CHEAP LOCOMOTION

Southland Times, Issue 19897, 16 June 1926, Page 10

CHEAP LOCOMOTION

OIL-ELECTRIC POWER ADVOCATED. (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, June 14. “To Invercargill by rail at a fuel cost of Is per passenger,” was the claim made for the Diesel oil-electric engine by a deputation which this morning met the Canterbury members of Parliament Committee. The deputation consisted of Messrs A. L. Mac- j farlane, H. M. Chrystall and L. C. Walker, representing business and engineering interests. The speakers claimed that the Diesel oilelectric engine represented a much better and far more complete method of electrification than the system that it was proposed to apply to the Christchurch-Lyttel-ton railway section. Under the system that was proposed there would be a mixture between steam and electric traction, but the adoption of the method which the deputation suggested would give complete electric traction. The haulage capacity of the type of electric engine advocated was two and a-half times that of a steam A.B. engine of the same horse-power at a cost of approximately one-fifth of that of the steam A.B. The use of crude oil for driving the engine that operated the generating motor made the fuel cost very low and so perfect had the power units been made that it was now possible to secure a generating unit of 200 . horse-power that had a weight of only nine tons. Such engines would be capable of use over all the lines in the South Island. The chairman (Mr D. G. Sulivan) thank- ' ed the deputation for the information it < had supplied. 1