OIL v. STEAM.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 15 June 1926, Page 7

OIL v. STEAM.

POWER FOR LYTTELTON TUNNEL. CHRISTCHURCH, June 14. To Invercargill and back by rail at a fuel cost or Is per passenger was tho c airn made for a Diesel oil electric 'engine by a deputation which this morning met the Canterbury Members of Parliament Committee. The deputation consisted of Messrs ■\. u. m ,•• .inane, n lU LlirysialJ and L. C. Walker, representing the business and engineering interests. The speakers claimed that a. Diesel oil electric engine represented a much better and far more complete method of electrification than the system that it was proposed to apply to the Christ-cliureii-Lytteiton railway section. Under the system that was proposed, tliero would be a mixture between steam and e'ectric traction, but the adoption of the method which the deputation suggested would give complete electric traction haulage. The capacity of the type of electric engine advocated was two and a half limes 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 fuol cost very low. So perfect had tho power units been made, that it was now possible to secure a genera ting unit of 2000 h.p. that had a weight of only nine tons. Such engines would be capable of use over all tho lines in the South Island. The chairman (Mr D. G. Sullivan) thanked the deputation for tho information it had supplied.