The Taranaki Flyer

To Restore it and help it Fly.

On July 16th 1956 at 3am in the morning AB745 was traveling north to New Plymouth with a full load of freight. There was an indication of a possible problem near the Naumai Park crossing of High Street Hawera. The driver of a passenger train had indicated by telephone to the controller at Wanganui some unevenness on the line close to the crossing.

It had been raining quite heavily for 3 or 4 days and as the railway line was in a low lying location storm water often flowed towards it from the town.

The Story

One dark wet winters night Ab 745 was hauling the freight from Wanganui north to New Plymouth. It had been a great run with the newly overhauled loco fairly flying up the inclines as she approach Hawera. Fred Price said in glowing terms “ She's never gone better”  Turning to his fireman as Don Marshall shoveled the last black ingots of coal as she approached the overhead bridge just south of Hawera. “What did you make of that report ?” “Best we throttle back a little” Don said. Peering through the mist and rain.Ab745’s main light was none to bright at the best of times but it appeared somewhat ineffectual to night. Fred could just make out the crossing lights at Naumai Park as she began to slow as he inched the throttle back a couple of notches. The hairs began to rise on the back of his neck as he knew John Fleming the Limited driver was not prone to reporting unnecessary warnings. Then he felt it! Just a little sway. Instinct drove his hands upward as he reached for the brake and the throttle in one movement. 80 tones of metal began to buck and lurch. “Jump” Fred yelled to Don. Just for a second it seemed to stop and then with ever increasing crescendo of steam , renching,  tearing steel she began to plunge downward throwing Fred hard against the side of the cab nearly knocking all the wind from his lungs. He hung grimly to the levers. In a flash he thought of the captain going down with his ship. A sudden stop and he was thrown against the hot metal in front of him and then it seemed like tons of dirt had been thrown at him by some evil spirit as 745 finally came to a sudden stop 50feet below the twisted rails above him. The hot metal burned at his flesh, the pain stabbed at him, but he gritted his teeth and said to himself “I’m still alive” Over the noise of hissing steam he could just hear Don calling to him..

The History

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