QUARTER OF A MILE TRAIN.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12881, 30 April 1913, Page 3

QUARTER OF A MILE TRAIN.

BELATED RAILWAY SERVICES

A NEW CHUM'S EXPERIENCE

NEED FOR MORE ENGINES AND

CROSSINGS

(From Our Travelling Reporter.)

MARTON. April 2y

."Wearier Weary Willie" has made sx bad start for the week, and if he continues his pranks any more this week, there, will So a strong probability of a # search party being compelled to go' out and look for him. Yesterday the train -was hung up for fully an hour at Feilding—why., no one knows. The guard had his train ready to leave at ton minutes to two, hiit for some xtnaccountable reason "Willie" was given a little longer rest:, and had to wait until a belated goods from the northgot in. By this time it Tvas half-past two. and as the New Plymouth express was on. the section somewhere between Halcombe and. Feilding, the "«roary one" had to bo kept till -3 o'clock. One male passenger on board who was.evidently as tired as "Wearier Weary WiUie," stretched himself out in the carriage at about a quarter to two, and he slept soundly, till the mail went thundering past. When he woke he thought he was at Marton, but when he looked out and saw that he ■was at Foilding still, and that his gold hunter watch told him it was 3 o'clock, he said enough to make the left ear of the whole (Railway Department tmgie. When he had exhausted all the adiectiyes heiiarTlearned .it school, he soliloquised and theorised, and eventually concluded by "wishing to heavens" that "Massey could only ge£ Myers v/ith his Cabinet. There would." ho said, "be no need for importing a fancy-priced railway manager from Koine." Mr.'Myers, he maintained, showed such conspicuous ability during his short term of office, that "in"about twelve nionths'time he would have haa the railways in such fine working oiv <ier that common-sense administration would bo on top for the first time for many, many years He said he -wo'tiki stalce his;life that "Weary Willie" will never have him for a passeng«v again.

Nodoubt a good deal of the trouble is. dun to the fact that rolling-stock has not been provider] at anything like the same yate with1, which tlie country lias developed, and as the result of an inadequate suoply of engines the trains .hflye to be of abnormal length. "Weary Willie" _ yesterday was over a quarter «f a, mile long, and it is no exaggeration to say that,at tnost of the stations along the route, the engine was wmpletely out of sight* round the eur.vo,and each time the guard desired to disnatch his train from the station he had to imlk nearly a quarter of a mile to eive the sipnarfor departure. This is almost of daily occurrence with goods and passenger trains of late. The , long trains are too unwieldy. Then again, it would seem that the crossingplaces aro too far apart. About hair an hour's run between each point where trains, oan cross is'altogether ridiculous. Crossings should be'more frecment, and •if*this- wore so' itwould-rsot be'nocps<*&Jrv- "to keep Wearier,. Weary ' Willie, hung-up 'at p. station tintil a belate'd1 train made 'ft'self good.-td he followed j'-nearly*.,half an hour, afterwards by an i^xnrow.^as 'W.as 'thp cpsa- at' Feilding - yesterday. v A guard's job under prepnnt ' conditions is an unenviable one. It is being said quite seriously that a race has been arranged between a tnction engine and .Wonrier Weary Willie, and big odds are boing given on the traction,engine. ■■....'