Derailment Of Ipswich-Brisbane Train Attempted

Northern Advocate, 16 March 1948, Page 3

Derailment Of IpswichBrisbane Train Attempted

BRISBANE, Tue. .—An attempt to wreck coal trains running between Ipswich and Brisbane has been foiled by the watchfulness of a railway linesman. Railway officials admitted that the linesman, patrolling the track 30 miles from Brisbane, found that 14 dog spikes had been pulled up from one length of line and that a fishplate coupling had been partly removed.

Detectives believe that the damage was done by an experienced railwayman, as dog spikes are difficult to xemove. w At least one coal train passed oyer the damaged section without being derailed.

' A fast passenger train would have been wrecked immediately. The action of the Queensland branch of the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Engineers, in ordering its 2300 members to report for work today, .is considered possibly a mortal blow to the central disputes committee. 20,000 PASSENGERS

An expert, who examined the line, said that a second train would probably have caused the lines to spread, making a derailment inevitable.

It is said that the commissioner for railways (Mr Maloney) has given an assurance that the men will not be victimised if they return to work, and will retain all the privileges they before the strike.

Trains running yesterday carried 20,000 passengers, mostly on suburban lines.

Nevertheless, the chairman of the Queensland Labour Council Central Disputes Committee (Mr O’Brien) predicted in Melbourne that the strike would continue for several weeks.

Two major airlines have discontinued special air freight services owing to the increasing frequency of trains, and so it is expected that only RAAF “biscuit bombers” will remain in the field.