GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 4 January 1935, Page 9

GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT

TURNING OF ROYAL TRAIN STAFF’S SPLENDID PERFORMANCE. DIFFICULTIES AT NEW PLYMOUTH. WORK DONE IN LESS THAN HOUR.

The work of cleaning, washing, replenishing with gas and water, and turning each carriage of the Royal train and marshalling it again in proper order within an hour was the magnificent feat performed by the Railway Department at New Plymouth while thousands of people welcomed the Duke at Pukekura Park. The achievement is a tribute to the organisation of the stationmaster, Mr. W. G. Stewart, and the supervision of the traffic manager, Mr. W. C. Bond. To reverse a train at such stations as Stratford or Frankton Junction, where a shunting triangle is provided, is but a simple matter. Hut at New Plymouth, with only a turntable and a small triangle capable of taking one carriage at once, the work became very difficult on account of the element of time. Each car had to be uncoupled, run on to the turntable, turned, run off and get in position exactly as it arrived. There could be no hitch; time would not allow It. Every detail was perfectly arranged with the result that the work was accomplished in time to enable the train to arrive at the New Plymouth station a minute before 11 o'clock, the time of its departure for Hawera. Members of the Royal train’s crew spoke volumes of the feat accomplished. One member candidly said it was generally considered the work would not be done in the time specified. “It was a marvellous piece of work," he added.

TESTING OF CARRIAGES. As soon as the Duke left the train the train examiners commenced testing the wheels and examining the undercarriages and couplings. By the time this work was completed the two big AB engines had been uncoupled and despatched for the Morley Street yards and two shunters replaced them. Meantime porters boarded the train and commenced sweeping and washing operations.

At 9.52 the train left for Morley Street, where on arrival six minutes later it was found that the first engine had been turned and placed in position for the remainder of the train to be attached to it for the outward journey, The composition of the train was two AB engines, a mail van, two touring cars, staff sleeping car, a dining car, a sleeper, the Royal de luxe sleeper, dining car for the Duke’s staff, the 50ft, kitchen car, the Royal dining car and the 55ft. Royal saloon. All the cars were at least 50ft. in length and the work before the turntable crew and shunters was to turn every car and reverse the positions of seven of the cars so that the train left New Plymouth with the qars in the same formation as when they arrived, that is, with the van behind the engine and the Royal saloon at the rear, A carriage was shunted on to the table from the eastern side, turned by hand and run off on to the main line, where another shunter brought it down to the waiting engines. The work of turning and reversing the order of the six cars and a van and turning four cars and two engines had to be accomplished in less than five minutes for each vehicle if the timetable was to be adhered to.

TIME FACTOR IMPORTANT. Had time been of no account the work would have been by no means easy. But with every minute of the utmost importance the. work was doubly hard, and the., fact that a wonderful spirit of co-operation prevailed it Is doubtful whether the work would have been accomplished in the time available, In the meantime 17 porters and 12 casual labourers were employed sweeping out . the carriages and thoroughly washing the windows. An engine specially provided with water and gas was run along a side line, and by means of

long leads of hose the supplying of gas and water was done at the same time. In short, four ■'jobs were being done at once. At 10.43 the train had been cleaned throughout, regassed, rewatered, reversed and coupled ready to go to the New Plymouth station. Six minutes later, 54 minutes after her arrival at the yards, .the Royal train left for the station, where she arrived with one minute’s grace before pulling out for Hawera. In less than an hour an almost impossible task had been accomplished. The necessary cleaning and replenishing of the pilot train and the emergency train was done immediately the trains arrived, a large gang .making quick time with the work. There were -47 men employed at the Morley Street yards. The work was supervised by Mr. Bond, traffic inspector, who had under his direction two signalmen, three shunters, two guards, 17 porters, 12 casual labourers, three foremen, one representative of the Wanganui engineering department, two enginedrivers off the Royal train, two train examiners, two shunting engines and a special AB engine fitted with gas and water cylinders.