RAILWAY SPENDING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 296, 15 December 1933, Page 7

RAILWAY SPENDING.

Big Replacement Scheme By

British Company.

SIGNS OF RECOVERY

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, December 14.

It is announced that £240,000 will be spent on replacements and improvements proposals in 1934 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company. Its decision follows upon the constantly improving traffic returns of British railways in recent months and is an indication of the increasing confidence.

The company proposes to order 159 locomotives and boilers, 075 carriages, 5305 wagons and 8000 tons of steel rails, and to renew 500 miles of permanent way,

The new programme follows recent orders for 2000 freight wagons suitably designed for the new high speed freight trains and 1500 new locomotives. Since its formation in 1923 the company will have spent. £100,000,000, or the equivalent of a quarter of its issued capital, on re-equipment and improvements.

These include 2500 locomotives, 129,500 wagons and a million tons of rails as part of the increased efficiency programme. The types of locomotives in the company's service have been reduced from 393 to 204, while the number of superheated locomotives has been increased by 2000, or more than doubled.

• The London and North-Eastern Railway has placed orders for 3480 tons of cast iron for permanent way chairs.