40 NEW ENGINES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19880, 6 March 1939, Page 13

40 NEW ENGINES

RAILWAYS EXPANSION

CONSTRUCTION IN BRITAIN

IMPROVED CARRIAGES As announced by the Minister of Railways, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan, early fast November, 40 locomotives built to order of the Government by the North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow, will be operating on the "North and South Island railway lines by the end of the year. They will cost about £550,000, -and the first two of them will arrive toward the end of August, together with the first of 10 railears.

"They will add greatly to the haulage power available," said Mr. G. 11. Mackley, general manager of the railways, in a recent interview,,and he added that the new equipment, together with that being fabricated in the State workshops, was evidence of the Government's programme of widening the scope, and capacity of the railway system. Apart from the new locomotives. 25 general goods, wagons were being built each week at the Otahuhu workshops to meet the demand for more rolling-stock , Mr. Mackley continued. That rate of production would be maintained. Of the 1500 goods wagons to be built in the North Island, 500 were already in commission.

When Mr. Sullivan was in Auckland on December 4, he said that the Hutt workshops and those at Hillside. Duncdin were concentrating upon the building of 41 modern locomotives of the "K" class, and he was hopeful that 20 should be available in time for the early Ccntcnial Exhibition traffic. The department was improving also the standard of its passenger accommodation as fast as it could, and the policy of retaining in the Dominion "as much work as possible would be continued.

Full use had been made of the resources of private enterprise, and large orders for castings and similar material had been placed with private manufacturers.