RAILWAY MISHAP.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21019, 7 May 1930, Page 12

RAILWAY MISHAP.

MAIN TRUNK OVERTAKES GOODS TRAIN. ' TWO WAGONS WRECKED. NO ALARM TO PASSENGERS. C (Special to Dailx Times.) AUCKLAND, May G. The Main Trunk express from Wcllingk ton and Auckland struck the rear of a goods train just south of Mercer station at 5.15 this morning, and the line was blocked for four hours. Two wagons were wrecked and others were badly damaged, but the guard’s "Van, which had to take • the full force of the impact, escaped with only minor danlage. ' Two cases of fish on the rear platform of the van were not moved out of position. Both trains were in a cutting at the approach to the tunnel at the southern entrance to the railway yard, and were, travelling, slowly in a heavy fog. The goods train is known as the through goods train from Wellington and was due at Mercer at 3.30 a.m. Delays had occurred to' this train, and it was an hour and a-half behind its schedule. When awaiting a signal to enter the station just prior to the collision, it had been held up while the road in the Mercter yard was cleared of a special train proceeding to Auckland. - Both trains were Auckland bound, and special caution was .being exercised on account of the fog. The through goods was moving slowly into the yard when the express overtook it. It 1 consisted of a long line of trucks, and the engine at the head of it was in the yard on the main line when a concussion was felt ‘ from the rear. - ' The express was travelling slowly ! on account of a signal to use caution on the .section, but the dense fog made the visibility extremely poor., A chain from the tunnel the buffer bf the big express engine struck full on the buffer of the guard’s van of-the front train, and there was a, loud metallic! crash followed by a crushing noise. The shaft of the spring buffer on the van was snapped off, and that on the engine was bent downwards, indicating that it had lifted, the van. Only slight splintering of the woodwork resulted on the rear platform of the van, and indications ’of the strain to the iron stanchions were .visible. The force of the collision, had been transferred to several trucks immediately • ih front of the : van. There were two “L ” wagons, which belt) the line,* but a “K” wagon and an.“M” truck, loaded with tomatoes and fruit, were piled up and wrecked. / • ■ The passengers on the express scarcely noticed the impact. • They had to be ■■ aroused to/tranship to the relief train, v, which was assembled in Mercer yards, i This train, with 140 passengers from the express, left Mercer at ,6.43, only five minutes behind its time table, and arrived i - in Auckland on-time. The mails from the express were* sent on to Auckland by motor transport. ■ The only persons who felt the collision / severely were the occupants of a hotisfc close to che spot. The’ residents of Mercer,- however, .thought it was nothing more than a spnnd caused by the early morning 'shunting operations, and they were surprised to near that-the line was blocked, • By 9- o’clock the damaged trucks had been pulled through the tunnel into the station yard, and; the express ’ moved on when the line was dear, Mr J, Snell was the driver of thp express; He said ho was pleased that none of the passengers on the train was " alarmed. Very few of them knew that’ anything unusual had happened. He explained that when working on an automatic signalling section the driver of a train was entitled to proceed cautiously when another train was on the same section" ahead until he saw an obstruction. “I went on cautiously in the heavy fog, and on coming round the curve I did not see anything until the collision,”, he said. When the .through goods , was pulled up .waiting for the signal- the guard ’(Mr Thompson), in accordance with the regulations, which provide that when a train stops outside the signal the guard must take steps to protect his train from one that may be following, went back with the intention of placing warning detonators on the line to notify the oncoming express that there was a train immediately ahead of it.in the -fog. Before ha actually placed the detonators his own train, having received a signal from the ■ signal box, commenced to move ahepd, .and he was running to. get on his'van when, the express came round the courve and bumped into his train. ; Only two passenger trains were delayed on account of the accident.