NEW RAIL-CARS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19454, 13 October 1937, Page 13

NEW RAIL-CARS

CHANGES IN DESIGN TANEATUA LINK USE An assurance that the Auckland district would not be neglected when the department's rail-car construction programme was sufficiently advanced was given in Auckland by the general manager of railways, Mr. G. H. Mackley. Mr. Mackley said that although construtcion had been hampered by the delay in deliveries of materials from overseas through circumstances with which all were familiar, it was hoped that the coming year would see the introduction of a standard type of rail-car. Something Entirley Different The new vehicle would be of a design entirely different from anything yet seen in New Zealand and it was confidently expected that it would meet all the requirements of people desiring first-class land transport. Engineers of the department had completed their plans and the assembling of the balance of the materials required was the only thing delaying the construction of the new rail-cars at the Hutt workshops. "We are hopeful that the first standard vehicle will be available late in the present year, or early next year," said Mr. Mackley. All-steel Construction The new rail-cars would incorporate many radical changes from the design of those already in use, Mr. Mackley continued, but he made it clear that these changes had not been made because of any weaknesses in the prosent cars, which had been designed and constructed to meet the requirements of a particular type of job. The standard rail-car will be of allsteel construction and will weigh approximately 31 tons. It will be fitted with dual engines and will be driven from either end. The chassis will fts of the double bogey type. Comfortable Furnishing The car will have an overall length of 67ft., making it 17ft. longer than the ordinary type of passenger car in use on the Main Trunk line. Interior furnishings also have received careful attention and Mr. Mackley remarked that the new rail-cars would provide the last word in land transport comfort. In saying that the Auckland district would have its share of the new vehicles, Mr. Mackley pointed out that rail-cars proved most suitable in serving the requirements of places with comparatively small populations where long distances had to be travelled. He cited the AucklandWhangarei, Opua and Okaihau lines and the Tauranga-Taneatua line as routes where rail-cars could be used to best advantage.