SHUNTING MISHAP.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXXII, Issue 2766, 24 August 1931, Page 5

SHUNTING MISHAP.

TANK WAGGON DE-RAILED, J At "about 7" a.m. on Saturday last ■a benzine tank containing 5,600 gal- - lons of motor Spirit was de-railed near ’ the Paeroa railway station. ’ The' truck had been shunted down the Atlantic Union Oil Company’s private siding with such force as to knock over the post at the end of ' the line, to break off the front set of wheels, and to continue on until the , rear set of wheels were above the front set, which were buried in the soft earth.' The whole of the waggon was beyohd'the end of the line, and it overhung the concrete wall of the drain for almost half its length. The" tank itself was slightly damaged and commenced to leak, the benzine - floating down the drain. As the sun warmed the tank this leakage increased and the danger from fire became great. The Railway De- ■' partment stationed • men nearby to keep people away and also a man on ' the Puke Road bridge to prevent people - throwing lighted matches into the drain. Precautions wer'e also taken that passing locomotives did not • drop sharks.. During Saturday an employee of the Company" arrived from Auckland considerably reduced the amount/ of leakage, so that the flow could be caught in-buckets and prevented , from reaching the water in the drain. I . . As the tank was some distance beyond the usual place where it was . ' emptied the hoses .used for this operation were of insufficient length, ■and a special longhos# had to b procured,. arrived on Sunday, but was not used, as a considerable quan- ' tity of benzine would have been spilled while it was being attached, and it was realised that were the tank partially- emptied there was a danger of the waggon overbalancing and tipping in the-vdrain. Through an air vent a small Quantity of benzine was numped out to .bring the level of that remain ' ing in the ■ tank below the man-hole where the leakage had been occurring, t , The-'truck -weighs almost 17 tons and ,the benzine about 25 tons.-A.-Railway Department cVane ar- ... rived by the 9.40 train this morning.