Meat Train Leaves Rails

Manawatu Times, Volume LIX, Issue 7486, 9 June 1934, Page 7

Meat Train Leaves Rails

Spectacular Accident In South islan VANS TOPPLE OVER EMBANKMENT Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, Last Night. The worst railways accident in the South Island during the last five years, though fortunately unattended hy loss of life, occurred shortly after 7 o’clock this morning. A special train, carrying frozen meat carcases from the Finegand works, to ho loaded on the steamer Cambridge at Port Chalmers, left the rails at an overhead bridge over Neville street, South Dunedin, and within a few seconds the train was a wreck of splintered wood and twisted steel. Two eye-witnesses of the accidor date that thero was a rumble like the of an earthquake. A second or tw later a van reared into the air, liftin a second one with it. There was shower of sparks and a loud report, an the vans crashed down over the en bankment into Wilkie road. Two othei followed with a roar of rending timbei and snapping steel, and by the tim the engine had stopped, a fifth va was lying on the edge of the embanV ment. Three others were across th track at various angles, one resting o the down track, and five more had bee derailed. In the grey light of the dawn a scene of confusion and wreckage was presented. The vans had broken asunder as they crashed over the 15-foot embankment and frozen meat carcases were strewn in all directions. Some had been caught in the bogey wheels and been cut to mincemeat, others had been torn and crashed in the smash, and others lay covered with the litter and debris of the wreckage. Heavy steel Tails had been bent am twisted at ail angles, and in othe places they had snapped clean acros under the strain to which they won subjected as the 600-ton train left th line. Wooden sleepers for a distanc of a chain or more had been crushet and splintered into matchwood. Only those who saw the wreckagi could credit the extent of the damagi which had been wrought. The engim and the first four vans escaped damagi and the last seven of the 23 meat vans together with the guard’s van, remain ed on the line. The cause of the accident is not ye known and it is probable that it wil not be determined until an official in quiry is held. It is believed, however that the rear pair of wheels of a four wheeled wagon left the rails aboul three feet on the city side of the Gler road overhead bridge. For a distance of several chains the train, which was travelling at a low speed, having been checked by signals, continued ou the track, two wheels ploughing through the ballast and severing the ends of the sleepers. What happened to cause one van to leap into the air is not known. Once that occurred, the next three wagons followed it over the enbankment and probably only the application of the Wcstinghouse brakes prevented several others from doing likewise. Coolness of Driver. Two women who saw the smash both pay tribute to the coolness of the driver, who brought the engine and the first four vans to a standstill almost immediately. The train, consisting of .23 vehicles and a guard’s van, left the Finegand freezing works at about 3.3 a.m. to-day with some 6000 carcases of frozen mutton for the Cambridge, which is now loading at Port Chalmers for London and West of England ports. It was at three minutes past 7 o’clock that the accident occurred. \ “I was just returning to bed after having had a drink and refilling' my hot water bag,” said Mrs. Baoungorn, who lives opposite the scene of the accident. “When I heard a rumble like that of an earthquake I rushed to the window and saw a long meat train coming down the line. The rumbling increased to a roar and suddenly a van reared high into the air ou one end. The next van was lifted up also. There was a loud report and a shower of sparks flew from the train. Two vans swung over and then outwards and crashed into Wilkie road. As they came down, the leading ono burst open in mid-air and white bundles were hurled iu all directions. “I thought it was a passenger train and screamed to my husband. Then I saw that it was only frozen meat carcases. What happened after that I can hardly say. Two other vans must have toppled over the embankment, but In the crash and roar I could scarcely see what happened, but the driver was wonderful. He seemed to stop the train in an instant and by the time I had rushed down to the road outside, he and the fireman were coming back to the wreckage and the guard was coming round the other end of the train. ’ ’ Work of Clearing the Line. The District Engineer of the Railways Department (Mr. P. H. Money) ■was notified of the accident at 7.20 a.m. and took over control at S a.m. the accident could hardly have occurred in a spot more easy to cope with, lor the whole resources of tho Hillside workshops, just across the track, were at the disposal of the engineer. All available staff from here, together with the goods department staff and several gangs of unemployed, were rushed to the scene. The first task was to unload the frozen meat carcases from the wrecked vans and from those off the. rails' and to load them into other vans. A relief train was backed down the line leading into the workshops yard and the carcases were transhipped to this. Over 250 men were engaged on the

work and by 11 a.m. practically the whole of the consignment had been removed to relief vans. Many carcases, of course, remained entangled in the wreckage, but as these were all hopolessly damaged, their salvage was scarcely worth the effort involved. The principal task confronting the engineer was to get the lino clear for traffic. For somo distance both up and down the line from the point of the smash, the tracks were hopelessly wrecked. Many of the sleepers had been chewed and splintered by the heavy wagons into mere fragments and some lengths of rails had twisted and broken clean across. The vans stood across the track at various angles and the long line of wagons, telescoped into one another and off the rails, presented a formidable barrier, wffiile in front the guaid s van lay on its side, completely blocking the track. So speedily was the work pushed ahead that one track was clear by the time the 4.20 p.m. express from the north reached Dunedin, and the train was able to proceed south, although all southbound and through traffic in the morning was somewhat disorganised. Arrangements were made to tranship passengers from Caversham to the city by bus. The express for the south was sent from Caversham two hours behind time and the Invcrcargill-Christchurch. express went as far ■as Caversham, where tho passengers and mails were picked up and taken to Dunedin. A new express for the north was made up and this left Dunedin about 25 minutes behind schedule time. After the carcases of frozen mutton had been transhipped to waiting vans on the lower line, these were run through to the main yards, where a special train was made up. After the line had been cleared the train was sent south again with as much of the mutton as was worth taking back for reconditioning at the Finegand works. It is understood that tho . consignment was covered by insurance and that the works will make up a fresh shipment for the Cambridge, which will be delayed at Fort Chalmers for a ; couple of days. ,