GARRATT ENGINES

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1931, Page 8

GARRATT ENGINES

MECHANICAL REUABILITYJv

RECTIFYING. WEAKNESSES

"I have to record the fact that the three Garraft locomotives which were imported into New Zealand: had not shown up to tho end of the financial year any marked improvement in mechanical reliability, but that since then it lias been seen that the modifications made to two of these engines have made them fit fox- regular service. Unfortunately, tho falling off in traffic during recent months has mitigated against their being loaded,to their full capacity, and jt has therefore been impossible to take advantage of their maximum potentiality," states the Minister of Eailiwys- (the Hon. W. A. Veitch) in his annual report to Parliament. "Previously . the', main source of trouble'Vin operation has been their mechanical .^unreliability under service conditions. : The difficulties have, unfortunately, not made themselves apparent within a limited time of the engines beingfirst put on the road, but have from time to time during the working of the units brought home to us the necessity of some modification to rectify weakness in design and correction of detail to suit local operating conditions. " ' '

"The capital cost of these engines was in each case £18,143 (including £•674 cost of raising loan), and to date modifications and repair costs to the three engines have been as follows:— Modifications, £817; shop repairs, £2131; depot repairs, £1450; shopwork for depots, £146. "The foregoing charges do not include modifications and repairs to one of these locomotives ("G" 99), now being undertaken at Hutt shops. It is estimated that the charges in respect of this engine will bo £400 for modifications and £1400 for repairs. "The matter of the continued operation of the (Jarratt engines has been .carefully considered/ and it. has been decided, in view of'the expenditure that has already; been incurred, to continue working them, for a further period of, say, twelve months, with a view to giving them a thorough try-out, and more particularly in order to ascertain to what extent the latest modifications improve the operating' results."