TRAIN DERAILMENT

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15441, 31 August 1943, Page 3

TRAIN DERAILMENT

NORTH OF HE LENS VII.LE. Electric Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, August 30 The rail services 0 n the main nortli line were interrupted by the derailment this morning of part of a southward bound passenger train between Ahuroa and Te ITckaroa, 14 miles north of Helensville. The train left Whangarei at 5.20 a. lll. and the accident which was caused by a broken, rail occurred at 9.15 Two rear carriages and the guard’s yan of a fivecarriage train left the rails. They were not overturned, and nobody was injured and the passengers, who numbered about 80, were brought through to Auckland in the franx portion, of the train. A breakdown gang was quickly on the scene, but it was necessary to tranship passengers on two expresses to and from Auckland and Qpua, and also on subsequent passenger sei vices.

Fourteen army trucks under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Stevens and manned by members of the Rodney Home Guard arid women ol the W.A.A.C. and th© Wellsford unit of the W.W.S.A., who worked .solidly during heavy rain, were used for this purpose. There were 410 passengers on the north-bound train and 380 on the other. The passengers who left Opua at 9 o’clock this morning, did not reach Auckland until 9.50 to night over four hours late. The passengers who left Auckland for Opua on tlie 8.40 a.m. express were expected arrive there at midnight, seven hours late. It is expected that the line will be cleared in the early hours of the morning.