NEW POWER SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 85, 9 April 1924, Page 6

NEW POWER SUPPLY

EVANS BAY STATION AT WORK

RUNNING EASTERN TRAM SERVICE.

The new power station at Evans Bay supplied power in serious style for the irsf, time yesterday for the eastern districts tramway services, and- will continue that work up till 6.30 o'clock this evening:, stated the Mayor, Mr. R. 4 Wright, this . morning. ' Seatoun, Miramar, Lyall Bay, and Kilbirnie cars were switched over upon the new supply first «nng yesterday morning on the sections east of the tunnel, and in every way the try-out was eminently successful." and was continuing so to-day. The improvement in "the speed and handling of heavily-loaded cars, said Mr. Wright was most noticeable, and the t.Bneral Manager of Tramways, Mr. '■•'.ble, had good cause to be well pleast ,!' , -the hi Shly successful beginning ot the big change-over in the supply of tramway power. The new supply, however, would not be continued after this evening, as the running of so large a unit tff supply one section only of° tho city's services was' very much like using a steam-hammer to- crack a. hazrf nut. Very shortly the cables connecting Evans Bay with the city sub-station at -Jervois quay would be linked up, and at present the Corporation's electrical staff was busily pushing ahead tho work at the Newtown aub-station, and when those works were completed the whole of the city's tramway power coukl be supplied from the new station. The trial that had been given was ample to convince Mr. Cable that the new system was working out most satisfactorily. The change-over in lighting power was another department of the city's electricity supply scheme altogether, said the Mayor, for tho tramways were supplied with direct current while indirect or alternating current, was used on lighting circuits. The machinery for "the lighting change-over was also now being, assembled at the •Tervois quay suhstation, the major .work at present in hand in Hhat regard being the installation of the big frequency-changer necessary to deal with the position which arose from the coming alteration from the present 80 alternations per second to the 50-cycle lighting power, which would be supplied both by the Evans Bay lighting, units and by the Government station at Mangahao.