NEW RAIL-CARS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 77, 28 September 1938, Page 15

NEW RAIL-CARS

ORDER TO BRITAIN

FIRST IN JUNE NEXT

It was announced by the Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. G. Sullivan) in May last that the Government has accepted the tender of the Vulcan Foundry. Company, Ltd., Lancashire, for ten complete standard rail-cars. The first of these, it was stated by the [General Manager of Railways (Mr. G. H< Mackley) today, should arrive in June next year. The main reason for ordering them from England instead of making them locally, in the railways workshops was that it was impossible to rely on supplies of the necessary materials. The Aotea, the doubleengined car which was recently put on the road, should have been there two years ago, and would have been had materials ordered come to hand when expected. Though the new rail-cars will be the same size as the Aotea, they will be only single engined, though the single engine will have the power of the two Aotea engines combined. The allocations of these new cars in New Zealand have not yet been definitely decided, said Mr. Mackley, but they will very soon be absorbed by demand. Some will be placed in each island. "They will afford an opportunity of comparing our own designed vehicles with the imported ones as regards features and efficiency," he said, "If these vehicles turn out to be superior to those of our own construction, which we very much doubt, arrangements have been made for the' whole of the working drawings to be made available to us; so that we can proceed with the construction of vehicles of the imported type. In the meantime the only way in which the leeway in the supply of these vehicles can be caught up is by ordering in Great Britain." These units will be of the singleengine type, each fitted with a 250-275 b.h.p. six-cylinder Vulcan-Frichs Diesel engine, and Vulcan-Sinclair hydraulic transmission through a Wilson five-speed gear-box and differential. The maximum speed on the level is to be 75 m,p.h. and 20 m.p.h on a gradient of 1 in 23 Each rail-car will have a weight when empty of 29! tons, and will comprise two passenger compartments, driver's and baggage compartment at both ends, and lavatory and toilet compartments in the centre. Seating accommodation will be provided for 52 passengers. The rail-cars will be fitted with mutiple unit control gear, enabling them to be driven from either end and coupled together. The cars will be fitted with Vfestinghouse air brakes, roller-bearing axleboxes, central buffers, and drawgear jack-knife, airoperated doors. The seats, of a reversible type, are to be of solid brown leather over "Dunlopillo" cushions. Heating will be by the Clayton-Dewandre system. The bodywork will be of all-steel construction secured together by welding or riveting, and covered by sheet panels.