LIGHT RAILWAYS

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 21

LIGHT RAILWAYS

SOME INTERESTING FACTS AND FIGURES. (Feoh Ona Own Oorhespond£NT.) I CHRISTCHURCH, February 24. How light railways in France were planned, built, and operated during the war was described to the Civil Engineers’ Conference to-day in a paper by Mr Leslie May, who' said that as the system of distribution for the army’s needs had to be : flexible, easily laid, capable of handling large traffic economically, and independent of roads, the De Cauville 60 centimetre gauge (Ift ll|in) had to be adopted. This gave an admirable service, and economised space, and it could be easily laid and taken up again. On the British front during 1918 over 1300 miles of light railway were built or reconstructed from May to October in that year. Broad-gauge railways handled 400,000 tons per week, while the light railways carried 130 ; 000 tons. The running cost of a 20-mile section per year of 310 working days would be £14,827 10s, or £47 16s 7d per day. For about three months one isolated systerh of 60 centimetre railway, 15 miles in length, averaged a daily traffic of over 6000 ton miles. In respect of the carrying capacities of these light Railways, it had to be remembered that the rule “safety first” was not known in the army; the only instruction was to deliver the goods. In New Zealand light railways could be employed where the traffic warranted as feeders to the 3ft 6in system, or preferably as isolated systems. France being generally flat was especially suited to light railways. In difficult country there was not overmuch advantage in a narrow gauge, as the earthworks, culverts, and bridges required would he almost as costly as for the 3ft 6in lines. The cost per mile of a 60 centimetre gauge line in New Zealand was estimated at £5150, or £6072 with equipment. The operating costs could be such that, assuming a daily traffic of 1000, 2000, and 3000 ton miles, the charges would need to be at least 11.5 d, 5.75 d, and 3.82 d per ton mile respectively. Another paper on the same subject, advocating light railways for New Zealand under special conditions, was given by Mr George T. Murray. Referring to the survey of the projected line between Te Awanuitu and Pirongia, he said in country of such a nature almost flat and densely populated, a light line was justifiable. Light lines as pioneers to settlement, or for the making of concrete roads, would be proper. Given a thoroughly up-to-date road, capable of being used 365 davs in the year for traffic of all kinds, light railways, at present so much in the public eye, would be superfluous. Built, however, according to technical requirements, light lines of standard gauge were to be advocated, especially in level or easy undulating country, such as the Waikato, Jlauraki, and Rangitaiki; but to lay 2ft. or 2ft 6in lines with 201 b rails was, in his opinion, a proceeding that in future would be greatly regretted.