TRAINS COLLIDE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 4413, 3 November 1934, Page 3

TRAINS COLLIDE.

CAPSIZE OF LOCOMOTIVE. SEVERAL WAGGONS WRECKED A train collision, fortunately without loss of life or injury to anyone, occurred during a fog at the Te Rapa railway station, six miles north of Hamilton, at 6.30 a.m. on Thursday. A train, consisting of a heavy A.B. engine, four passenger coaches, and a guard’s van, ran through the Te Rapa station and overtook a long goods train, which was just moving out of the station. There was a terrfiic impact as the engine ran through the guard’s van at the. back of the goods train and smashed a number of empty box waggons included in" the train. The carriage immediately behind the engine of the overtaking train was thrown completely over the locomotive, and the engine was thrown on to its side. The occupants of the two trains had miraculous escapes from death. Eye-witnesses, who ran to the scene, were amazed to see the driver and fireman of the capsized engine, Messrs E. Marks and A. Reid, emerge from the cab unhurt. The engine was not flat on the ground and there was just sufficent room for them to make tlieii escape.

Another narrow escape was experienced by Mr Percy Johnson, of Frankton,. the guard of the goods train. He was standing on the track alongside his van after having signalled the driver of the goods train to proceed. The train had begun to move, and Mr Johnson was about to jump into the van when he saw the other train approaching. He ran clear just in time.

There were only seven passengers on the second train. Two of them were seated in the front carriage from Auckland to Huntly. They decided to look for more comfortable seats after leaving Huntly and moved further back. All the passengers were in the last two carnages when the collision oceuiTed, and beyond being thrown from their seats and slightly dazed, they escaped unhurt. A railway engineer estimated the damage done to the engine and other rolling stock involved in the accident at £6OOO.

Altogether nine box waggons, all unladen, were smashed beyond repair. The track was damaged for three chains. The only casualty was a pedigree Tamworth sow, owned by Dr. G. Walker, of Whangarei. The animal was killed. The line between Frankton and Horotiu is duplicated, and except for a delay of half an hour to the northbound limited express, there

was no interruption in through traffic on account of the accident. Within a few minutes of the collision 40 railway employees were busily clearing away the mass of debris. An engine acted as a hauler in handling the heavier material. A break-down train with

heavy equipment and further reinforcements of men arrived at noon, and by the end of the day the line was clear of debris and the track repaired. The engine, however, which weighs 85 tons, will have to be dismantled before it can be removed. It is lying clear of the’track.