TRAIN MISHAP

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19886, 13 March 1939, Page 4

TRAIN MISHAP

UNDERGEAR DAMAGED SOUTH ISLAND EXPRESS ENGINE & POUR CARRIAGES A mishap to the express from Invercargill at Middleton, four miles from Christchurch, on Friday evening, caused the. steamer express to be delayed two hours in its sailing from Lyttelton for Wellington. Damage to the undergear of the tender of the engine and to the four following carriages brought the express to a sudden standstill between Sockburn and' Middletcn, and further delay to the steamer train followed the discovery at Christchurch that the damage was more extensive than was at first thought.

Showers of small stones from the ballast of the permanent way gave passengers in the first four carriages of the express a signal that something was amiss. At a speed estimated by passengers to be 50 miles an hour, the express, which was running to scheduled times, passed the Sockburn station. The sprays of metal on the windows and undercarriage of the first four carriages made passengers apprehensive. The break-down occurred at 7.20 and the express did not reach Christchurch until 9.22, near.y two hours late. The accident was caused by a spreader-bar on the tender breaking. The fractured castmg did not fall off until the train was passing through Sockburn. The damaged part was dragged along the permanent way, causing damage also -o the following carriages. When the first carriage was takerl off its undergear jammed and delay was caused in hitching the engine to the rest of the train, which had to So slowly to Christchurch. Train examiners then found that four carriages were slightly damaged and they had to be taken off before the train went on to Lyttelton. Railway officials were emphatic that derailment was impossible.