SLIP ON LINE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 143, 21 June 1929, Page 11

SLIP ON LINE

NEW PLYMOUTH EXPRESS

DERAILED

NO PASSENGERS HURT

VICE-REGAL PARTY ON TRAIN

The engine and three carriages of the New Plymouth express to Wellington were derailed at 5.30 last . evening by running into a slip of . shingle two miles south of Paekakaliki.. Nobody was injured, however. Their Excellencies ■ the Governor- i General (Sir . Charles Fergusson) and Lady Alice Fergugson, with I other members of the Viee-Begal •' party, were on the express returning from the National Dairy Show at Palmerston North, and with the other-passengers- were brought on to Wellington by a relief train . which arrived at ThorndOn about 9 p.m. " . .' ■ . ■ '. . " TWICE DERAILED. The express, as a matter of fact, was twice derailed. A. Press Association message, published t in last night's "Post," stated: "While passing beneath a bridge at Turakina, the bogie wheels of the New Plymouth-Wellington ■ express were struck by a large landslide and-, derailed, fortunately the train was speedily pulled up without damage or injury to the passengers." Workmen and the train crew replacod the wheels, .and the train proceeded after only 13 minutes' delay.': It is 1 believed that there is a great danger of the whole bank coming down. Details are lacking. » The bridge; referred to is one of two new structures' a short distance apart erected last year." : . ENGINE TURNED OVEE. On inquiring at the head office of the Railway Department this ; morning, a "Post" reporter was informed that the slip at ?aekakanki : was 'a. eomparar tiyoly small one, due to the sliding of a portion of a bank.of shingle alongside the line two mile's south of Paekakariki. "We expect to'get the line dear about 11 o'clock this morning," stated.our informant. "It is not so much'the clearing away of the.slip that takes the time as straightening up the engine and the cars and getting them on to the line so that they, can run again^ Tho train, which consisted of nine, carriages, carried some 200-passengers, and at the time the slip was encountered was..runniitg at under 20 miles' an' hour. The ongine mounted the shingle and ploughed through it for' some distance," and, though the engine-driver (W. Pickering) put on the brakes hard immediately he felt the .impact, the engine left the rails and slid over the edge of the embankment on, to its side.: It did not, however, becqmV: detached from the train. The fifs^ three carriages also left the rails, but they ;; were, only canted over, not •absolutely overturned. Tho first two carriages, were occupied by 90 school children from' Berhampbre, who had been visiting the Palmerston North Show. Happily, nobody was hurt, and, though the children and the other passengers in. the first three Vcars scrambled out iv great haste and. confusion, there was practically no panic.; Only a slight jolt was felt py the Vice-Regal party in the hindmost carriage. As' soon as, we were advised of the accident, we dispatched .a. rejief.. Jkrajnt, to :the placed' and the passengers; ,were transhipped'J and: arrived'; a^Thoradon- aboutv 9 last night. A breakdown, gang-was also got away withoutdelay to clear the slip, , i TRAFFIC DISORGANISED ' ] ''Arrangements were made for the passengers by, later trains' to be! tranship- j ped at the slip until the line was clear- 1 ed; but the Auckland Limited * express; j which in the usual course-leaves .from. | Thorndon, was dispatched via the Wai-' rarapa line last, night. ./Normally it is:l due in Auckland at 9.30/a.mi,.but it-is not expected to,reach',there till about: 1 p.m. to-day, the; run via the Wairarapa being some four hours longer than that by the Manawatu. The passengers by the down Limited from • Auckland i were transhipped to a waiting express at> tho Paekakariki slip, and that "involved ! about an hour's 'Iclay.' After 11 o'clock all should be Tunning smoothly and the usual time-table will therefore* be adhered to. ■..• "The New Plymouth and JS'upier expresses are going to-day; via; the Manawatu in the ordinary course, and we anticipate that they will be. subjected to no more than- a delay of a few minutes."; ,- ;> v •••,•: . Oil arriving in."Wellington last night the passengers by the relief train stated that, while those in the first carriages, especially the three that left the line, were jerked out' of Hheir seats,; it was quickly, realised! that .the accident Was •not a serious one, andthat' nobody had been hurt.; TJherewas little or- no evidencei"of 'jainic."''.'.',:■■'■ -y ':!'::'.'r.:'],'~.y' V. A : passenger on the train "called at the "Evening Post/office to-day, and stated that he would '":<iike to make known the prompt action'of- the guard, whose first thoughts were obviously" of the school" children; mthei front' carriages. He was soon on !top of the carriages, and very-qiiicHy had all the youngsters" out in Safety through the. window?.;--- '■''■'.;:)..".■:";"■'■:■.' ■'" ''."■'■,-'■'"■•■■ CLEARING THE WRECKAGE. .'.' \ A "Post" reporter visited the scene of the-accident this morning,' just when passengers from the.Limited" express from Auckland were changing over to a relief train. The'"Limited"had been; held at Paekakariki for nearly ah hour, and the slip was not reached until nearly 10 o'clock. At that time the big engme yaa still lying.^n its side downthe.bank, and there did not appear, to be any immediato prospect of its being moved. One of the derailed carriages was still across the line. The. reporter was informed that:the engine'driver and ni-eman of the derailed 6xbress had beeir thrown clear of the.engine practically on to the beach below*-and had a very lucky escape from' serious injury. . .;. ■ . ■ •; .-..■. slip itself is not a large one. and the greater part of the loose earth had been cleared away thjs horning, relief gangs having been hard at .work since last evening, Many >f the men had m? S0^11^ throughout the night. The Bailway Department had mlde the best possible arrangements for the transference' faf passengers 'from the down expresses to the , relief '; trains; There .was a big squad < of railwaymen waiting ■to assist passengers, arid^he only passengers who suffered any incon! fhe walk of-two or three hundred yardl in the pounngrain a little trying. There was. a detey of on^: a little over hllf an hour at the slip, and the ''Limited" a = d^^ el Un g tonjust:;over tSo