RUNAWAY RAIL TRUCKS

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28224, 12 March 1957, Page 7

RUNAWAY RAIL TRUCKS

• Goods Manager's I Recollection j “One-six-two has bolted.” is a I memorable phrase for the retir- • ing district goods manager of the , Railways Department (Mr L. S. ■ Jarvie). On V.E. night he was • on train control duty, Mr Jarvie > said. “One-six-two was made up • of two trains at the Springfield ; Station and a rake of its trucks i slipped out of the yards on to the J Midland line. , “The big fall in the line level I between Springfield and Christchurch meant that the trucks > would be travelling at a terrific ; speed so we quickly decided to , divert the train at Darfield, a ' very risky business,” he said. J “Over these 14 miles to Darfield, ■ one-six-two disappeared and an ■ engine quickly raced from Spring- , field to find the train. I “At Racecourse Hill the trucks , hit a motor-car on the crossing, t knocking out the car’s engine ; but not injuring the two occupants,” Mr Jarvie said. “The • impact put on the train’s brakes.” Mr Jarvie, who will retire on . April 1 after 40 years’ service with the traffic branch, attended 1 the Kaitangata School before i working for several years at J Central Otago railway stations. . With another railway worker ■ he was transferred to the Works ; Department in 1924 to manage . the then terminus of the Rox- ; burgh line at Millers Flat before ! it was handed over to the Railways Department. Stationmaster I For six years and a half, Mr > Jarvie was stationmaster at • Mina. In 1938, he joined the , goods branch and from 1944 to . 1947 he worked at the train con- • trol, Christchurch. Mr Jarvie spent two years as ■ traffic inspector for the Auckland : district before he became goods l manager at Christchurch in 1955 | Mr Jarvie said that one of his i main interests had been to • quicken the delivery of goods, ; especially fruit, by mechanisa- » tion in the goods sheds. > On his retirement, Mr Jarvie { intends to take a part-time job. I He is a vice-president of the : Hagley Golf Club and is also a > keen bowler.