This first article immediately bought to mind a Looney Tunes cartoon. In August 1899 the Manchester Express was passing through Greetland station at full speed when one of the driving wheels detached, and apparently went through the station masters office and along the platform. Eeek!
I suppose this incident could give the stationmaster a good reason to never go to work again.
Australian Town and Country Journal 12 Aug 1899 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71332193
Imagine if you were waiting for your train when this happened. When you are standing on the platform you wouldn’t really think to look out for stray train wheels moving at high-speed through the building, would you?
If anyone got in the way on that particular day it would probably have been the end of them. Imagine if the station master had been sitting at his desk when the wheel passed through!
The Brisbane Courier 22 Jul 1926 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21037784
This second accident from South Brisbane in 1926 is one we see at the Formula One Grand Prix occasionally. One car trying to overtake, its wheels touching the front car and it all going horribly wrong for the over-eager over-taker.
This car sustained a small amount of damage and the driver, Arthur Neil, got away with only a slight wound from broken glass.
The cars they were driving in 1926 would have had far less advanced safety gear than a modern GP car, although they would have been made of far sterner stuff than the flimsy vehicles we drive today!
Buried words and Bushwa. 
You must be logged in to post a comment.