RAILWAYMAN’S RETIREMENT

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28820, 14 February 1959, Page 7

RAILWAYMAN’S RETIREMENT

Popular Rail-car Driver

Mr William Dunshea, of Greymouth, has retired from the service of the Railways Department after a period of 40 years, the last 167 as a railcar driver. His pleasant personality and constant readiness to assist old and young alike will be greatly missed by the travelling public. “Bill” Dunshea, as he is universally known on the West Coast, joined the Railways Department as a casual rivet boy at the age of 16 years. The boilermaker’s shop in those days was known as ‘‘The Old Maori House 0 and it was situated where the present Ministry of Works offices are housed on Mawhera Quay, near the railway station. At the age of seventeen, Mr Dunshea made a successful application to join the locomotive department, and since then he has been engaged in cleaning, firing and driving. During the last 16 years he has driven railcars to Ross, Westport, Reef ton, Otira, Christchurch. Ashburton and Timaru. ( Like all other drivers of locomotives and railcars, Mr Dunshea has had some startling experiences —with slips, washouts and stock straying on to the lines. “My biggest fright was on the line between Kumara junction and Awatuna,” said Mr Dunshea in Greymouth yesterday. “I had just come up over the hill when I saw that the approach to a 6ft culvert at Westerfield had been washed out and that the rails were twisted to form a part circle.

“I had no warning and applied the emergency brakes. There was a sudden swaying and screeching and when I recovered from the terrific shock, I found that the railcar was still on the rails some distance past the drain. How it stayed on the rails has always been a mystery to me. I can only assume that the high speed at which 1 was travelling—so miles

an hour is the limit in that area —carried the car round the curved lines and enabled it to remain on the rails.

“I must say that I received a fright ’’ shall never forget. Gangers in the vicinity vowed that a Light jigger could not have performed such a feat,” said Mr Dunshea, who, perhaps because of this experience, retains a great love for the old Vulcan type of railcar He considers them more reliable than the type now in use. While driving locomotives, Mr Dunshea once narrowly missed running into a huge slip on the Rewanui line The train had just travelled through the second tunnel and was pulled up only a few feet short of the obstruction. Torrential rain was falling on this dark winter’s night, and it was agreed that the best thing to do would be to back the train to the Rewanui station It had not proceeded far, however, before another large slip confronted the guard’s van and the train was again brought to a sudden standstill

With the assitance of the fireman and guard. Mr Dunshea made certain that steam would be kept up by improvising a device which carried rain water off the hill in to the engine tender The three therr set out on foot and tramped through mud and slush knee-deep before reaching the Rewanui station. There they were provided by the stationmaster and his wife with hot baths, changes of clothing and food. Next day they walked past both slips aid were taken to. Greymouth by trolley, arriving late in the afternoon Meantime a relief train had been sent from Greymouth to clear the line and bring the marooned train back.

With such a long record as a driver of locomotives and railcars. Mr Dunshea has met many interesting personalities and visitors to New Zealand. He prizes a

photograph of the train , which brought him back through Grey-

mouth to Otira Mr Dunshea was at that time a fireman on the leading engine of the train.

Mr Dunshea was born in Australia but came to the West Coast at the age of three. He is proving himself a true West Coaster by his decision to spend his days of retirement in Greymouth.