NEW RAILWAY GAR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144857, 8 December 1915, Page 7

NEW RAILWAY GAR.

THE THOMAS TRANSMISSION RAIL COACH. INSPECTED AT PETONE WORKSHOPS. The enterprise of the New Zealand Railways Department is responsible for the introduction into tho Dominion of an entirely now type of petrol-driven railway car, which is being assembled, at tho present time, in the Petono Workshops, under the supervision of Mr. K. J. Thomson, the representative of Mr. Thomas, its inventor. The ear is tho result of seven years’ experimental work by the staff of the Thomas Transmission, Ltd., and embodies several distinctly new features. The only other car of tho same type is one supplied to the South African railways some five years ago. Thus car has been so successful that the New Zealand Government decided, on tho results achieved by it, to place an eider for a similar but larger type of car. The great difficulty encountered by engineers in applying the internal combustion engine to heavy traction work, such as radway haulage, has always been the method of transmission of tho power to the axles of the vehicle—tho ordinary well-known gear box change speed being quite inadequate when applied to heavy' traction. To overcome this several systems have been tried with more or less success. One wellknown system is tho purely electric transmission where all the power is transmitted from a dynamo coupled to the engine to a motor on tho driving axle. This is the method adopted on tho Westinghouse cars, one of which is in* use on tho Wellingtou-Johnsonville run at the presout time. Another system is that of hydraulic transmission, where the power is transferred through a dynamo oil pump to a motor oil pump, the speed-tongue variation being obtained by altering tho stroke of the motor pump. Some experts declare that tho chief disadvantage of these types is tho loss of power of transmission. Mr. Thomas claims to have overcome tho difficulty by a transmission which is partially mechanical and partially electrical. . From the engine,, which is situated in the centre of the car, there are two paths of power, these paths being so interconnected by means of a most ingenious planetary gearing that tho mechanical as well as the electrical speed-tongue variation is obtained by means of an electrical controller, which I is operated from either end of tho car. The great advantage of the system is that most of the power is always transmitted mechanically with a direct drive on top-speed, as in the case of a motor-car, thus eliminating all losses during 90 per cent, of tho distance travelled. In addition, the system provides for self-starting and battery charging for electric lighting, heading, etc.

Tho car, which is British-made throughout, is provided with an eiglitcylindar V-typc reversible engine of 2CO horse-power. It has twelve speeds, either forward or reverse, and has, in addition, two emergency reverse speeds for shunting purposes. There is a selfstarting notch, and a battery-charging notch on top speed. Tho method of control is simplicity itself, the whole of the operotions being performed by the turning of a handle on a dial on which the various speeds, etc., are clearly marked. Hand and Westinghouso brakes are part of the .equipment. Other outstanding features are a special bogie, which has attracted tho admiration of all engineers who have inspected' it. It is of the compensating typo, and provides for the distribution of the weight between a spherical kingpin and two rollers supporting tho main solebars. The whole power equipment is sprung on the frame so that tho driving axles carry no dead weight other than the final bevel and spur reduction gearing. Another special feature'is the adoption of magnetic clutches, one for looking tho planetary gearing for a direct drivo on top speed, and ouo for free-wheeling purposes. The car taeasures about 60 foot over all, and will carry about 60 passengers, besides hauling a trailer. One of the claims made by the inventor is economy of petrol consumption, the South African car having accomplished considerably over 200 ton miles per gallon of petrol. It was the intention of Mr. Thomas to have visited tho Dominion for the ppxposo of supervising the assembling of Die car, but press of war work prevented him. Mr. Thomson, his codirector, is a New Zealander, whose homo was in Gisborne. Mr. Thomson went to England some thirteen years ago, and has been associated with Mr. Tnomas for several years.—Rost.