BRAKES APPLIED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 212, 10 September 1935, Page 8

BRAKES APPLIED

JiPRESS IN DANGER CONSTABLE'S ACTION JAD SMASH AVERTED [ Per Press Association. I NEW PLYMUUIH, Sept. 9. A train wreck, which might easily hast* been a disaster of coasiderau.c dimensions, was averted by the presence, of mind of a memocr of the .»e« Plymouth police force, Constable L. on board the Auckland N’vw Plymouth express last night. Ail that Constable Quin did was to operate the Westinghouse brakes system with which every train is equipped, but it was stated subsequently by members of the train crew that if he had delayed his action for a minute the chances are that the whole train would have leapt from the rails and piled itself into a heap of wreckage. Ihe cause was the slipping of a tjre on one of the waeels ot a sleeping car on the train. Even though a serious accident was averted the train was delayed at Otorohanga for live hours and did not reach New Plymouth until mid day to-day. „ The Auckland-New Plymouth express, which is usually attached to the Auckland-Wellington Limited express as far as Taumarunui, was last night run as a separate train, comprising a big K engine and four cars and a van. It left Auckland 18 minutes behind the Limited and made a fast run to Te Awamutu. After leaving Te Awamutu at 11 p.m., the passengers in the leading car noticed a lc-ud knocking in the undercarriage. This grew more pronounced as the speed increased. Punning into Otorohanga the knocking became a bumping and the passienge.s were so alarmed that the constable took action to stop the train. The trouble was inspected and arrangements were made for a breakdown gang. No damage was done to tho track. •