TRAIN WRECK INQUIRY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19622, 3 May 1938, Page 7

TRAIN WRECK INQUIRY

WHISTLING AFTER SMASH DAMAGE TO CONTROL (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. At the inquiry into the derailment of the Wellington-New Plymouth excursion train at Ratana on the morning of Ma'rch 22, the examination ot' Francis Alfred Ellis, acting locomotive foreman at Wellington was continued. He said that if there was a note in the tablet, asking him to “step on it” he would take it as an indication that the train control wanted the train at a particular spot at a particular time, but under no circumstances would he exceed the authorised speed. He did not think the driver of the express would be likely to get such a note. If three short blasts of the whistle were sounded immediately before the train was derai-lcdy said witness, the driver might have discovered that all the air was missing, and that he had no braking power, otherwise he could not see what reason the driver would have to blow the whistle. His view was that the blasts of the whistle were due to some entanglement of the whistle control after the engine left the rails. If. in other circumstances, three blasts were made for the brake, the driver would want the guard to put the handbrake on in the van.

Mr. F.' W. Furkert asked what the position would be if some sky-larking passenger leaned down and shut off the Westinghouse brake tap coming through the valley. Witness said that was a possibility. However, if the driver used his judgment, he would have brought the speed down on Ratana Fiat to enable him to take the curve without applying the brake.