HAULAGE FEAT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23302, 22 March 1939, Page 15

HAULAGE FEAT

21-TON TURBINE FOR TUAI USE OF 32-WHEEL TRAILER [by telegraph OWN correspondent] GISBORNE, Tuesday A specially-designed trailer constructed in England for the Public Works Department was used to transport the new turbine, weighing 21 tons 14cw.t., to Tuai. The turbine is for the third unit of the present power-house and the difficult task of transporting it to Tuai was accomplished without a hitch. The transporting of the turbine marked another important step in the development of the Waikaremoana hydro-electric works. The work on the tfiird pipe-line which will convoy the water from Lake Kaitawa to the powerhouse for the third turbine has been proceeding for some months, and is now reaching the stage of completion. The turbine was shipped to Waikokopu some months ago and then railed to Wairoa. The problem was to procure a trailer large enough to carry the weight and one sufficiently easy to manoeuvre so that the many sharp bends and small bridges between Wairoa and Tuai could be negotiated without difficulty. For this purpose the Public Works Department had a trailer specially constructed in England and it arrived in Wairoa at the beginning of this week. This trailer weighed G tons 18cwt., a feature of it being that it was provided with no fewer tnan 32 wheels fitted with pneumatic tyres. The trailer was drawn by two sixwheel motor-lorries with twin differential drives, both of which were loaded with cement to act as a counter-balance for the heavy load they were hauling.