NEW VEHICLES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27028, 12 March 1949, Page 8

NEW VEHICLES

RAILWAY ROAD SERVICE EXTENSIVE BUILDING PLAN SMALLER DE LUXE COACHES INCLUDED PA WELLINGTON, Mar. 11. Extensive additions to the Railways Department’s road service fleet are planned for the next two years. For some time the department has had an important vehicle-building programme in hand but has been concentrating on making up the big leeway in the number of large buses required for suburban traffic. Now that this move is well under way, greater attention is to be paid to smaller de luxe coaches for long-distance journeys. Among the plans for the freight transport fleet is a pi'oposal to buy five articulated trucks, a type of vehicle not previously used by the railways. The type of vehicle service rfequired varies not only with the kind of work to be done but also with the quality of the road over which it has to operate. For heavy peak loadings over first-class roads, such as suburban services encounter, large omnibuses are used. For smaller loadings over long distances and roads of varying quality, where speed and comfort are paramount considerations, the need is for lighter and smaller vehicles with highquality seating accommodation. These are service coaches and smaller de The department’s 1948-49 building programme provided for 88 new vehicles comprising 62 omnibuses, 24 service coaches, and two composite passenger and freight vehicles. The 1949-50 programme is even bigger, providing for the construction of 101 new vehicles. Of and smaller de luxe coaches, for the long-distance work on which the greatest proportion of the fleet is engaged are now a priority task. The full programme is for six six-seater and 64 20 to 24-seater coaches, eight 30seater and 20 37-seater omnibuses, two horse floats and one pantechnicon. The department’s policy is to maintain a high percentage of modern vehicles in operation, and the new vehicles are planned partly to allow for the withdrawal of older ones from the service. Many of those now in use, partitcularly on distance runs, were taken over in the purchase of private services and, having completed long mileages over many years, are due for replacement. Altogether the addition of new units has enabled the withdrawal of about 50 old vehicles during 1948-49. The articulated trucks .it is planned to buy will be used for freight transport over the poorer class of roads in North Auckland and will operate on the Okaihau-Kaitais and Maungaturoto-Ruwai services. Other plans include the provision of small vans for the foremen of works travelling gangs who under this new arrangement will be centralised, as far as possible and be enabled to move more quickly to their various jobs on bridge buildings and so on. Possibly an even more important result will be a reduction in the necessity for men to live in huts away from their homes for varying periods throughout the year.