ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3611, 29 May 1923, Page 28

ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

THE WORK AT OTIRA. MR E. PARRY INTERVIEWED. Mr E. Parry, et neer-i n -chief of the English Electric Company, and formrely cfiief electrical engineer for the New Zealand Government, is at present visiting the dominion for the purpose of being present at the official opening of the Otira tunnel. The company which Mr Parry represents had the contract for the electrification of the tunnel —the supplying of tile locomotives, and the erection of the powerhouse and overhead lines. In the course ot a short interview with a Daily Times reporter on Tuesday Mr Parry said 'he work at Otira so tar as the electrical contracts were concerned, would be completed in a month’s time. He thought it would turn out a very good job. Speaking in regard to the tunnel itself he said that combining length with grade it was about as severe a test as could be found in any part of the world. The length was five and a-quartcr miles, and the grade, which was uniform throughout, was 1 in 33. Four locomotives had been supplied and one of these was capable of drawing a load of 240 tons through the tunnel at a speed of about 16 miles per hour. As a general rule there would be one engine for the passenger train, and two for the freight trains. ’ihe system of electrification was by direct current at 1500 volts, and the logical corollary of the electrification of the tunnel was the application of the same principle to the whole of the mountain division of the railways from Springfield to Jacksons —a distance of about 61 miles. Speaking of theelectrification of the railways in various 'parts of the world Mr Parry stated that the direct current system such as had been installed at Otira, was in use on the Victorian railways, and it had also been adopted as the standard for the whole of the French electric lines and for the British railways. About SCOO miles of electric railways were projected in France, and 20 years were allowed for their completion. In England electrification projects on a very large scale were under contemplation and immense developments were also taking place in Japan, South Africa, and India. The whole of the 5000 miles in France would be supplied from water power stations, and he understood that Japan intended to use the same source of power. Mr Parry expressed himself as greatly interested in the progress of hydro-electric development in New Zealand and the arrangements made for dealing with the disposal of the power by means of Power Boards, but he refrained from offering any comment on the various schemes. Touching upon Waipori he said it was obvious that the best means of development was by increasing the storage capacity on the river itself as the configuration of the country was admirably adapted for that purpose. Hitherto, of course, the mining rights had been an obstacle in the way of this policy, and the controlling authorities in Dunedin were to be heartily congratulated upon having at last overcome those difficulties.