MAIN TRUNK CLEAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22192, 20 August 1935, Page 8

MAIN TRUNK CLEAR

BLOCKAGES REMOVED EXPRESS ARRIVES LATE M SERVICE NOW NORMAL A - DELAYS NOT ANTICIPATED Gangs of men working throughout Sunday night on the slips which had blocked the Main Trunk line north of Taihapc had cleared them sufficiently by 7.30 yesterday morning to allow ' traffic to pass It was not necessary to „ divert any further main line trains " A . through Taranaki, and in the absence of Jieavy rain it is not anticipated that * other blockages will occur. Both the slip at Ngaurukehu, about 12 miles north of laihape, and that between Turangarere and Hihitahi, four miles further north, were cleared by 7.30 a.m. Work trains from Ohakune and Taihape were again engaged on the scene of the slips all yesterday and during the evening, removing the remainder of the debris, and the work of making the locality safe from further slips will continue to-day. The abnormal rains in recent months have made the papa country in this district exceedingly wet and treacherous, but • no more slips occurred yesterday. The limited express from Wellington, which was diverted through Taranaki on Sunday night, reached Auckland at 2.36 p.m. yesterday, instead of at 9.40 a.m., nearly five hours late. The Taranaki route involves 67 miles of extra running, and further delays to this express were caused by engine trouble in the run from Marten to Stratford. As a result, difficulty was experienced in negotiating some of the grades, and this was accentuated by the unfavour- .' able weather, heavy rain, sleet and snow being experienced in the course of the journey. Speed restrictions also operated over portion of the route from Stratford to Okahukura, as it was thought the heavy rains had made slips possible. The afternoon and limited expresses for Wellington were despatched yes-, terday over the main line, which "had been used by goods trains throughout the day, although reduced speeds were necessary over certain sections. The expresses from the South are expected to W arrive at the usual times this morning. * ' f MISHAP TO GOODS TRAIN \ MUD SLIP ON LINE - i GUARD'S- VAN DERAILED [BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION] PALMERSTON NORTH, Monday V Drawn by a 70-ton engine, a goods , train proceeding down a steep, winding gradient ran into a mud slip at 6.30 a.m. to-day at a point one mile beyond Whakarongo, on the Palmerston-Wood-ville line. 1 The obstruction was not visible until the driver rounded the bend. He applied the brakes, but the dead weight of the train made it plough through the slip, which covered the line for 15 yards to the depth, in places, of nearly 2ft. The soft mud yielded before the train and the engine pulled up beyond it, with the guard's ran stuck in the mud, one wheel being off the line. The remainder of the train proceeded to Ashhurst and another locomotive was despatched from Palmerston North to pull out the van. The slip was cleared at 10.30 a.m. and traffic was restored after four hours' interruption. The 7 a.m. passenger train for Napier did not leave, but Palmerston North passengers were motored to Woodville, where the train for Hawke's Bay was inacle up.