NEW CARS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 101, 10 November 1928, Page 10

NEW CARS

ON THE OLD DESIGN CANVAS BUND DISCOMFORT (By "X.") Car No. 200 is now upon the rails, and citizens arc invited to express admiration of the simplicity of its lines, the beauty of the paintwork, the delicacy of the stencilling in gold and colours of the city's coat of arms, the fine quality of 'construction ana joinery, the comfortable appearance of the upholstered cabin seating, the improved and much more sanitary strap grips, the really neat buzzer buttons, a dozen points of superiority over cars among the 100's. But as far as real design, making for real comfort, is concerned, the latest cars, painted as attractively red as may be, show no advance upon the riU[ chocolate painted combination trams. Wellington has a fine tramway system, and that system, moreover, pays its way upon lower longdistance fares than arc charged in any other town in New Zealand; but the cars are fine weather cars, and when a. wet northerly or a wetter southerly roars across exposed routes, the central portions represent what is probably the acme of trumcar discomfort. Flapping, rattling, sodden canvas blinds ou the weather side merely keep out a lot of the wind and rain; they do not keep seat 3 and passengers dry, though blinds that run to the floor are an improvement on the old half-way blinds, which were, ono might bo pardoned for thinking, designed for the purpose of keeping feet and ankles wet and cold. If the weather is coming from the alighting and boarding side then, theoretically, only the centre blinds may be pulled down and tho seats at either end are open to wind and wet. Actually the end blinds go down, out of town, and passengers have to get in or out of packed and darkened cars as they can. In turn blinds on tho boarding side go up, apparently in accord with a hard and fast rule, and wind and rain soak the car for the next long suburban. ..journey. It is remarkable that Wellington has not happened upon a design more suitable to Wellington conditions, notwithstanding the comparatively narrow rail gauge—yet not so narrow as gauges in certain of the English cities where weather difficulties are overcome—for the very appearance of the cars, exterior and interior, is proof of the excellent workmanship that is put into their construction. Christchurch has overcome tho weather difficulty by means of glazed and metal panels which slide up to the roofs of their cars, transforming open compartments to adequately closed cabins, but certainly tho gauge is wider there.and presents fewer difficulties to this class of construction. Auckland overcomes the weather complications by glassed-in bodies, overseas cities must offer many types, but Wellington has carried her car design just so far and no further, hoping always for fine weather, convinced officially, that "It simply can't bo done.''