"ROAD-RAILS."

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1418, 20 October 1923, Page 8

"ROAD-RAILS."

NEW TRACTION SYSTEM. While the subject /of improved highways and haulage transport is very much in the public eye at present, not only in our own locality but in practically every part of the Dominion where roads are being damaged through excessive loads being carried over them, it may be of interest to throw some light on a new system of transport known as "Roadrails." Recently Mr W. L. Baillieu, a prominent Victorian local body man, stated in a press interview that

when he was in England a few months ago he was so much impressed with the system's possibilities that he had taken part in arranging to have a tractor and train of waggons sent to Victoria so that, the suitability of the system for town and country conditions in that State might be tested. It should, be added, be clearly understood, however, that the system was not in any way a competitor of standard gauge railways, for it would simply be a feeder to them. Mr Baillieu said he had had a demonstration length of "roadrails" prepared, and had shown a representative party of public men (including" the Minister for Railways and others keenly interested in railway and road development) the system in operation. "Roadrails" consist essentially of a narrow gauge tramway (about 2 feet) laid with light steel rails secured in the ordinary way to sleepers, but the sleepers are beneath the surface of the roadway. Waggons, each with a capacity of about 6 tons, are hauled by a special form of oil tractor. The front end of the tractor is supported on a small bogie truck which runs on the rails, but the driving wheels (which have solid rubber tyres) run on the surface of the road and outside the rails. By this means better adhesion is obtained, and much lighter rails can be laid than would be required if they had to carry the full weight of the tractor. Another advantage claimed is that the tractor can be quickly detached from the rail bogie, and then it can be run as an ordinary road tractor if desirable. But the main advantage is that heavy loads can be hauled at something like 10 miles an hour along country roads or perhaps along the side of these roads. The cost per mile of track depends on the nature of the ground, hut. the half-mile at Spotswood was laid for £7OO. The tractor, with 20 tons behind the draw bar, showed its ability to get the load under way from rest, on a gradient rising one foot in 10 and also to travel at fair speed round very sharp curves. In practice, the maximum loads that could he hauled over the average gradients would be attached to the draw bar, and to go up a very steep gradient the load would be divided. The tractor, having hauled this to the top of the grade, would go back as an ordinary road tractor for the rest of the load, and then, mounted again on its rail bogie, it would take this up the grade also.