-Drivers Give

Evidence

(PRGHS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.)

WELLINGTON,- April 28,

The procedure followed when locomotive crews were not familiar with any section of the track was outlined to-day before the Board of Inquiry set up to investigate the cause of the Ratana railway disaster on March 26. Three senior drivers attached to the locomotive' depot, Wellington, and S. E. Gamby, who was acting-assistant locomotive foreman at Wellington at the time of the disaster, said a pilot was provided in the event of a driver not being familiar with any part of the road he was required to traverse.

The inquiry concerns the derailment of a special week-end excursion train front Wellington to New Plymouth. The accident occurred on a six-chain curve in a cutting near Ratana. Seven lives were lost, and several persons , injured.- The inquiry was opened at Wanganui on April 13, and resumed at Wellington last Tuesday., The chairman is Sir Francis Frazer. The greater portipn of to-day s evidence was given by members of the locomotive branch. It concerned the speed of trains, the visibility of speed-restriction boards* and technical details. It was disclosed that several senior drivers at Wellington, including E. Percival, driver of the excursion train, drove trains on the Marton-Wanganui section for a short time in 1930, when a nightexpress service operated between Wellington and New Plymouth. Evidence was given by S. B. Barltrop, car and waggon inspector, of what is done in carrying put an examination' of trains and the servicing of them. He agreed that in spite of the elaborate system he outlined, running mishaps did occur. He did not think there had been a greater number of running mishaps in- the Jast 12 months than previously. It was a- matter of looking up the records. He believed the vehicle mileage was slightly higher*: than in 1931. A greater, number of rimhing defects in such circumstances hpd b.eeh • expected, and for that reason 3t was,, decided about five years ago, to put the vehicles into the workshops at more regular. intervals to offset the increase in mileage. Before calling. the next witness, a senior enginevdriver, Mr H. F. O’Leary, K.C. (who appears for the department); said he thought the board would_ like fby.hear something of general driving practice, and two other .drivers, will also- .bes. called. They will be taken at random' and. simply instructed to be TSfieofge Reed,'itb*?® sea*s* service*.’ knew the engine which, had been «cauedv He-.had run it often. It had-mbsoy bben used oh the Palmerston North-Wellington route. It was capable of runnirtg any train and was ingood order. ' V Engine Inspected ; The day. before the derailment he drove -it from .Wellington, - to Palmerston North, - ; and back, _ taking the Napier . express to Palmerston North;/, and bringing back the Napier-wellington express on that day. . The engine was in first-class running order. Before he finished duty he put the engine on the pit and made an examination of the working parts, with the aid of a foreman.. The engine, tq ehort, was left ready for the next trip.,lt left in first-class running order, and he reported accordingly to the assistant locomotive foreman, who told, -witness that the engine, was booked for the excursion trip to New PlymouthA Witness said that when a driver took over he had certain duties to perform. These he detailed. They included a check-up of the engine before it left the yard. When a driver was out on a run with which he was less familiar than his usual route, the witness said he made use of the time-table. Pilots. Sometimes Used About three months ago he was asked to run a week-end excursion from Wellington to Napier. He told the locomotive foreman that be did not know the section from Palmerston North to Woodville. The foreman said: “I suppose I cannot book you on; someone else will have to do the job.” He was not booked on, and there was no difficulty about it. He knew of pilots having been used quite often to accompany drivers over, sections with which they were unfamiliar. He had not driven over the Marton-Wanganui section. Reed added that he had driven engines with a speedometer, and had found them absolutely useless as a help. He could estimate the speed the engine was travelling at quite ’ ’ well within a couple of miles either way. One usually went by the beat of the engine. To look at a speedometer* the driver had to take his eyes off the track. In the mflin the driver kept his eyes on the track; even though be /might be goihg over the stfme track day in ana day out. . < Speed Adjustments ■ Witness, replying to Mr G. G. Watson, (who appears for the enginedriver) said the typfe of engine derailed did not usually run beyond Palmerston North. It was quite capable of running as far as Taihape, however. To another question, he said the drawbar between the engine and the tender had been shortened. That was done before he took the engine to PalmerstoiUfcNorth, and it had made- a short trip before then.

, Mr Watson: What would cause a driver to book her for that particular repair? Because she was riding roughly? Witness: Yes. A concertina action between the engine and the tender. Further questions elicited that drivers used commonsense and experience in their task, rather than slavish adherence to regulations. This was a reference to a statement by a senior engineer' yesterday that in four and a' half miles between Porirua and Plimmerton, the speed would require to be varied in turn from 45 to 40, back to 45, then 30, 40, 30, 45, 30, 40, 45, and 40., Witness said.it was not the practice to run.a train like that. The practice was to adopj an average, say 35. Drivers knew the speed they could safely run. “When we come to, say, a 10-chain curve, we take special care;’* ; ■ . 'Mr .Watson:. So., it really comes to this—you, use your common sense and experience, rather than slavish adherence to the regulations? .Witness; Yea. : . . , (Mr Watson; You apparently have not got a 'very high' opinion- erf the speedometers applied to railway engines?— No. ,

Mr Watson: If, as 1 am instructed, the department has a number oh order how, you won’t use one?—lf one is

put into the cab, I won’t use it. I wouldn’t stop it from working, course. (Laughter.) Mr Watson: At times you have to exceed the maximum speed limit.— No. Never

In reply to the chairman, * witness said he did not think that the maximum authorised speed should under any circumstances be exceeded by a driver, except under special instructions. Electric- Headlights Another senior driver, Richard Henry Tripp, of Wellington, said he had 35 years’ service. If assigned to a run any portion of which he, was not sure about, lie would draw the foreman’s attention to it, and ask for a pilot. He remembered the nightexpress service operating between Wellington and New Plymouth, for a short time in 1930. Witness took the express as far as Wanganui once a week. On his first trip he was not familiar with the track from Marton to Wanganui, and was, provided with a pilot. The electric headlights now in use were very good. With the electric headlight he had no difficulty in picking up the qurve and speed-boards. He had encountered fogs from time to time. If the fog was too thick, a driver should either slow down or stop. He considered sneedometers unnecessary on locomotives. He. had never experienced any difficulty with the position of speed-boards. Cross-examined by Mr Foote, witness said he would not consider a speed of five miles an hour above the maximum allowed excessive, provided the road was good, and he was familiar with it. Any speed above that would be gross disregard of the working time-table. He had never heard of a feeling among drivers that the driver was made the scapegoat after an accident.

The chairman: Did you ever have to slow down or stop because of fog on the Marton-Wanganui section? Witness; There were times when 1 had xo slow down; but I never had to stop. The worst part was between Okoia and Aramoho.

How did you find the Ratana flats?— I’ve seen fogs there, but not as thick as other places. Have you ever had fog on the Ratana flat so thick that you could not see the curve or speed-boards?— I’ve never seen fog so thick as to prevent me from seeing the boards' at a distance of not less than 20 yards. “Asked to Step On It”

Cross-examined by Mr Watson, witness said Pturcival, driver of W4, was on the same\xpress roster.

Mr Watson: He, too, occasionally drove the night train to Wanganui in 1930? Yes. He had not been over the run since? —No, I don’t think he had. , Does a driver hot have to exceed the speed sometimes? —No, not necessarily.

What if the limited leaves Palmerston North 25 minutes late, and arrives at Wellington on time?— The schedules are not made out on maximum speeds in the first place. Have you ever had notes in the tablet sling, asking you to speed up a bit?—l have had it sometimes, asking me to step on it when Train Control wants to make a crossing; but I don’t take any notice of that sort of thing. That does not give me authority to exceed the speed limits, and I’m not expected to. . Have you ever heard complaints made by drivers that they have been allotted to unfamiliar runs at-night?— I have never heard a case of a driver going out on a run he did not want. Mr F. W. Furkert (a member of the board): A driver is not forced to go on? Witness: I have never heard of that being done. Mr Watson: Are. you not awdre that as recently as last March the Enginedrivers’, Firemen’s, and Cleaners’ Association made representations to the department about drivers being put on strange routes? Witness: No. I have never heard of it. Judging Speeds James Charles Jones, the third senior driver to give evidence to-day. Said he had 34 years’ service. On March 23, three days before the accident, he was on the Napier express, and drove AB 829 from Wellington to Palmerston North and back. .He noticed that the draw-bar between the tender and the locomotive required -shortening. It did not affect the safety of the run; but witness reported the matter on his return to the depot, and asked for another engine for the following day. He did not have AB 829 again after March 23. Wh£n first asked in 1930 if he knew the road from Martpn to Wanganui, he replied In the negative, and before going on the night exptess travelled over the route in daylight on a locomotive. On his first trip with the express he was given a pilot from Marton to Wanganui. He never had any difficulty in judging speed. He would rather be without a speedometer. He never had occasion to complain about inadequacy, or .the position of curve and radius boards. ’ J Cross-examined by Mr Watson, witness described the behaviour of AB 829 on March 23, when he reported that the draw gear required repairs. Over a speed of 30 miles an hour there was up and ‘ down vibration, and the engine did not ride so smoothly. He was satisfied that the trouble was not due to the weight of the engine shifting. Mr Watson: Is it not possible, tn view ‘of this, engine having done approximately 60,000 miles since its last general overhaul, that the weight might have shifted from the leading bogies to the driving wheels? Witness: No. It did not happen in this case. Selecting the Driver Silberg Everest Gamby, road foreman, of Auckland, said he was actingassistant, locomotive foreman at Wellington,until March 31. When at Wellington part of his duty was to book on engine crews. On March" 23 he deceived a train advice concerning W4, the excursion train. He looked over the men available, and suitable for the job, and picked on Percival. Percival made no mention of the track. He was one of seven on the No. 1 roster. These men were regarded as ihe top grade men of tho depot. He made no demur. Witness added that he had known Percival for 10 years. He was selected for the trip because he was a top-roster man, used to running this particular type of train and engine, and in every way a . good’, reliable man. He also knew that Percival had been on the night express trains on the Marton-Wanganui section in 1930. He was under the impression that Percival had been on week-end excursions to Wanganui; but had no proof. Had he asked for a pilot there'would have been no hesitation in providing one from Palmerston North, Marton, or Wanganui. Percival would be quite aware ol this fact. At this stage the inquiry was adjourned. The examination in chief of the last witness will he resumed at 10.30 a.m." to-morrow.