RAIL CARS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 245, 30 July 1935, Page 7

RAIL CARS

USE ON NORTH ISLAND LINES.

DECISION BY THE BOARD.

(Special to the “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON, This Day

Petrol r driven passenger rail - cars, built with special adaptations to meet the most exacting requirements of modern passenger transport, are to be used by the Railway Department on the Wellington-Wairarapa-Palmerston North route, and also for night services between Wellington and New Plymouth. This important development in New Zealand railway transport was announced last night by Mr G. H. Maokley (general manager of railways). Mr Maokley said that the board’s decision had been reached only after complete investigations, both with the Department’s inspection railcar and rail-cars in use in other countries. He indicated that certain South Island lines were being considered as suitable for rail-car passenger services, and that the public reaction to the North Island experiment would largely determine any extension. Six rail-cars are to be used for the Wellington - Masterton - Palmerston North passenger seryioe. The cars will be of most modern type, and will each seat 49 passengers. Each will be able to carry one ton of small parcels and luggage. The power will be provided by a 130 h.p. Leyland petrol engine with torque converter driving on to the pair of rear wheels. The cars are of the six-wheeled type, built for running in one direction only, with reverse gear for shunting en route and at terminals. They will be fitted' with the very latest comfort-giving devices.

Fast, Comfortable Service.

The manufacture of the cars is now in hand, but some time will elapse before they will be ready for service. In the meantime suitable schedules oi running are being worked out to give a fast, comfortable service. The bodies will be built in the Hutt workshops, and Leyland Motors, Ltd., will supply the engines. The new. cars are desigged to travel at a rate of 50 to W miles an hour on the #flat. They will negotiate the Rimutaka Incline (with its grade of about 1 in 15) fully baded at J speed of from 15 to 17 miles an hour. The adhesion and breakingpower of the cars is such that no centre rail is required for their operation on the incline. . “Not only will travel oyer this section of country be .very much faster than at present, but there wil e a much more frequent service, Mr Mackley explained. ‘‘ These tors are expected to change the aspect of travel on. the line between Wellington arid Palmerston North via the Wairarapa. Time is one of the most important factors to consider m modern transport. It is therefore mterestino- to note that the introduction of these cars will reduce the time between' Wellington and Masterton ' from about 3 hours 40 minutes, to about 2 hours 15 minutes, a sa ' vin S ° 1 hour 25 minutes. Between Master- • ton and Palmerston North by through service the time will be reduced from about 3? hours to about two horns, a saving of H hours. The tentative schedule for running the rail-cais provides four passenger services in eac* direction between Masterton and We - lington (instead of the present two). It also provides three passenger services in each direction between Masterton and Palmerston North (instead of th present two). . 1 -The working of trams ovei the Rimutaka incline between ton and Masterton (66 miles) under the present system is very costly and slow, due to the necessity o working by ‘Fell’ engine and brake vans'. • This section of the line is therefore especially suitable, from all point of view, for operation by rail-car. At the present time a minimum of four engines required on each trip. , The time taken in changing over from the ‘Fell’ to the ordinary engines and in negotiating the heavy grade on the incline, makes the over-all time under present conditions, tne journey between Wellington and Masterton, very slow.

Public Requirements. “The demand to-day,” said M 1 Mackley, “is undoubtedly for ™st, light, and comfortable services at frequent intervals, rather than foi trains of large capacity running infrequently, and probably, to a large number of people, at inconvenient times. The Board feels that light rail-units will do a great deal to meet this demand, and very .careful calculation shows that this can be done, on the route chosen, at a cost substantially less than the cost of steam services worked by costly and heavy engines. The rail-car services h&ve been planned to give comfort, frequency, and speed. The accommodation will be equal to the best of the present first-class railway carriages, but only second-class fares are to be charged for travel by these railcars, which will be all of one class. “Besides giving faster and more frequent services, thq rail-cars will make better connections between the Wairarapa and the main trunk services at both Palmerston North and Wellington. There will be a prompt connection in the morning at Palmerston Nofth for the Wairarapa passengers ex the Limited from Auckland. Passengers from north of Masterton will be able to visit Wellington and after spending o'ver four hours there, return home by rail-car the same evening. Connections for passengers ex the New Plymouth line to the Wairarapa will also be improved. On special occasions (for holidays, racemeetings, etc.) the rail-car services will' be supplemented as required by steam trains. “The whole of the costs of the rail-car service and the steam service which it replaces have been very carefully analysed, and a balance is shown in favour of rail-car operation. The use of rail-car units will ultimately have some influence on the locomotive construction programme and will enable a more profitable use to be made of the

steam locomotives at present in service. The ‘Fell’ engines due for replacement will, with the intro-, duction of petrol rail-cars, probably be reduced in numbers. “The rail-cars to be used for the Wellingtoin-New Plymouth night service will be heavier and of greater capacity than the others, as their construction is not subject to factors which have to be considered in operating traffic over the Rimutakas. Each car will weigh 28 tons, fully loaded (as compared with the 15 tons of th© Rimutaka type rail-car), and will carry 56 passengers and up to one ton of luggage. Worked by two 10-litre engines, the car will be capable of 70 miles an hour. These cars will have smoking and non-smoking compartments, but otherwise the equipment will he similar to that arranged for th© Wairarapa rail-cars. The cars for th© WellingtonNew Plymouth run will, however, have four-wheeled bogies at each end, and two pairs of driving-wheels. “With the general advantages in the quality of service and economy of operation to be secured by rail-cars in the matter of comfort, speed, cleanliness and general attractiveness,. the board feels confident that the service will he popular and quite self-support-ing,” said Mr Mackley. “It lias therefore been decided to run rail-cars six nights a week (Sunday to Friday inclusive), in both directions as soon as the vehicles, now on order, are available. Public Support Needed. “The decision of the Railways Board to adopt this modern method of transport in the localities mentioned,” continued Mr Mackley, “is based on /a very strong belief that public support will be given in full measure to the new services provided. The board therefore asks that the public interested in the Wellington-Wairarapa-Palmerston North area aind in the Wel-lington-New Plymouth route will make the fullest possible use of the new services now being introduced for their benefit. Upon such support the success of the undertaking is dependent:” Asked whether the Railways Board had in mind the extension of rail-car services to other districts, Mr Mackley said that the board had certain other lines under consideration, more particularly in the South Island, and was awaiting with interest the public reaction to the operation of the new rail-car services on the Wairarapa and New Plymouth routes. Judged by the experience of other countries and the special advantages this particular type of vehicle would appear to have as a passenger unit in this country, the board had good reason to anticipate a substantial increase in its passenger business.