RUNAWAY ENGINE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 19 January 1926, Page 12

RUNAWAY ENGINE.

A T'KIX-MlLiEi DASH. SIGNALMAN SAVES TRAIN AHEAD A heavily-laden goods train was bound for Sydney on Sunday week, and &S(.>rUy after (passing through Haulcon bridge, the automatic coupling between the truck behind the engine and the rest of the train snapped. The Westinghouse brake went on at once, bringing the long train to a standstill, and the driver and fireman, seeing at once what bad happened, shunted back to pick up the train again. The fireman jumped down to niako the coupling, and just as he did so the rest of tlie train moved down the line, bumping heavily into the tender. Tlie shock threw the driver off the engine, which started to career down the line and soon gathered terrible speed. Evidently the impact had interfered with the brakes. On rushed the engine, through Springwood, Valley Heights, and Blaxland, but the signalman at Blaxland junction checked its mad career. He had been informed of the runaway by tiie train crew, and switched the points over just in time. Diverted on to a sideline, the engine crashed through a dead-end and toppled oxer, being considerably damaged. It was a big engine of the “T.E.” type. Just ahead of the runaway were two heavily-laden stock trains, and the promptness of the signalman averted grave danger of a smash. Passenger traffic was delayed for over an hour while an engine from Valley Hteights took the train to Springwood, whence it came on to Sydney, after the passenger trains had been sent through.