ENGINE DERAILED

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 170, 14 April 1932, Page 6

ENGINE DERAILED

Hold-up on Hutt Line NGAHAURANGA MISHAP Breakdown Gang’s Task The derailment of an engine on the points linking the sidings with the main up line at Ngahauranga was responsible for a temporary hold-up of railway traffic yesterday morning. No one was hurt, but the engine was badly damaged, and the rails of the up riialn line and at the points were slightly put out of alignment. The train had proceeded from Wellington to Ngahauranga shortly before 9 a.m., and on reaching Ngahauranga shunted some trucks into a siding. When the engine was returning to pick up the carriages it fouled the automatic points. The rear wheels crossed over to the main up line, the driving wheels came off the line and rested between the tracks, but the front wheels jumped the points and remained on the siding track.

Breakdown apparatus was soon on the spot, but the task of replacing a 60-ton engine of the W.W. class was no light one, especially as the weight was distributed over two sets Of tracks. Jacks were unable to accomplish the task, so an engine with a long drawbar was brought from Petone. Hardwood blocks were placed under the wheels, and after several efforts the derailed engine was hauled foot by foot until all the wheels ran on to the one set of rails. The task took 3J hours, and the straightening of the bent rails was soon effected. On one occasion the strain was so severe that a thick steel coupling between the engine and truck snapped with a loud report In the meantime all traffic used the main down line, only three trains being delayed. The 8.39 a.m. train from Upper Hutt to Lambton was delayed seven minutes, the 9.2 a.m. Lambton to Waterloo about four minutes, and the 9.30 a.m. Waterloo-Lambton was delayed half-an-hour. The up line was restored in time for the early afternoon traffic.