Wagons derail at Heaton St

NATASHA MARTIN/The Timaru Herald

CLEAN-UP: Railway staff begin the clean-up after a derailment in the Timaru yard yesterday which closed lower Heaton St.

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Kiwirail says it is unsure what caused a derailment that blocked Timaru's Heaton St railway crossing.

A train was shunting south through the yard shortly before 4pm yesterday, when wagons at the rear of the rake derailed approaching the eastern railway crossing.

The area was closed by police while the roadway was cleared.

Lindsay Barringer was stopped at the crossing for the train to pass and saw the wall of steel come towards him.

"I'm looking down the track, parallel [to the train], and I see two or three wagons derail. I thought, `oh well, they will stop' but they didn't. I had this moment in time – it seemed like an eternity – and these bloody great wagons were coming towards me."

Mr Barringer said as the wagons got closer to him, he reversed to get out of their way. A crossing light mast was torn from the ground and the leading bogie of a wagon was torn from its frame as the wagons were dragged over the road.

"It's not often you have an experience like this," Mr Barringer said. "It wouldn't have lasted 15 seconds, but it seemed like forever."

KiwiRail spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said five flat deck wagons, one carrying a container of salt, were involved in the derailment. It was too early to say what had caused them to jump the tracks or what the repair bill would be, he said. Other trains were not affected by the derailment.

- © Fairfax NZ News