MAIN TRUNK CLEAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22165, 19 July 1935, Page 12

MAIN TRUNK CLEAR

SERVICES NOW NORMAL DAMAGED TRUCKS REMOVED WORK THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT [from our own con respondent] HAMILTON, Thursday Working throughout the night, about 25 railway employees succeeded in clearing the Main Trunk railway line, which was obstructed by a derailment yesterday afternoon in a cutting near the Te Mawhai flag station, six miles south of Te Awamutu. Traffic was possible at three o'clock this morning.

At that hour the south-bound limited, which was scheduled to reach the point at about 10 p.m., passed through the cutting, five hours behind time. The nine derailed waggons which had been piled in a heap in 'the cutting, were pulled out with wire hawsers attached to engines and were thrown down an embankment clear of the cutting and the lino. The track, which had been torn and twisted by the accident, was re-laid, being used over a great part of the affected section. Except for the fact that trains moved through the cutting at a very slow rate, the normal traffic was resumed today.

The trucks derailed were damaged extensively. They were lifted to-day by a train equipped with a crane and were placed on waggons for removal to the Otahuhu workshops.

Ha in foil early this morning and continued until 9 o'clock, and the conditions under which the men worked at the scene" of the derailment were unpleasant.

The express from Wellington, due at Auckland at 7.6 yesterday morning, arrived at 8.14, but the limited express from Wellington, due at 9.40, was only five minutes late. Both trains from Auckland to Wellington yesterday left on time.