Railway Collision

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 13, 3 June 1914, Page 5

Railway Collision

THE QUESTION OK SIGNALS. A PRACTICAL TEST AT WIJANGAMAKING. By Telegraph-Press Association. AucUand Last Night. A jmict-eal demonstration of the foiuapaore signal was mad.' 10-dav for tin- information of Mr F. V. Eraser S.M., who U conducting the inquest regarding ihe railway disaster on Wednesday. Counsel f« n - the various inter-o-'tcd person, were ut.-,.i. pre .-cut. The inquest will be resumed on June 10th, and evidence will tiikm be g/ven that v.horily viflt-i- the accident the signal .cvd was locked in the "danger" pco. tion, but tlie signal was for "ail clear." Attention was given principally to the manner in which tlie semaphore oporates at night. There is, only one signal south of Wliangamarino, and it was upon thi« that the driver of the express tram had to rely in approaching the station. The length' <rf track between the centre of the station platform and the signal' is (iO4 yard«, «nd toe signal is fixed 30 feet above the rail levef on a post 3o feet from the centre of the track. The signal stands at the junction of two gradients, for thle line rises toward the signal, and curve* into a descending gradient towards the station. In the position selected for it the signal is visible from the precedln" mile of track. ° The actual length of wire connection between lever and signal, including short pieces of chain passed round grooved pulleys to clUangc the direction of the wire, is. about ten yards greater, so that the connection is formed by about

t)l4 yards of steel wire, seven-eighths of an inch in circumference. The distance from the signal lever to the points switch at which Tablet-Porter Wililiam Donaldson was engaged when the disaster occurred, is nearly 5(1 feet. The semaphore signal cons?s'ts of air arm or blade which is pulled down or "off" to indicate that a train may pass, or in the horizontal or "on" position, indicating "slop." Fixed to the runner-end of the blade is a- frame containing red and green glasses, which moves with the Wade before a lamp, s c that a night red ,w shown for "danger" and green for "g<> ahead." or "all clear." The frame holding the colored glasses is roughly kidney-shaped, and the device is known as the spectacle. Though the interval between the glasses is only a narrow strip of metal, forming part of the frames, a partial movement of the semaphore will give the full green signal, which in darkness obscuring the indication of the semaphore would appear exactly the Same as if the signal had been moved. The maximum distance, experiment, has shown, thai the draw required at the lever to depress fully the semaphore of the Whangamai-ino signal is eleven in-:-.'irs. but this draw is only --.even indies at the foot of the pott'. Experiments made at .to-day's demonstration showed that a draw of only three inches moved the spectacle enough A show fu'i green. The red or green .ignal is not visible to the officer operating the <,ignal. His only guide to he position of the signal is a small white ight shining through the bad; of the amp. Part of the apparatus ik an iron ihuttcr, which, motfng with the specific, obscures tiiis white iipt. The atter is visible only when the <?emaibore U horizontal and the signal show- ! ng full red. A very slight movement ■' >f the. central axis moves the l-huttcr ■ uH'icicnity to obscure the white light : ■pmplctely, and when .the signal is'be- ' ng pulled off at night the white li/dit- ' iisappears lc-ng before the green -hoiv= > rom the other side. There is a well- ' no'.vu rule that the absence of a fig- < iaJ where a signal is ordinarily shown 1 mist be treated as a danger signal, and a .hen a signalman cannot perceive tlva i fhite light of a signal which should be s t. danger, it be-ome* his duty to nscer- e am whether the lamp is extinguished v a- the Signal out of order. The obscurn- r inn of the white light ibv a fractional e ivrvomMit of the signal is designed as f guard against an improper disp'av of | be "all clear" signal, and J* complete ms before the full green shows. There is an electrical device known .s a "repeater." which is cinnvoved in onneotion with signals (hat are be ond the range of the fiQ'.mlman's vision. i-s indicators change from '"danger" to clear" only When the semaphore has teen completely depressed, and the danger" indicator j s restored, by the east upward movement ol J>e arm. "his device was not in u c e a. Whangaaarino. | THE ENQUIRY, j Cluislchurch, Li-t, Night, \ Mr Kennedy, president c.-i the New - lealnnd Locoim tive Engin \ Drivers. ' 'irenien and Cleaners-' Association, left iy Monday night's steamer en route for Uicklaiid. where he is instructed to «ke charge of the interests of the river of ilie. Main Trunk express, which ollidcd with the goods train near. Mer- i er. Mr Kennedy assist- at the. in- i mi>«t. and will wattb the interests of : )viver J. U. Stone. ]