RAIL MARVEL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18063, 13 April 1933, Page 9

RAIL MARVEL

240 MILES FOR 6/8-| ELECTRICALLY-DRIVEN EXPRESS “I havo been on the first trip made by a British electrically-driven express passenger train in which the power is oil-generated—tho latest form of travel,” writes a special correspondent of the Daily Express. The train went from Euston to Birmingham, on to Castle Bromwich and back, with a dozen passengers and a staff of eight on board. It took 23 gallons to run the round trip of 240 miles. Tho fuel cost was per gallon, approximately three miles a penny. The whole fuel expense was 6s 8^d — about 4d a head. Imagine a, super-caravan de luxe —two compartments, with divans, kitchen, retiring rooms, vestibule, and cloakrooms —proceeding along the main line from Euston to Newstrect, Birmingham, without any visible means of propulsion! No wonder the crowd at Euston stared as we slid out from the station; no wonder that all along the line people gathered and cheered. An airman overhead banked his airpiano and flew alongside watching' the new marvel.

The experience was that of motoring on rails. I sat in tho driver's cabin in front as we reeled off the miles, 60, 65, and once 70 miles an hour.

This Armstrong-Shell express train, which is being tried out on the London Midland and Scottish line, was built by Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company at Newcastle-on-Tyne. “DIESOLEUM” The fuel used to generate the electricity was light “diesoleum.” There was on the car a chart of tho route, showing the elevations and descents, while an indicator ran along it showing just where we were at any moment and the gradient. The diesoleum express is intended to carry 65 persons in normal running, but a trailer can bo added which would convey 75 more passengers, making 140 in all.

We took just two hours to reach Birmingham, and about the same on the return journey.