SPEED OF TRAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 130, 28 November 1940, Page 8

SPEED OF TRAIN

MERCER SMASH

EVIDENCE AT INQUIRY

PORTER'S REMARK

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, November 27,

When the Board of Inquiry on the Mercer train derailment resumed its sitting .today, lan Graham, porter, stationed at , Huntly, said that when the north-hound Limited travelled through Huntly that morning he remarked to a ganger, Wallis: "That's. McCubbiii. , One of- these flays he will kill himself."

When going over the points at the station the train swayed a bit. Though it was travelling. faster than -Usual, it was not a great deal faster, as all expresses travelled rapidly. What caused him--to say,; "One day he will kill himself" wafs ■ the. fact that there were bends in the line facing the points, i Bis remark: did not.relate specifically to • the driver, McCubbin, but to drivers of Hhe Limited as a class. ~:■'■ George Paterson, surfaceman stationed at Huntly, said he thought the train was travelling faster than usual through Huntly. He had known McCubbin well, but, apart from the apparently excessive speed of the Limited on that day, had no personal knowledge of McCubbin travelling at greater than normal speed. Clarence". William Barret, porter stationed at Whangamarino, said he would not like; to say the speed of the train was down to the 30 miles an' hour restriction' which began immediately ahead of the station. The speed seemed, however,'to be about the usual for the Limited. ' Brian Mansfield Beechey, surfaceman stationed at Mercer, said when the train passed he' was definitely of the opinion that its, speed was in excess of that normally-run by express trains. Jim Owen Harris, porter stationed at Rangiriri, did not: consider the train passed through at a speed faster than usual. . ■ " SERGEANT CONGRATULATED. Sergeant T. Pukekohe, detailed his examinatip^ .of the express and the permanent way. after, the derailment The draw bar. 6% ". the ", engine had snapped ■ oft clean, allowing the carv riages to rush past, each carriage being lifted off the r^ij.on tlie, left side till clear of the .ejigine,'when it came dowjl again >on the: rails. .Tlhere was nothing, to indicate an obstruction-on the line.: The chairman., pf. -the ■ board, Sir Francis Frazer, congratulated Sergeant Kelly on his observation and excellent statement. .• •-~ .;, . , .-, . ; | Constable F; Pollardj stationed at Mercer, described hearing a ■'_ shorf whistle, accompanied by a rumbling sound, which caused him ;to run out of the police station. There was no chance of getting into the engine.. He turned off what steam cocks he could see, but steam still escaped;: He described the removal of the bodies of the engine crew. . v

Rupert Cecil Hayes, surfaceman, Rangiriri, said the express seemed to be handled in a normal manner and to travel at the usual speed.

Edward Henry Burroughs, automatic signal maintainer, Ohinewai, gave similar evidence.

Arthur Thomas Baker, another surfaceman, considered the train was travelling at normal speed. If anything it was travelling a shade slower than usual.

An engine-driver of SO years' service, Thomas John Ching, said he had driven the Limitoa express and knew the time-table was "tight" between Frankton and Paerata, which is on the Auckland side of Mercer. That was generally understood,'arid about the depot one heard now ,and again discussions about it. A driver taking over would know .he would have< to. "keep at it" to maintain the schedule. It was a fight against time, all along. SPEED COMPARISONS. A detailed table .showing , comparisons between the speed and running times of express trains between.' station and station.,on the , run from Frankton to Mercer and those of. the derailed Limited .express, was. produced by Charles Henry McLeod Hawk, assistant engineer on the staff of the district engineer in Auckland. It would be seen, he said, that the speed of train 688. (the derailed ex-, press) was kept within reasonable limits as far as Ngaruawahia. vFrom there, however,. speed was generally increased and the average speed attained a maximum of: 61£ miles an hour between Huntly and Ohinewai.. Thence to the point of derailment, though the actual average speed dropped, it was still maintained, at a much higher figure than the average speeds, calculated from minimum running times, allowing a maximum speed of 50 miles an hour with adjustments for curves and grades, as well as' permanent and temporary speed restrictions in force on October 28. Over the whole run from Ngaruawahia to the point of derailment the actual average speed maintained by No. 688 on October 28 had been worked out and found to be much higher than the corresponding average speed of trains over this stretch of line, calculated on the 50-miles-an-hour basis already mentioned.

The hearing was adjourned,