MAIN LINE BLOCKED

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25607, 23 September 1948, Page 4

MAIN LINE BLOCKED

VAN AND CARRIAGE IN COLLISION

GUARD’S LUCKY ESCAPE

FROM INJURY From Our Own Reporter

OAMARU. September 22. The Christchurch-Dunedin main trunk railway line was blocked for four hours this evening when a runaway carriage-van from Waiareka Junction, two miles south of Oamaru. crashed into the guard’s van of a goods train from Weston at Oamaru at 6.50 p.m. There were no passengers in the carriage. The guard. Mr Cyril James Kerr, of 2 Foyle street, Oamaru, was on the runaway carriage van ana had a close escape from serious injury when he jumped clear at the moment of impact. The goods train was under heavy braking at the time, but the carriage van was estimated to be travelling at 50 miles an hour. The fact that, both the carriage van and the train were travelling in the same direction lessened the impact which, however, was sufficient to throw the guard on the goods train, Mr F. W. G. Riley, of 4 Clare street, Oamaru, heavily to the floor of the van in which he was riding. The collision occurred 50 yards from the railway crossing over Thames street. Oamaru’s main thoroughfare, and had it taken place on the viaduct, on the east side of the crossing, both the carriage and van and the rear van of the goods train would probably have fallen 30 feet into the creek below.

The van which broke away was drawn by a train which left Oamaru at 6.22 p.m. for Waiareka, where the train was to pick up a rake of trucks and continue its journey to Dunedin. The carriage van was shunted on to a siding while the engine went forward to pick up the truck. There is a gradient at one end of the Waiareka yards, and when the carriage van was uncoupled it apparently remained stationary for a moment or two. but then began to move, with gathering speed, as it entered the steeper incline leading to Oamaru. Mr Kerr immediately applied the handbrake, but it failed to check the movement, which increased as the carriage van came down the hill at the back of the Oamaru gardens. Its speed across the Severn street crossing was estimated by bystanders at 50 miles an hour. There was, no traffic at that time. The carriage van careered along the track with Mr Kerr hanging to the front platform endeavouring to attract the attention of the guard on the goods train, which had left Waiareka as the other engine entered the siding. , Mr Kerr jumped when he saw that a collision could not be avoided, landing in loose sand which broke his fall. He was severely shaken, but remained on duty until a break-down gang cleared the line just before 11 p.m.