NEW RAILWAY ENGINES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15915, 12 May 1915, Page 6

NEW RAILWAY ENGINES

TEN FROM UNITED STATES.

ARRIVAL IN DOMINION.

FOR NORTH ISLAND LINES.

The 10 first-class Baldwin railway locomotives which were ordered by the N'ew Zealand Government in January hsl from Messrs. Burnham, Williams and Company, of Philadelphia, aro on board the steamer Invertay, which arrived at Auckland last week, and which continued her voyage to Wellington yesterday. The contract for the manufacture of the engines, the Minis. ter for Railways, Hon. W. F. Berries, pointed out yesterday, was complied within the stipulated time, but their arrival in the Dominion was delayed in the first place owing to the delay in obtaining shipping space, and secondly, by the protracted voyage of the Inverter. The engines will be fitted up at the Petone railway workshops, under the supernuen. dtnee of an expert, who has been suit out by the manufacturers for the purple, and who arrived in New Zealand some weeks ago. The engines, wh.ch are. cost.ng i/0229 each, wul be distubuted turiwj.bout the North Island lints as iirtuni. eta u ces require. In general appearance the new locomotives rtfunble the class Q Auei.cua engines, waich are being used on me ,>ouia Island main luie, but uiey a number of improvements, cuiet among idem being a coal and water carrying tup*ciiy esceed.ng anytujig previously prov.uud on the New Zealand railways, trie, tender, weighing 34 tons in woiing trim, bas 5 water capacity of 3500 gallons, instead of the usual 1700 gaLons. Ttie big Llas6 A engines are able to carry 2250 gallons, which greatly ' extend their woiking radius, but the locomotives to ami a shortly will, by reason of their improved coal and water supply, be able to steam 50 per cent, further on full load; than the average New Zealand locomotive. In ratio of adhesive weight to tractive pow.;r the new engines provide an improvement* over Class Q. Iheir tractive power is 20,300.b, working at 1601b pressure, and the weight distribution is so de.-ignjd that they will be less liable than the average locomotive to slip on greasy rails. In general design the engines follow ! American standard, except for some points of New Zealand-locomotive practice which have been specified, including, of course, the Dominion gauge of 3ft 6in. They each weigh 86 tons 6cwt, which brings them a little beiow the weight of the powerful X engines, designed specially for the heavy grade* between Taihape and Taumarunui, of the Main Trunk line. Their driving wheels of 4ft ljin render them suitable for moderate speed, and they will be generally used on goods or mixed trains, rather than the expresses. It was originally expected that the engines would arrive in time to be available for the Easter traffic, but the unforeseen circumstances referied to rendered this impossible. The 10 Garrett engines, the pnrcha<o of which has been recommended by tha Genera! Manaeer of Railways, Mr. E. H. Hiley, are to he obtained from Great Britain. When these are received it is anticipated by the Department that there will be no further need to import engines.