36 WAGGONS RUN AWAY

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30079, 13 March 1963, Page 14

36 WAGGONS RUN AWAY

Crash After 17 Miles

(from Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH. March 12.

Railwaymen at Moana, a tiny West Coast lakeside settlement 23 miles from Greymouth, had four minutes' warning to halt a runaway rake of 36 loaded waggons this afternoon. The waggons had raced 17 miles downhill from Jacksons at speeds estimated at up to 50 miles an hour. Nobody was aboard. The Moana railwaymen stopped ■ the waggons by switching them on to a goods shed loop, and they crashed into a rake of ballast waggons. A railway hut on wheels was sandwiched between the two rakes and demolished.

The runaway waggons, with two guard’s vans taking the main impact, telescoped into the other rake. Track on the loop was torn up for a considerable distance. Thirteen of the waggons were wrecked and 23 were damaged. Information from railway officials indicated the rake of waggons broke away from a regular goods train bound for Otira from Greymouth. The train was stopped at Jacksons at the time.

The waggons were .loaded with coal, sawn timber, and logs. The runaways were first seen by a railway surfaceman at Te Kings, who telephoned to Moana. giving railway officials there four minutes in which to take action.

The accident damaged the main line, which was expected to be repaired before midnight. Passengers travelling from the West Coast to Christchurch were taken to Moana by bus. There they were met by a rail-car sent from Christchurch.

Mr J. Rajcharat arrived by air from Prague yesterday to take up his appointment as commercial attache at the Czechoslovakian Legation. He replaces Mr Z. Zizika, who returned to Prague some months ago. Mr Rajcharat is accompanied by his wife and young son.—(PA.»