DIFFERENT GAUGES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19698, 2 August 1938, Page 13

DIFFERENT GAUGES

AUSTRALIAN RAILWAYS CHANGE A LONG WAY OFF "The complete unification of the railway gauges in Australia appears to be a long way off," said the general manager of railways in New Zealand, Mr. G. H. Mackley, upon his return to Auckland a few days ago. Mr. Mackley said that at the conference of railway commissioners of Australia and New Zealand in Sydney, which he attended, the suitability of the Boock break-of-gauge device, or adjustable undercarriage, was considered' and a decision reached. As this was a domestic matter for

Australia, and as the decision, as fatas he knew, had not been disclosed in the Commonwealth, Mr. Mackley said it would not be appropriate for him to comment. Mr. T. J. Hartigan, the New South Wales commissioner, Mr. Mackley added, considered the device fundamentally unsound. Mr. Mackley said it was the opinion of those associated with the problem that attention should be centred upon the unification of the gauges. This was a question that had been discussed for manv years in Australia. It was a problem for the Federal and State Governments, and would involve enormous expenditure. "So far I have no knowledge of a decision to proceed with the work," said Mr. Mackley. "Even when a decision has been reached, it will be a long time before complete unification can be put into operation." The magnitude of the work involved was tremendous, he continued. New South Wales had a 4ft. Bin. gauge, the British standard; in Victoria there was a sft. Sin. gauge and 122 miles of 2ft. Gin.; South Australia had a sft. 3in. and 3ft. 6in.; Queensland, 4ft. 81in. and 3ft. Gin.; Western Australia, 3ft. Gin.; and on the Federal Government lines there were both 4ft. BJin. and 3ft. Gin. gauges.