THE WESTINHOUSE BRAKE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 10

THE WESTINHOUSE BRAKE.

A SEVERE TEST OF THE HOSE CON-

NECTIONS.

SOUTH ISLAND LINES TO BE

PROVIDED FOR.

(From Otxr Owx Correspoxdext.)

WELLINC4TON, February 27.

Very thorough and exhaustive tests are being made by the Railway department in. connection with the fitting of the West-" inghouse brake. There was- some doubt as to whefher the hose coupling between the cars might not be interfered with by friction with the central single buffers in. use on the New Zealand railways. In order to set all doubts on this point at> rest a special train with one of the hosepipe couplings attached was despatched today from Wellington over the Rimutaka. incline. The officials who accompanied the train were Messrs T. F. Rotherain (locomotive superintendent), A. Peterkin (district locomotive engineer), Pearson (chief draughtsman), and Doune (district manager). There were also on board Mr J. Nesbifc (the Australasian representative of the Westinghouse Brake Company), Mr J. A. Pike (the New Zealand agent), Mr F. W. Selley (Australasian inspector), Mr Todor (a visitor from England), and your representative. In order to ensure an efficient test a weight of 50 tons was put on at the rear of the train on reachingthe. Summit, and the train then started down the famous, or infamous, Rimutaka. incline to Cross Creek. Mr Eotherain and the other experts present keenly watched the experiment, which appeared to be eminently successful. The department have evidently at once hit on the properposition for the hose connection in relation to single buffers, and as a result of these practical experiments the serious mistakes made in fitting the brake on the Victorian railways will no doubt be obviated. Similarly it is the intention of the department to secure only the best hose connections made by the company of vari* ous layers of rubber and canvas. On the Victorian Imesir cheap hose of German. manufacture was at one time used, and led. to frequent trouble. •--." ' : .- - The Hon.- Mr "Ward lias "already gained much kudos in connection with his- prompt decision to fit the rolling stock on the North Island railways with the brakeNothing official has transpired as to fitting the brake on the South Island lines, but I think I may safely predict that assoon as it is at work in the North. Island steps will be taken to provide an installation for the southern railways. Mr Nesbit and Mr Pike leave for the south tomorrow on business connected with, the invention.

While the train was climbing the incline on the return journey from CrossCreek the party had rather a unique experience as. on emerging from a narrow cutting, the sleepers across a small bridge and the heavy Umber carrying the central rail were found to ba on fire. The train was promptly pulled up, the brakes applied, and the. officials and visitors,, prompllv forming themselves into a fire brigade, passed along buckets of water from the Fell engines, and drenched the burning timber. Had the train been half an hour later .some of the sleepers would have been burnt through, and the heavyengine could not have" crossed, and the whole traffic would have been delayed. The sleepers had apparently been set alight by the embers from the Fell engines, and a high wind blowing quickly fanned them into ft blaze. The Rimutaka line is now* the only one in the world where Fell engines are used, and engineers from all parts of the world visit the line and take a keen interest in its working, which, in spite of the neavy traffic and the many difficulties, is now so f-uccssiully carried out.

Tuesicura, for coughs and colds; to house should be without it. — Wholesale agents, KemplhoniG, Prosser ; P. Haynian and .Co»