RAILWAY WORKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14681, 12 May 1908, Page 8

RAILWAY WORKS.

[From Our Corresi'OXDsnt.} WELLINGTON, May 11. It is intended that tho site of the new railway station shall be in the vicinity of tho station at Thorndon.. It will then be possible to do away with the present Alnnawatn station. The new goods station and yard will probably be located at the northern end of the passenger station, it is, of course, too early to institute comparisons, but the “Post” understands that, tlie Government will eeo that in the matter of railway facilities the station at Wellington will not suffer by comparison, at any rate from the point of view of utility, with the handsome edifice recently completed at Dunedin at a cost of some £28,000. It is anticipated by the Government that ther will be sufficient room for tile passenger station accommodation close to the Thorndon station, and that the acquisition of more land will not bo necessary. The Government railway workshops have for some time past been working at- high pressure in order to have the additional rolling stock ready tor tho Main Trunk traffic. The following are the particulars of the new rolling stock completed and in course of preparation for the Alain Trunk railway:—Locomotives—B class “X,” 4 cylinder ■“ balance compound ” locomotives, which will weigh about 90 tons each in running trim ; carriages and vans—B sOft. first-class sleeping cam, 10 50ft fiistblass cars l , 22 50ft second-class cars, 4 50ft refreshment cars, 4 50ft postal cars, 4 50ft brake vans, 3 30ft brake vans. The locomotives of the “X" class will be used for negotiating Hie heavy grades between Taihape and Taumaranui in connection with the through trains. The carriages and vans mentioned above will be to make tho necessary extra provision for the through trains only. Following out tho policy which has been in force since 1903 of building all rolling stock in the railway workshops of tile dominion, tho Government hasi in ha nd (in addition to the rolling stock mentioned above) a very comprehensive programme, under which 10 W.F. engines, 43 carriages, 1234 waggons and 18 brake vans are to bo built in the railway workshops for the year from March 31, 1908, in addition to the finished part of the work for the previous year. Tho Government has also let a contract to Messrs A. and G. Price, of Thames, to build 20 tender locomotives of the fourcylinder “balanced compound’’ typo, known as class “ A.”