Railway guard cheats death

Press, 5 June 1978, Page 4

Railway guard cheats death

PA Whangarei A railway guard cheated death on Saturday night when a 400-tonne goods train crashed into his guard’s van at Waiotira Terrace, splintering most of it to matchwood.

Mr W. Peita, of Hikurangi, was checking waybills in the nearby Waiotira Station when a southbound train hit another waiting at a set of points. Three waggons jackknifed into the air and on to a parallel track. Mr Peita’s van and the rest of the train of 30 waggons were moved forward about 20 metres. Wheels and axles were ripped off and scattered about the tracks.

The driver of the oncoming train, Mr J. Kerr, of Whangarei, and his assistant, Mr C. Rahul, were shaken but unhurt by the impact. Mr Kerr said yesterday that he had had a green light on his line and did not see the stationary train until he rounded a bend about 50 metres away. “We hit the brake as soon as we saw it, and then hit the deck,” he said. “We wanted to keep away from the windows. “My first concern was for the guard,” said Mr Kerr. “He was very lucky. I did not have time to get a fright myself until after- 1 wards.”

Mr Kerr, who has been driving trains for 17 years and in the Railways service for 23 years, said he did not know what had gone wrong. “It was all set for us. We had clear passage through,” he said. Mr Kerr’s engine suffered only minor damage and was towed back to Whangarei on Saturday night.