SOUTHERN RAILWAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 29, 3 August 1939, Page 11

SOUTHERN RAILWAYS

MORE ROLLING STOCK

ENGLISH RAILCARS NEXT MONTH

In a few months, said Mr. G. H. Mackley, General Manager of the New Zealand Railways, two new electric locomotives, of modern design and construction, Avould add interest to the Christchurch-Greymouth service, says the "Star.-Sun," Christchurch. These engines are noAv under construction at Addington.

Seven second-class 56ft main line passenger cars had been completed at Addington since May, six more would be ready for delivery next month, and attention would then be given to the completion of nine others. These Avorkshops had in hand the building of seven first-class 56ft main line coupe cars; three of Avhich should be available hy October, and the remaining four at regular intervals. Similar activity, he said, was to be seen in the construction of goods wagons. Ten horse-box wagons were scheduled for early completion, twelve frozen meat insulated wagons would be delivered in August, and four hundred steel general goods wagons (each of twelve tons' capacity) would be completed by October. Already 177 of these had been delivered, and the remainder Avere scheduled to leave the Avorkshops at the rate of twenty every Aveek. At Hillside, work on ten bogie platform wagons (each of twenty-five tons' capacity), was being completed, and it was expected that the six Kb locomotives would be in active commission before Christmas.

Ten railcars expected to leave England in September would be distributed in the South Island, the first on the Christchurch-Greymouth, service. They would be of different design tc the standard type in use in the North Island. The North Island cars had two engines of 120, horse-power installed over each of the bogies, while the South Island cars Avould have one engine of 240 horse-power installed over the six-wheeled bogie. • All of these vehicles.would be of. modern design and construction and "would be driven by fuel oil. They would have a seating capacity for fifty-two passengers and a maximum speed on the flat of seventy-five miles an hour. They would afford an opportunity of practical comparison with the New Zealandmade railcars. It was Mi\ Mackley's opinion that the standard railcars operating between Wellington and New Plymouth, and Napier and Wairoa, could not be improved on for efficiency and comfort.