Derailed wagons go their own way

Passengers on  the TranzAlpine and the visiting Silver Fern railcar faced  disruptions today after a derailment at Omoto, near Greymouth, early yesterday.

Two wagons slipped off the rails at the entrance to Greymouth, near the old Omoto slip, about 5.30am, ending up near the Cobden rail bridge.

KiwiRail West Coast manager  Chris Stoop said the wagons were at the back of a 26-wagon train.

Mr Stoop said because the train driver was travelling slowly at the time  he did not notice  the wagons had derailed.

"It was not until he came to two sets of lines that he realised something was amiss, and the two wagons took separate routes. The wagons came to rest about 800m from where they initially derailed."

One wagon was empty and the other was loaded with wooden pallets.

The train was also carrying a hazardous substance, chlorite solution, so the Greymouth Volunteer Fire Brigade was called as a precaution.

However, the solution, destined for Westland Milk Products in Hokitika, was in the wagon immediately behind the locomotive and was not in danger.

The derailment delayed the departure of a rail enthusiasts’ excursion on the Silver Fern, and of the TranzAlpine, which was due in Greymouth about lunchtime.

TranzAlpine passengers were dropped off at Stillwater and bused to the railway station.

A crane was brought in to lift the two wagons off the line in the afternoon.