THE NEW STATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 144, 19 June 1937, Page 6

THE NEW STATION

FINISH AND FITTINGS

FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP

CREDIT TO DOMINION

The expenditure of the £3,000,000 upon all the various phases of the Tawa Flat deviation and the new railway yard would have fallen short of its effect had it not been for the skill, care, and effort put into the various parts of the great work. This applies to the tunnelling, track-laying, and other major jobs that were done by the Government, and when it comes to the building itself there is no question that the fine craftsmanship of the artificers who finished, furnished, and adorned the station is not only a credit to them but to the country. THE BUILDERS. No more striking change in the appearance of the city has .been made anywhere than by the erection of the magnificent new station building, the contractors for which were the Fletcher Construction Company. It will long remain a show place in the city, and the splendid design has been perpetuated' in sound and beautiful material by skilful and faithful workmanship. It is difficult to obtain a comprehensive view of the station from nearby, but even the small part visible gives some idea of the magnitude of the work. Only by seasoned judgment and experience could such a large structure, with its wealth of detail, be successfully built. For long months the building has steadily grown, bit by bit, and today it rtands as a fitting landmark for the railway terminus at Wellington. .Viewed from outside, the station <*ives an appearance of finish. There are no little pieces roughly smoothed over or waste ends left hanging; everything bears the mark of careful attention and polish. All of this is due to the skilled and competent craftsmen employed by the Fletcher Construction Company. REINFORCED BRICKWORK. The new railway station is one of the first large buildings to be erected in New Zealand of reinforced brickwork inside and out, and its appearance, with its varying grouped shades-of brick, is a credit to the workmen. No effort was spared by the brickmakers the Amalgamated Brick and Pipe Company (Wellington), Ltd., to produce the best. Laboratory tests were carried out as to the strength and absorbent qualities of the'bricks. Steel reinforcing is desirable in a city . subject to earth tremors, and this, both vertical .and lateral, has received careful. attention. This was achieved by manufacturing bricks to a design supplied^ by the architects of the station. The reinforcing, has given the fullest satisfaction. By the use of vertical ■ reinforcing rods in hollow brick walls, the strength of the walls can be increased to such an extent, it is claimed, that brick may be used with the greatest COMade nfrom the rocky clays'of Wellington, it is believed from the result of tests that the bricks in tbe station will stand up to crushing tests that cannot be excelled by any other bricks in this country or Australia,. and few of any country will equal them _ m strength. Every penny spent m their manufacture is spent in New Zealand. FURNISHINGS AND FITTINGS. Furnishings.—The furnishing of -the dining- and waiting-rooms, much ot which was done in Southland beech, reflects credit on The Scoullar, Company Ltd., who have also, made a pleasant feature of the children's nursery with coloured woods The. high quality of the work is uniform throughDial Scales.—Customers of the railways will appreciate the trouble saved by the many dial scales installed. The British goods made by Messrs. W. and T v Avery (N.Z.), Ltd., are known throughout the Empire, and New Zealand appreciates its share. Acres of Paint.—There are over twenty acres of paint in the station, and the best has been used in'th* products of Lewis Berger and Sons (N.Z.), Ltd., over 2600 gallons of whose paints, varnishes, and primers, as well as 10 tons of paste paints, have been used They were used in nearly all parts ot the construction, including the coloured concrete and fillings. Time Everywhere.—Time is an essential in a railway station, and all the synchronised electric . timepieces throughout the building are "Sim"l s clocks, supplied by Messrs. Turnbull and Jones. ; Silent Floorings.—The rubber floorings and the bitumastic roofing were installed by J. Redpath and Sons, Terazzo Floorings and Dadoes.—The harmonious colour schemes of floorings'and dadoes were secured largely by the use of Terazzo, while the mosaic work carried out by Gasparim Bros, is one of the chief decorations of the fine ticket lobby. The points of the compass in the centre will intrigue countless visitors, not only because of the novelty of the design, but by reason of the excellent workmanship. Full Lift Facilities.— Though only one lift was working at the station on the opening, it emphasised the need of such- facilities in such a building. They are Waygood-Otis (New Zealand) lifts, and assure patrons of a full and efficient service when they are all running. The lifts operate on the collective automatic system, which allows of attendance during the busy hours, and operation by patrons themselves when things are slack. The waiting passenger is assured that pressure on the button will give the speediest attention considering the exigencies of the service. It is practically automatic in all operations. The many installed in Wellington, compared with the few times that they cause trouble, are a guarantee of the service given. Those in the station are the very latest. Handy Materials.—lt was fortunate for the contractors that there were such large supplies of shingle and ■gravel for concrete making within easy reach, and the graded quality of this material supplied by River Shingle and Sand, Ltd., greatly helped in making good mixtures. The strength of the aggregates was partly due to the use of excellent material from the Hutt River. Footsteps Deadened.—The laying'of sound-deadening felt on the whole of the enormous floor area of the station by Messrs. Winstone, Ltd., is one of the modern features that will ensure silence. . The Head Office will be one of the most silent suites of offices in the city. Things of Beauty.—Modern ceilings, as put ih by the Carrara Ceiling Company, Ltd., are one of the features of most modern buildings, and in the station some beautiful effects have been secured, of which the ticket lobby is perhaps the most striking. The Rail-car's Soul—Convenient and pleasant to ride in as are the railcars, they would be less reliable than they are if the motive power had not been selected with care. Leylanddriven motor vehicles are in use all over the country in the railway road services, but it is in the rail-car that

they show their true value; they are the'souls of this modern form of transport. Leyland branches throughout New Zealand form an almost unique local heavy transport motive power organisation in the country. Leyland is of course British. The Tie Thaf Binds.—-Wonderful though the station'is as a building and an architectural triumph, it owes its strength, and much of its beauty to the humblest of all its materials, Wilson's | cement. The use of this material has | become historic, and its true value is i ! only ascertai.-id whc." seme o ',cc im-. pert uit build'ng, up many yerrs. has to be demolished. Then the true strength of reinforced concrete faithfully mixed in the right proportions becomes apparent. The older lhe job,, the more the strength. It is equally strong under water, and without it many of the great modern works, dams, bridges, and retaining walls, could not be built save at enormous expense. Inter-house telephones.—The wonderful inter-house telephone system of the station (there is nothing ekse like it in the Dominion) is due to the use of modern installations, as supplied by Electrical Communications, Ltd. Dry Skylights.—The use pf glazed roofs has given wonderful lighting in many parts of the great building. Modern skylights do not leak, and the work put in by Messrs. Morris and Colpus, Ltd., may be regarded as certain to give little trouble.. Many thousands of feet of "Radix" skylight bars were used. Parcel Scales.—The correct weight, milage, and price at a glance are obtained by the use of the parcel-weigh-ing scales installed in the station by J. W. Wood, Ltd., Christchurch. These facilities will be appreciated not only by the clerical staff of the railway, but by the public, for whom it will save time. New Zealand Marble.—Much of .the beauty of the interiors of .some of the magnificent halls in the station i uue to the use of Hanmer marble, and theexactness of the fitting of this warm, beautifully-polished material is. due to Messrs. J. Tait, Ltd., Christchurch.. Public Address Equipment.—The announcing system', saving patrons the necessity of studying time-tables, in the station, dining-room, and ether places, is the work of Collier and Beale, Ltd. Central Heating.—The central-heat-ing system of the station is the most extensive yet put in in New Zealand. It is in fact, the largest ever constructed by the Beeston Boiler Co., Ltd., Notts, England. The boilers provide water at a temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and give excellent results in the 430 radiators distributed through the building. They are fired by atomised oil burners. The aesthetic aspect of the heating system has been carefully considered, and. the neat and effective radiators are striking. , The water is pumped through by special pumps, and the scheme is most effective. Messrs. A. and T. Burt, who put in this important service, also attended ,to the exhaust ventilation of the kitchen and waiting-room.