TRAMWAY PLANT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18020, 8 November 1920, Page 8

TRAMWAY PLANT.

P.EPORT ON ITS CONDITION. At the meeting of the Borough Council on Eriuaj nigut a report was tabled from Mr E. b. Greenshields, a consulting engineer, who was asked to advise the Council upon ways and means of securing a more satisfactory tramway service, also upon the condition of the plant. His report is given below:— “borne few months ago, when asked by the Council for my opinion on the question of providing a second gas plant, I stated that I considered the expense to be unnecessary, in view of the fact that you ex- • pected to have your steam plant in i operation in about twelve months, ■ and expressed the opinion that town ' gas as a standby to the existing plant would fteet all your requirements, pending the installation of the new plant. “Unfortunately town gas is not now available in sufficient quantities to be of much service to the tramI way station. The uncertainty of the i position in regard to the supply to ; town gas in the future, and also the I fact that you can fix no definite date las to when the steam plant will be available for service, leaves you no alternative but to provide another ■gas plant if reasonable continuity ■ and reliable running of the tramI ways-are to be maintained. “Under existing conditions the service must be of a more or less in- | Corrupted nature. It is not to be ex- ' pected that the engine-room staff can keep the gas plant in constant operation without shutting down at times fo repair and overhaul, and. quite apart from that, no gas plant is altogether free from liability to breakdowns due to accidents and unforeseen circumstances. If there is nothing to f'U back upon during enforced stoppages the tramway service must suffer. » “Difficulty, has lately been experienced with the gas plant, due to the quality of the coke which has been available, and the consequent failure to get gas of sufficient heat value to enable the engines to cope with the load. I have not had an analysis of the coke made, but judging by its appearance and the results obtained in the producer, I am satisfied that it is of indifferent quality. Good gas can be got from it, but not in sufficient quantity. “It has been suggested to me that) the best coke from your gas works is sold to other consumers at a better price than is paid by the Tramway Department. That is no excuse tor the tramways not. gettting it. “Town gas not being available as a standby to the present gas plant, and i to be independent of the gas works as far as possible for the supply of coke, I recommend that two Cambridge type producers be Installed as speedily as possible, each of a capacity of 250 b.h.p., providing J'Jiven’s prices and terms . are satisfactory. These would use Taupiri, Waipa. Puponga, or similar coals, Taupiri for preference. “The two producers in parallel would supply No. 3 engine, and one of the Westing house engines to assist at times of heavy load, so that the Mond plant could be shut down occasionally for necessary overhaul. With the Mond plant in operation and feeding No. 3 engine, either of the two Cambridge producers can be used to supply the Westinghouse engines when required.” After referring to the location of the proposed plant, Mr Greenshields proceeds: “The plant, when' completed, will not be of much value as a standby to the standard hydro-electric system when current from that soured is available. “Tn reference to the condition of the present plant, one can hardly blame the staff if the state of the plant is not as good as it might be. They know, as well as I or anyone else, where adjustments and repairs are required, but their difficulty is to get things done without shutting down the plant, there being no standby gas available. “Anything that cannot be done between the hours of 12 midnight and 6 a.m. is left, or only partly done, and a result, stoppages occur during the running hours: then the job has to be rushed through to meet the pressing demand for the cars. From the staff’s point of view this is most unsatisfactory, and until you provide spare gas plant the service will continue to be subject to serious interruptions. “I recommend that an endeavour be made to procure suitable coal for use in the Mond plant, but it maybe advisable to defer this until the Cambridge plant is in successful operation, as quite apart from repairs which are necessary to the plant to ensure successful operation with coal, some experimenting with different classes of coal, to arrive at. the one which will give the best results, will be necessary. “It must not be supposed that, even with the proposed addition of the Cambridge producers to the present plant, the service tyill be immune from stoppages due to gas plant and engine trouble. You will be liable to them, but with ordinary care and attention they should be rare, and could still further be minimised if the town gas is at call when required, which generally should be only for a few minutes, perhaps, to bridge over any temporary trouble with the gas plants that may arise.”