The 1953 Tangiwai Disaster (Episode 71)

On Christmas Eve, 1953, the North Island of New Zealand was settling in for the holiday when the crater lake on top of Mount Ruapehu abruptly gave way. Within minutes, a six-meter-high wall of mud and rocks was barreling down the Wongaehu River valley, where it knocked out half of a railway bridge...just as the evening Wellington-to-Auckland express train was approaching.

On this episode, we're discussing volcanoes, lahars, British / American train terms, railway bridges, Queen Elizabeth's first royal Commonwealth tour, and a truly incredible rescue effort.

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Sources for this episode include:

The official Ministry of Transportation Inquiry into the Tangiwai Disaster, 1954 

"Tangiwai Railway Disaster 1953", a digital collection from Christchurch City Libraries, 2012

“Tangiwai Disaster”, a digital collection from NZ History