Aramoana Carries Many Farm Products

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29931, 19 September 1962, Page 20

Aramoana Carries Many Farm Products

The use of the rail-ferry Aramoana could result in a revolution in the shipping of potatoes to the North Island. The banana dispute, which tied up coastal shipping for a week, focussed attention on the new service and many merchants found that it offered several advantages. The relatively heavy use in the last fortnight could well result in more extensive and continuous operations next year.

The service is also expected to prove valuable in the shipping of other farm and garden produce, which has formerly been shipped or sent rail-air.

From August 15 to September 6 the rail-ferry carried 1289 tons of potatoes, which is equal to nearly 20,000 sacks, to North Island destinations. Many of these went to areas which had not expected to show any demand for some time. At about 7 tons to the waggon, this is the equivalent of five and ahalf shiploads of 34 waggons a voyage. Merchants have found that there has been a marked reduction in damage through handling and stowing and the potatoes have arrived in first class condition much more quickly than by coastal shipping. One Christchurch merchant said recently that a consignment of potatoes he had sent by rail-ferry to a North Island city serviced by a port had cost more in freight charges but the North Island merchant had more than covered this with higher returns because of better quality at the time of sale. A Railways Department spokesman said that for potatoes, grain, flour and pollard the following charges applied for consignments from the Christchurch area: Wellington £6 2s fid a ton. New Plymouth £9 5s 9d, Auckland £lO 13s 9d, Whangarei £ll 13s 6d, Wanganui £8 8s 3d. Napier £8 16s 3d. Marton £8 3s Id, and Tauranga £lO 16s 3d. It was hoped to take most of the domestic supplies of apples from the Spring Creek orchards to the North Island by rail-ferry, he said. These may be carried in bulk using pallet containers on open flat deck waggons loading about 16 tons. Collapsible pallet containers are used extensively overseas for shipping potatoes and a merchant said that a big proportion of South Island potatoes was re-packed for sale in the North Island and this trade was increasing.

Fruit trains from Central Otago could be railed straight through to North Island stations. Last year about 1300 tons were sent by rail-air. Rail-air will still probably be used for consignments for the Wellington market. Pallet containers for bulk fruit could be a future development in this field also. The Railways Department is looking into the possibility of mechanically refrigerating insulated vans. At present road transport with refrigeration is being used extensively to feed the air-freight link between Blenheim and Rongotai.

A few trucks of meat have been carried so far from Picton and it is hoped this will develop. Overseas vessels in Wellington could be loaded from waggons railed from Picton.

Other products which have been carried on the service

to date include fodder grains and seeds, malt from Heathcote to Auckland and salt from the Lake Grassmere works.

The Aramoana is definitely being kept in mind for the transport of wheat to the North Island, the general manager of the Wheat Committee (Mr L C. Dunshea) said. Already, the rail ferry was being used for the shipment of flour, bran and pollard.

With the prospect of the wheat acerage increasing further, wheat would have to be shifted from the South Island to the North and within the area from about Chertsey or Methven to as far north as about Marton the costs of transporting wheat by the rail ferry were comparable with other sea freight and transport. Wheat could be loaded at the grower's nearest station and railed direct to the North Island mill, he said. The Aramoana also has some advantage in the handling of large and awkward farm machinery. The size of these is governed basically by the size of the largest available railway’ waggons. A

maximum height of 12ft Sms. a width of about 9ft from the centre line of the railway gauge and a length of up to 51 feet—the length of the longest special low-loader waggon give a fairly big scope for machinery. One of the biggest single items carried so far on the rail-ferry has been a big churn weighing more than four and a-half tons which was railed from Andersons Ltd., at Woolston to New Plymouth. While horses can be carried in box vans or on road transport by the Aramoana and stud cattle can also be accommodated in this way. there is still no provision for the carriage of sheep. The rail services to and from the ferry have been closely integrated to keep time to a minimum and the schedule aims for goods accepted up to 4 p.m. on a Monday to be available in Wellington at 5.40 p.m. on Tuesday and in Auckland on Thursday morning. Three trains feed the service from Christchurch. All are dieselelectric powered. They are also used to feed the air service at Blenheim.

An express goods for eightw’heeled waggons leaves Christchurch at 8 p.m. and arrives at Picton at 5 15 a m the next day, a four-wheeled waggon train leaves at 830 p.m. and arrives at 10 33 a m and a slow goods for nonurgent traffic leaves at 1010 p.m. and arrives at 6.45 p.m The Aramoana sails at 2.20 p.m. from Picton, arriving at Wellington at 5.40 p.m. and if a second trip is run the Picton leaving time is 11 p.m. and Wellington arrival at 2.20 a.m. Northbound trains from Wellington leave for Auckland at midnight, taking about 29 hours, and at 10.30 a.m.. taking about 22 hours.