LYTTELTON TUNNEL

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 120, 14 February 1929, Page 10

LYTTELTON TUNNEL

l ELECTRIFICATION OF LINE

OFFICIAL OPENING TO-DAY

An event of importance in the history of New Zealand railways will take place to-day, when the Prime Minister (Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward) will open the recently electrified Lyt-telton-Christchurch line. The removal of the smoke nuisance will greatly benefit Christchurch and Lyttelton residents, and will also be appreciated by the travelling public, while the electrification will make possible the more rapid, transport of both passenger and freight services. The electric locomotives,, on account of their weight, will not take ferry passengers to the wharf, but the provision of a short locomotive siding will in the future simplify the shunting process, in the course of which the electric locomotive will be dropped and added with the minimum of delay. The journey, from Lyttelton to Christchurch and vice versa will ordinarily be made in 16 minutes, four minutes faster than at present Under the new time-table there will be practically an hourly service each way on week days, commencing from the Christchurch end at 6.30 a.m. and from Lyttelton at 6.50 a.m. The electric locomotives to be used were built by the English Electric Co., Ltd., to the specifications of the Signals and Electrical Engineer and the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the New Zealand Government Railways, and six in number were supplied through Messrs. Cory-Wright and Salmon, of Wellington. Each weighs 50 tons, and is 36ft. 6in. in length and Bft. 4in. wide over all. The rigid wheelbase is 9ft. 3in., and the total wheelbase 28ft The locomotives are of the four-axle, twobogey type, usually known as the 0-4-4 type. Each is equipped with four traction motors of 297 h.p. driving the axles through a single reduction spur gearing. They will be capable of a speed of 40 to 50 miles an hour with passenger traffic, and will handle a goods train of 600 tons. At each end of the locomotive there is a driver’s cab, which contains the master controller, brakes and auxiliary controls, etc. The driver’s seat is in. the middle of the cab, and has rear view mirrors, enabling a clean view down each side of the train of shunting or guard signals. The present rolling stock will be utilised. Trial runs and tests have already been carried ■ out, and have all proved- highly satisfactory.