Less railway line buckling

Press, 15 February 1982, Page 20

Less railway line buckling

Mild weather this summer has meant fewer problems for the Railways. with the heat-buckling of 'railway lines in Canterbury. So far during the summer there had -been only three cases of lines buckling because of the heat, safd the Railways assistant district engineer in Christchurch, Mr Russell Herbert. This was much lower than previous years, although he did not have figures available for last year,One goods train had been derailed because of heatbuckled lines just before Christmas, and the other, two cases had been detected during routine track- inspection. The traditional hot-spot is

' the line between. Hinds and Rangitata, an area in which the’ Railways has been concentrating its maintenance this-year. "We have done a lot of work there in the last three months,” Mr Herbert said. “We are going to lay 7km ‘of concrete -sleepers and tracks from the Hinds area to Rangitata.” Mr Herbert said there had been few problems with lines n.ear .Christchurch, although 'there had', been difficulties with • the line in North Canterbury in the past. Railways staff will be watching out for heatbuckled lines until the end of March.