RAILWAY SPEEDS

Southland Times, Issue 20148, 7 April 1927, Page 8

RAILWAY SPEEDS

PRESENT TIME-TABLE SAFE. The question, raised on more than one occasion, as to whether or not the maximum allowed speed of express trains in New Zealand, viz., 50 miles per hour, is excessive for a 3ft 6in gauge, recalls an experimental trip made on July 20, 1892—34 years ago—to test the speed capabilities of the Wellington-Manawatu line (says the Railways Magazine). The engine used for the test was one of the then recently imported Baldwin engines (Class N), having 15in cylinders, 20in stroke, and 4ft driving wheels—six coupled. The load consisted of one double-bogie carriage and one -van; total weight, including engine and tender, 70 tons. On the engine (which was driven by Driver Fryer, efficiently supported by Fireman Taylor) were Mr J. E. Fulton (Locomotive Superintendent), Mr Marchbanks (Assistant Engineer), and Mr C. Rous-Mar-ten —to whom was assigned the duty of testing the speed by chronograph. ‘The weather” (says the Wellington Evening Post of July 21, 1892, in its report on the trip) “was calm and fair, though overcast. The rails were somewhat ‘greasy’ at first, but subsequently became in good condition. Starting from Wellington at 9.20 a.m., the special train began by maintaining a speed of 30 to 35 miles an hour up to the four-mile incline of 1 in 40, an extraordinary feat. Next, ascending the Pukerua gradient of 1 in 57, the speed never fell below 33 miles per hour. At Johnsonville a washout had unfortunately been caused by the heavy rain, and this involved a loss of three minutes. Owing to threatened landslips a cautious descent also had to be made of the falling grade approaching Paekakariki, but speeds of 50 to 55 miles an hour were maintained on favourable parts of the road. Otaki, first stopping station, nearly 47 miles from town, was reached in 73 minutes running time in spite of the two steep banks. After leaving Otaki the line is much more favourable to rapid travelling, and the run of 37i miles to Longburn was done in exactly 46 minutes, or at an average rate of 484 miles an hour—a speed equal to that of several famous expresses on the English railways, and faster than either the Brighton or Dover expresses, both widely celebrated. An average speed of 60 miles an hour w’as maintained for fifteen consecutive miles, of which three were done in 59 seconds each, two in 58 seconds, and one in 56i seconds, representing respective speeds of 61, 62, and 64 miles an hour. This has never yet been authentically equalled on the 3ft 6in gauge anywhere in the world. The nearest approach to it was 59 miles an hour once experimentally attained by a similar engine on the Dunedin-Christchurch line. Notwith-

standing the extraordinary velocity, the engine and carriages ran with admirable smoothness and steadiness, proving that both road and rollingstock were in excellent order. The total running time from Wellington to Longburn was only 1 hour 57min for the 84 miles. Including all stoppages, the time was 2 hours 6 minutes. At a similar rate of travelling. Palmerston North could easily have been reached in another five minutes.

“The return journey was made at a much slower rate of speed. Even so, however, the speed was very good, being generally from 35 to 45 miles an hour. From Paekakariki to town some faster work was

done, 50 miles an hour being run between Porirua and Tawa Flat, and the steep incline of 44 miles from the latter station to Johnsonville being ascended in the unprecedented time of seven minutes. The trip was altogether a very remarkable one, illustrating in a very striking manner the potentialities of our narrow gauge.”