LARGER LOCOMOTIVES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21263, 17 August 1932, Page 12

LARGER LOCOMOTIVES

FIRST IN NOVEMBER

GREATER TRACTIVE POWER MANUFACTURE IN DOMINION Manufactured at the ITult railway workshops from imported British raw material, tho construction of "the 30 new locomotives of the K class is proceeding so quickly that it is anticipated that two of the engines will be in commission on tho Main Trunk line in November. Double shifts have recently been worked to enable the programme to be expedited. No previous attempt has been made in New Zealand to construct engines approaching the size of the Iv class. The engines measure almost 70 feet, a fact which has necessitated the building of longer turntables at Frankton, Taihape and Taumarunui to accommodate them. There is already a 70-foot turntable at Auckland.

The weight of a E class engine and tender in working order is 135 tons, compared with 85 tons in the case of tho AB engine. The K engine has four pairs of driving wheels, and its normal tractive power will be 30,1851b., which is about 30 per cent greater than that of tho AB engine, which is tho standard typo generally used for heavy passenger and goods traffic. Tho K engino is also designed to avoid "double-heading," which now takes place on all main terminals. Tho uso of the new engines is, therefore, expected to result in a general reduction of working expenses. It is maintained that to-day's requirements aro for fewer trains and heavier loads. With that policy in view the tracks have gradually been strengthened to accommodate heavier trains.

All tho material required for the new engines was ordered from England about a year ago. In tho past many parts have been imported bccauso of tho lack of facilities for manufacturing them locally, but in the case of tho K engines tho raw material was imported and the parts are being mado in the Dominion. It is anticipated that the order for tho engines will take two and a-half years to complete. After the delivery of two in November, the objective is to finish one every month.