WAIRARAPA EXPRESS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 58, 10 March 1937, Page 10

WAIRARAPA EXPRESS

(To the Editor/)1

Sir, —Once again, may I draw your attention to the practice of the Railway Department in attaching meat vans to the Wairarapa express? Several nights last week, and now again this week, the-above train has been half an hour late and over in reaching Wellington. It is most annoying to be unable to meet business engagements through this practice of overloading. Heavily-laden as they are, high speeds cannot be permitted with .these vehicles, or hot boxes will result, hence the slow-motion pace from the summit to town. Surely, as this train is always well filled with passengers, it can be run as a mail train and not a meat train.I—l am, etc., ' MASTERTON PASSENGER. [On this letter being referred to him for his comments, the district traffic manager of the Railway Department advised that the late running vof the Wairarapa-Wellington .passenger train was not due to wagons .of frozen meatbeing attached. l During the two weeks ended March 6, the train referred to conveyed wagons of frozen meat to Wellington on five occasions. On these days the train left Masterton 15, 19, 10, 13, and 12 minutes late, and arrived Wellington 9, 15, 9, 14, and 1 minute late, respectively. It will be noted, therefore, that only in one instance was time lost between Masterton and Wellington, and this to the extent of one minute. On the other four days the running schedule was slightly improved upon. The meat wagons are attached at either Masterton or 'Cross Creek, where the train is scheduled to wait for refreshments and the attachment of incline engines and vans respectively. As the load of the train in. all cases was well within the capacity of the engine power provided, the running time was not affected. The axle boxes of all meat wagons are similar to those on carriages, and are quite suitable for running on express and passenger trains.]