The New Zealand
Railways
Magazine
Railways
Magazine
Registered for transmission by Post as a Newspaper.
Published by the
New Zealand Government Railways Department
“
For Better Service.”Vol. 1. No. 3.
Wellington,
New Zealand
July24, 1926
The New Zealand Railways Magazine is delivered free to all employees in the service of the Railway Department, to the principal public libraries in the Dominion, and to the leading firms, shippers and traders doing business with the New Zealand Railways.
It is the officially recognised medium for maintaining contact between the Administration, the employees, and the public, and for the dissemination of knowledge bearing on matters of mutual interest and of educative value.
Employees and others interested are invited to forward to the Editor, the New Zealand Railways Magazine, Head Office, Railways, Wellington, articles bearing on Railway affairs, news items of staff interest, suitable short stories, poetry, photographs, pen and ink sketches, etc. The aim of contributors should be to supply interesting topical material tending generally towards the betterment of the Service.
Contributed articles should be signed. If to appear over a nom-de-plume this should be stated.
In all cases where the Administration makes announcements through the medium of this journal the fact will be clearly indicated.
The Department does not identify itself with any opinions which may be expressed in other portions of the publication, whether appearing over the author's name or under a nom-de-plume.
Contents
Editorial
Transport Control
If New Zealand were a new Utopia where the cost of services mattered not and a balanced budget was neither known nor required, transport could be developed to so high a degree that distribution to every individual of whatever he required, and whenever he required it, would be immediately effected. Similarly, should he desire to travel, means and ways would be right at hand to meet his smallest whim in the exact manner desired.
But Utopian conditions being absent, the people of this country are well aware that compliance with the general principle of economic transport is a prime necessity, and that mass rather than individual transport conforms best with this demand.
Insofar as transport is wasteful it is unproductive, and the resources of the Dominion, although great in relation to its liabilities, are not illimitable, nor are they even sufficiently elastic to provide, without hurt, large expenditure for unremunerative services.
There has been of late, however, a tendency to look for ideal transport facilities without due consideration of the economic factor. We know of families that, finding the family car insufficiently responsive to individual needs, have overcome the difficulty by each member obtaining a car of his own. At the other end of the scale we have known a thousand people carried comfortably by a train manned with a crew of three. If a thousand individual road cars were used for the same purpose with a thousand chaffeurs to man them, the conditions might be more nearly ideal, for each passenger would have freedom to start, stop, and vary speed according to individual desire; but the cost would be infinitely higher.
A goods train of 500 tons is quite an ordinary feature of our rail transport. At a conservative estimate 50 motor lorries would be required to carry the same quantity by road. Apart from the obvious advantage in fuel cost which one steam engine has over fifty motor lorries, it must be remembered that for a 500 ton load the train requires only three of a crew while the motor lorries require fifty. These comparisons are made to indicate the main economic features as they apply to long distance traffic. For shorter distances in goods traffic, time and labour factors in regard to collection and delivery at terminal points come more into play.
It may be advanced that the Railway requires station staffs and line gangs as well as train crews for its business, whilst the motor lorry needs nothing but a driver. Here it is necessary to point out that motor haulage competing with the railway along similar routes for any considerable distance does not appear the economic absurdity that it really is because it has no safety systems (for which Railway staffs are required), and pays neither interest on the cost of the roads which it uses nor the cost of maintenance for the roads which it destroys. But if, further, the road users were required to install and maintain a safety system at all comparable with that which the Railway provides, not only would the heavy toll of life through road accidents be tremendously reduced, but direct, competition with the Railway would absolutely cease because its cost would be utterly prohibitive.
Meantime, transport control by a body with full knowledge derived from thorough investigation, freed from prejudice and with public welfare the paramount consideration, might solve the problem.
The opening words of
The classes already working in accountancy, tariff matters, and traffic instructions, are but the forerunners of many others. Arrangements are well in hand for classes in locomotive practice, maintenance work, and stores control, and it is firmly anticipated that these will be availed of with the same enthusiasm as those already commenced.
Following these it is hoped to establish classes in pure and applied mathematics, literature, etc.
Training in the working of mechanical appliances such as signals, valve motions, headlights, steam heating, air brakes, etc., by the use of models and cut sections has been commenced in a small way, and this is a feature which we hope largely to expand.
It will be found of great advantage to members taking the classes that the subjects under study are largely those with which they are dealing in their daily work. A good technical knowledge enables work to be done quickly and well and without the strain inseparable from duties imperfectly understood.
Members will also find that with technical facility they have gained the first requisite for valuable mental activity.
The day of rule of thumb methods has passed, and few people nowadays will be found bold enough to advocate the preeminence of the man with a purely practical training.
Disraeli defined a practical man as one who practised the errors of his forefathers. The definition may be considered somewhat sweeping when applied to the early days of railways when the good practical man was invaluable. To-day with the many problems of transportation awaiting solution it is not sufficient to merely carry on with recognized past practice. Constant analysis of operations is necessary with the view to improving services, shortening methods and reducing costs.
The problems awaiting solution or adjustment are many, some external to the organization—such as the creation of a public opinion that will recognise what the railways have done and are doing for the assistance of industry; others appertaining to the organisation—such as the creating and maintaining of morale, the wise control of the human element and labour conditions, the securing of a fair output for the expenditure.
In the economies of operation a clear perspective of the varying conditions under which work is carried out is necessary, with accurate information of the arithmetical values of the various functions. While conditions on our railways may be somewhat different from those on systems in other parts of the world, the problems are much the same, such as:
Methods of calculating the cost of moving freight and passenger traffic.
Effects of speed on cost of operation.
Effects of penal rates on goods train operation.
Costs of terminal handling.
Fuel consumption measured in terms of work done.
Establishment of units of measure for work performed.
Establishment of a normal maintenance expenditure for varying classes of tracks.
Statistics as obtained are used largely qualitatively, that is, they indicate tendencies and enable comparisons to be made so that the administration may place the weaknesses. For special problems such as are quoted above, a quantitative analysis, taking into account the many variables affecting the question, is required.
A great expansion of the business of the New Zealand Railways may be looked for in the future. Since 1900 it has increased fivefold; young members of the service may therefore rest assured that there are opportunities ahead of them.
Everything is worth while when a breed is in the making.—
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Things gained are gone, But great things done endure.—Swinburne.
The Prime Minister on Business Methods
The above Conference held recently was the first of its kind since the appointment of Divisional Superintendents under the Divisional Control System.
In opening, Mr. J. Mason (operating member of the Board) expressed the gratification of those present in having with them the Prime Minister in his capacity of Minister for Railways, whose interest in Railway administration ever since taking over the portfolio had been an inspiration to every member of the Department. This lead made them feel that they must do their utmost to render the best possible service to the community as a whole.
Mr. Coates said that he had come principally to convey the Government's appreciation of the excellent manner in which the Management, the Superintendents, and particularly the South Island Traffic Managers, carried out their duties during the Dunedin Exhibition. Every emergency was met, and the Department earned the entire appreciation of both travelling public and business men. In moving about among people whom he had known for years, people who had been hard crities of the Railways, it was very gratifying to find that they were satisfied the railway men knew their jobs and were carrying out their duties well. A different feeling prevailed. These men said it was a treat to deal with the Railway Department from the Superintendents downwards. In fact, it became a little irksome to hear so many encomiums instead of complaints. His principal reason in meeting them had, therefore, been to convey to them direct the Government's appreciation.
He felt that he had to be in close contact, not only with the Management and Board, but with Railway matters generally. Mr. Coates also said how pleased he was with the manner in which the staff met him all over the country. Everything was at his disposal, and it seemed to him that one and all did their very best to please—not because he was the Minister of Railways, but because the practice of pleasing their customers had become the policy of their large concern.
His object as Minister was to co-operate wherever he possibly could, thus bringing strength to the Department through full co-operation with the Government. He delighted in listening to policy matters discussed by all classes of railwaymen, his object being to let all feel that none was isolated, and to obtain information that would enable him to answer questions off-hand regarding details of Departmental administration. By obtaining this knowledge he was better able to assist the Department in every way to handle the existing difficulty of competition with the Railways. In regard to this, the Commercial Agents had at their recent Conference put forward a number of suggestions, which it would be a good thing to run over. The Commercial Branch was a loose leg of the Department, and was in a position to view matters from a different angle to the ordinary traffic men. The Administration was anxious that the actual leaders of the Railway should keep in touch with the staff, particularly the fellows classed as the Second Division, with whom discussion would help to remove misunderstanding and inspire confidence, whether the men were shunters, yardmen, shopmen or running staff. One point that all should realise was that if competition cut into the Railway a little more, staff reduction would follow and this was the very thing they were trying to avoid.
Understanding would be helped along by the various officers giving short addresses to the men followed by open discussion. “I know what it is,” said Mr. Coates. “I have worked for a boss up to my neck in mud all day. At hight we had nothing else to do but to growl, and the first thing we did was to growl at the boss: that is only human nature. But when the boss came along and had a yarn we had little to say. Look how it would have improved matters if he had said, ‘Well boys, what about some suggestions? You know the business better than I.’”
Regarding courtesy, he said a little bit of unexpected attention had an extraordinary effect on men, and it was all good for the Service.
The staff review would continue meantime, but what they were driving at was a separate Department to handle staff.
The budget system had been applied in the shops, but it could be applied in other directions, and the principle being one which the Board had considered and believed in, and being now also a feature of modern railway practice, he thought the Traffic Managers' opinions on several points connected with it might be valuable.
Danger” glares like a ghoul ahead,
Progress and Enterprise
The trial trip of the new sleeping car between Wellington and Auckland a week or two ago was a complete success.
The car, it will be remembered, created a great deal of interest when on exhibition at Dunedin, but, at the time, a considerable amount of doubt was expressed as to whether the Department really intended to put the car on the road, and there were many predictions of a dolorous nature as to what would happen should any attempt be really made to run this sleeper as a going concern on the New Zealand Railways.
The car is slightly heavier than the average for passenger vehicles on the New Zealand Railways, its gross weight being 27 tons; but it must be remembered that it is the largest car yet built for the Main Trunk. The car is also somewhat longer than are other cars in service. The trial run was decided upon, in conformity with the usual practice of the Department, for the purpose of making quite sure that everything was in good order before inviting passengers to travel by it.
There are many points that have to be considered before any new unit can be used upon the Railway, and among the chief of these is the question of clearances. In order to give the maximum comfort to passengers it is necessary to take the fullest possible advantage of all the maximum dimensions—length, breadth, and height—and this means, in the case of the car under discussion, that while the size had to be kept within the maximum clearance allowance provided for by regulation, there were certain points which only practical trial would definitely prove. For this purpose the Chief Mechanical Engineer put an extended end, true to profile of his new sleeper, on one of the ordinary 50 foot sleepers and ran this next in front of the new car. Careful clearances, etc., were taken all along the Main Trunk from Wellington to Auckland, the tests proving satisfactory in every respect. It was thus clearly demonstrated that 56 ft. cars can be used in future. This is a great asset, allowing of another two passengers per car more than in a 50 ft. sleeper of the same design.
The trial also proved that the Department knew what it was doing in spite of the very ungenerous rumours to the effect that the new sleeper was too long to negotiate the curves on the Main Trunk.
Among new features in the car is the provision of dise instead of spoke wheels, the disadvantage of the latter being that travelling at high speeds there is a tendency to throw up dust; improved insulation against sound, thus reducing the noise thrown up by the contact between wheels and rails; and greatly improved fittings and arrangement.
The car was designed by
There are nine two-berth cabins, each of which is fitted with an electric fan controlled at the will of the passenger. Each cabin has a double electric roof lamp, and there is a plentiful supply of hat and coat hooks. There are leaded fanlights over the doors, and the windows have spring blinds made of blue figured material which matches the well piled carpet on the floor. On the wall are coloured photographs of typical New Zealand scenes, and a large bevelled mirror. In one corner of each compartment is a washstand of polished metal, with hot and cold water laid on. The water is supplied at a pressure of fourteen pounds to the square inch by means of an electric pump which forces the water up from the containers. These are carried below floor level and help to ballast the car, a feature which doubtless does much to account for the exceptionally smooth running experienced. The hot water is obtained from the steam heating apparatus, with which the whole train is equipped. The lid and surrounds of the basin are of mahogany and when the lid is closed this forms a desk, where the passenger may write if he so desires. The woodwork throughout the car is of polished mahogany. The seats, which are wide and extremely
The car may well be described as a de luxe one, and its smooth riding qualities and palatial fittings make it a most desirable place in which to travel when flitting through the country. Its appearance on the road created a great deal of interest at the stations where the train stopped, and any of the public present who desired (and they all did) to see over the car were permitted to do so. They were little short of ecstatic in their praises.
N.Z. Railways New Sleeping Car.
Five cars are being built of similar type, and it is intended ultimately to place ten of these vehicles on the track. They will form the sleeping accommodation on the Limited expresses between Wellington and Auckland.
A recent visitor was
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One of the finest tributes, as indicating the Prime Minister's regret in parting with a valuable Departmental officer, was paid by Mr. Coates in his capacity as Minister of Railways to Mr. H. H. Sterling (ex-member of the Railway Board) in the course of a valedictory speech. Mr. Sterling, it will be remembered, resigned from the Railway service recently to take up the position of manager for the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd. “I am extremely sorry to sever connection with him,” said Mr. Coates. “Whether the separation will be for a long or short period rests mainly with himself.”
Valentine
The scheme for the financial reorganisation of the railways, or more particularly that portion of the scheme providing for the payment to the working railways for services rendered, of an amount to compensate for the losses sustained in working cortain portions of the line, has been subjected to somewhat severe criticism, most of it obviously based on an incomplete knowledge and appreciation of the difficulties that had to be surmounted in order to place the railways on a sound footing.
First let it be said that the problem cannot be clearly understood without a general survey of the position of the railways at the close of the financial year ending on March 31st, 1925, a survey which necessitates a cortain amount of what one critic has unkindly dubbed “antiquarian research” into the early history of railway construction and policy.
For fifty years the railway policy of New Zealand was directed mainly to one end—the development of the country. Lines were built, tariff charges fixed, train services and other facilities granted in furtherance of that policy, to which the success of the railways as a selfsupporting business was almost completely subordinated. Apart from the Consolidated Fund the railway finances had no separate identity, no continuity, and no reserves. The true results of operation were consequently obscured, and the management was unable to build up the reserves which are so essential to sound and prudent administration.
The burden thrown on the State finances as a result of the war, and the rapid development of a rival means of transportation in the form of the road motor, finally forced a modification of the “development” policy and the substitution therefore (vide the annual statement of the Minister of Railways for 1924) of a new policy. This provided for a separate railway fiscal organisation, payment for all services rendered (including services rendered to the State in operating certain specified lines which could not be worked as a business proposition), a review of tariff charges, provision of adequate reserves, the introduction of sound accounting methods, and the setting up of a commercial organisation for the purpose of regaining, holding and developing business.
The Fay-Raven Commission in December, 1924, reported that having regard to the increase in population, the opening up of new producing areas, the revenue advantage brought about by the linking up of detached sections of the railway system and including also proper payments for the conveyance of lime and road metal as well as branch line losses to be made good out of consolidated funds, the railways would in 10 years time be in a position to pay working expenses, interest at £4 12s. per cent., and renewals fund contributions, provided the sum of £8,000,000 was spent during that period on improvements required to put the railways into a fair and economical working condition.
The position at 1st April, 1925, may be summed up as follows:—The net revenue available to meet interest charges amounting to £1,655,000 for the year 1924–25, was £1,567,000. It was estimated that the interest charges for 1925–26 (allowing for the increased rates payable and new lines to be opened for traffic), would be at least £1,900,000, including the interest burden on capital sunk on railway improvement works which, though necessary to put the service on an economic basis, would not become reproductive for several years. This burden was cestimated for the year 1925–26, at £50,000. gradually increasing to not less than £150,000 in 1928–29, after which the reduction in working costs effected by the improvements would tend to set off the higher interest charge.
The improvements programme also involves writing off retired facilities, including stations, yards, works, workshops and machinery, aggregating in value several hundred thousand pounds, which, though still serviceable, are obsolete or inadequate, and are only partially covered by reserves.
To provide for such retirements, for minor works, and for necessary but unproductive betterments which prudent finance does not allow as a charge against loan capital, at least £100,000 had to be provided annually for several years.
The additional charge against revenue to provide for renewals and insurance funds was estimated at £275,000 in excess of the actual annual expenditure. The increased superannuation subsidy for 1925–26 was £65,000, rising the following year to £90,000.
Additional revenue was therefore required during 1925–26 as follows:—
The excess of revenue over ordinary working expenses, amounting in 1924–25 to £1,567,000, had to be increased to £2,340,000, or by practically 50 per cent, before the finances could be said to be on a sound footing.
The steps taken to increase the revenue are too well known to require repetition. One of the most important was the setting up of a Commercial Branch and the fostering of a commercial spirit in the staff generally, which has resulted in a much higher standard of service rendered by the Department to its customers and a constant widening of the scope of the Department's activities. There are very few traders in New Zealand to-day who do not fully appreciate the fact that the railways are determined to secure all the transportation business offering and. prepared to consider and make a trial of any reasonable proposition put before them.
The revision of the tariff was put in hand promptly. Rates were adjusted, and are being adjusted almost daily, to meet the requirements of business, instead of business having to adjust itself to the tariff. Where the rates were too high to secure traffic they were reduced, and where they could be raised without unduly burdening essential industries they were increased.
In the face of intense sea and road competition the possibilities of increasing the revenue by adding to the tariff charges were greatly restricted, and it was estimated that less than half of the total additional net revenue required could be raised by increased charges and commercial activities, leaving approximately £400,000 to be obtained by other means.
Attention was next directed to the reduction of working expenses. The report of the Fay-Raven Commission indicated that reductions in expenditure were dependent very largely on the carrying out of the programme of new works already referred to, the results of which would not make themselves felt for several years. On the other hand a vigorous poliey demanded the provision of more trains, or faster trains with reduced loads, improved rolling stock, experiments with cheaper forms of transport such as rail motors, and generally an extension of all the activities and services of the Department, an extension which, though undoubtedly fully warranted by present or prospective results, could not be carried out without increases in expenditure, more than offsetting any immediate reductions made possible by improved methods or more economical administration. It was evident therefore that the deficiency could not be made good by reductions in working expenses.
Coming finally to consideration of the nonpaying branch lines and isolated seetions, which more than any other factor are responsible for the difficult financial position of the railways to-day:—
A brief analysis of the figures now available with respect to branch lines under the revised system of accounting will throw a good deal of light on the subject. It should be explained that the detailed figures are for the twelve four-weekly accounting periods ending on 27th February, 1926, and not for a full year, Under the terms of the Order in Council the losses are determined six-monthly in August and February so that the necessary adjustments may be made between the consolidated fund and the working railways account before the close of the six months ending 30th September, and the financial year ending 31st March, respectively.
The figures in respect of non-paying branches are as follows:—
28 Branches—774 Miles.
The results on two branch lines (Waitara and Foxton) formerly regarded as non-paying and not included above, are as follows:–
2 Branches—25 Miles.
Of the non-paying lines nine branches aggregating 330 miles yielded a revenue of £17,544 in excess of expenditure, to meet interest
A brief explanation of the method of arriving at the branch line earnings will be of interest. Each branch is credited with the carnings from all local traffic between stations on the branch; with a proportion of the earnings from traffic carried to or from the branch from or to the main line, based on the mileage travelled on each line; and also with the whole of the net profits (before charging interest) derived by the main line from traffic received from or conveyed to the branch line.
Let us assume that the cost of conveying traffic on the main line (exclusive of interest) is 75 per cent. of the revenue. A passenger travels 60 miles, 20 miles on the branch and 40 miles on the main line at a fare of, say, fifteen shillings. The branch is credited not only with five shillings or twenty sixtieths of the total fare, but with 2s. 6d., or twenty-five per cent. of the main line earnings. The branch line therefore gets credit for one half of the total receipts, though the passenger travelled only one third of the journey on the branch. Traffic from the main line to the branch is apportioned in the same way.
The effect of this method of assessing the “feeder value” of the branch lines is that every improvement made in the operating efficiency of the main lines automatically reduces the amount of subsidy payable to the railway account.
The position of the isolated sections of railway for the year ended 31st March last was as follows:—
The capital cost of these lines was £2,200,000. The position of Development Lines may be summarised as follows:—
Applying the drastic methods advocated by some crties, it would be necessary to write down capital by about 7½ millions, close 19 branch lines 444 miles in length, and 201 miles of isolated lines, to effect a saving of about £65,000 per annum. It must be remembered that the capital sunk in such railways would be practically a dead loss in the event of the lines being closed. Since the railways were constructed out of loan capital and the liability to the lender cannot be repudiated, the taxpayer would not be relieved of the interest burden, amounting to £300,000 per annum.
The position can be improved only by increasing the operating revenue or decreasing the working expenses in order to produce a greater net revenue.
It may be laid down as a general rule that capital charges should not exceed 25 per cent. of the gross revenue if lines are to be successfully operated, thus allowing for a working expense ratio of 75 per cent. Last year the percentage of capital charges to revenue on the North Island Main Line and Branches was 20 per cent. and on the South Island Main Line and Branches 30 per cent. of the operating revenue.
In order to put the subsidised lines on a self-supporting basis a revenue of £1,250,000, or three times the present income, would be required. The prospects of realising any such increase are so remote as to be negligible. Under competitive conditions the cnforcement of higher charges on branch line traffic in order to give a return more in keeping with the actual cost of the service could not produce more than a very small proportion of the amount required. On the contrary it has been found necessary in many cases to reduce charges in order to retain even the small volume of traffic offering.
The possibilities of reducing the cost of maintaining and operating lines carrying light traffic are engaging the attention of railway operators throughout the world. New Zealand is experimenting with light rail motors of various types. Officers have been sent abroad with special instructions to study the methods adopted in other countries. A number of different schemes suited to the conditions ruling in various localities have been formulated and will be given an extended trial. It is hoped by such means to eliminate the operating loss and make some contribution towards capital charges.
It is, however, obvious that the cost of constructing and maintaining railways through sparsely settled agricultural and nastoral
Government subsidies in many different forms such as land endowments, share-capital subscriptions, loans, or guaranteed minimum carnings have been granted to railways in Australia, Africa, United States, Canada, Japan, China, India, and practically all European countries except perhaps Great Britain. In New Zealand itself there is precedent for the subsidy in the case of the Midland Railway Company, which received a land subsidy of equivalent to 13/6 for every pound of capital expenditure, and the Wellington Manawatu Company, which was endowed with 215,000 acres of Crown lands and £30,000 worth of Government works.
If the system of railway construction by private enterprise assisted by State subsidy had been generally adopted in New Zealand, it may safely be assumed that the present cost of State aid to the railways would have been greatly in excess of £360,000 per annum.
In planning the new system the administration was faced with two alternatives. The first was to write down the capital to a figure at which the railways could, with efficient management, pay their way without assistance. The effect would have been to relieve the railway accounts of the interest burden and obscure the position by an unidentified charge in the Consolidated Fund. The second alternative was to let the capital stand at the original figure and show clearly in the railway accounts every year the cost to the taxpayer of providing transportation services on the subsidised lines.
Under both systems the loss must necessarily be borne by the taxpayer, just as in an unsuccessful company it must be borne by the shareholder. The plan adopted has the virtue of correctly recording the results, and affords a valuable guide in determining the railway construction policy of the future.
In conclusion it may be stated that the railway management is still faced with a difficult task.
In the South Island a large proportion of the main lines in respect of which no subsidy is payable, does not carry sufficient traffic to support fully the maintenance and interest burden.
The same position exists with respect to practically the whole of the lines recently opened, or lines now under construction and shortly to be opened for traffic in the North Island. The capital cost of such lines is in many cases almost double the average cost of opened lines, while the country served is still sparsely settled and the anticipated traffic return low.
Intense competition calls for a bold progressive policy. The need for adequate facilities to permit of economical operation is urgent. Under favourable conditions the result of the first year's operations was satisfactory, but the outlook for the current year is by no means bright.
Transportation is the life blood of commerce. Violent or revolutionary interference with the channels of circulation established during 50 years of operation might very easily do incalculable damage and would certainly not be tolerated by the country. The position has been carefully and systematically surveyed and it is believed that the foundations of a sound and lasting financial system have been laid. The completion of the plans is a matter of years rather than of months. The Railway administration and staff are fully alive to the absolute necessity of cheap and efficient transportation to ensure the continued prosperity of the Dominion and they will do their utmost to carry the scheme to a successful conclusion. They must, however, work in the light, not grope in the dark. This is what the new systm achieves.
Ubiquity is their habit.
They are a natural development of Railway activity
They are an influence for good in commercial life.
They brighten business relations by a riddling process, as lemonade is lightened by the riddling of bubbles.
They make periodic visits to headquarters and thus keep up-to-date in the minutiae of Departmental development.
They are advocates in a double sense. They advocate the Railway to the public and the public to the Railway.
The Otira Tunnel
(By “The Lark .”)
A stationmaster of the old school was in the habit of letting the checking of charges on waybills “slide” for months. Then sharpening his pencil and remarking “the unders would balance the overs,” he would tick off waybills with the speed of a “Rose.” Having regard to the number of superannuated members who are employed by outside firms nowadays his “Easy Street” methods would be dangerous to emulate.
Stationmaster after cnrolling a new recruit called a porter off platform to show him “round.” Four hours afterwards they were seen returning towards the station having visited the Free Library, Art Gallery and other places of interest.
A clerk who styled brevity the soul of wit, in reply to a query, sent in one of his usual epistles. This was minuted on by his Chief Clerk to Goods Agent. thence to District Manager and finally reached Head Office. Back from Headquarters through same channels it returned “for further remarks.” When it eventually reached the clerk, he, without the least suspicion of being facetious, started it off again with the explanation “no further remarks.”
A raw porter was sent out on 1st April to different business places to obtain signed “verbal agreement” forms, and to accept no refusals. Without exception all the firms rang up the Stationmaster explaining they could not understand what the “fool” wanted. Of course he was the only April Fooll
Stationmaster had two stations under his control. The fare from either to Auckland was the same. Newly appointed stationmaster in seeking knowledge asked clerk what was the fare between the two home stations. Clerk not having a stock of tickets maintained there was no charge. Not being satisfied stationmaster asked guard (noted for his casualness) what would he do if he had a passenger travelling between the two points. Pat came the reply, “I would not see him.” The same guard was asked why his P.9 issues were always fewer than those of another guard making similar “runs.” Explanation was “The other guard looks for people without tickets, whereas I look for those with them.”
Dunedin To Wellington
On Friday, 14th May, the De Luxe Sleeping Car exhibited at the Dunedin Exhibition was shipped per Waihemo to Wellington for use on the Main Trunk.
The photograph shows shipping in operation.
The lift of 17 tons necessitated the provision of special lifting gear, which was designed and made at Hillside Workshops.
The Hillside gear in conjunction with the ship's lifting gear proved very satisfactory, and the shipping operation was conducted without a hitch.
The ship's slings were attached to the lifting rods provided, the car being lifted straight off the bogies to a height of about 20 feet, sufficient to clear the ship's side.
The derrick was then pulled in ship at right angles to the mast, and the car then lowered on to packing blocks.
This was one of the largest lifts as regards bulk ever carried out at any port in the Dominion, and reflects credit on the Union Company's officers and the Railway officers concerned.
The measurements of the car were approximately 60 feet long by 10 feet wide by 13 feet high.
In the course of considering the heavy agenda dealt with at the above Conference the following decisions and recommendations were made:—
The principle of using only second class accommodation on secondary branch lines was affirmed—such cars to have chair seats. The matter of using only second class accommodation on suburban trains will be decided on the merits of each case, taking into consideration such points as desirability and economy. To reduce goods tranship work, weights of over 10 cwt. are to be loaded into wagons direct to destination as circumstances warrant, while wagon economy is made possible by loading. quantities up to 25 cwt. for any attended station in “roadsiders.”
There is now close co-operation between the traffic and locomotive officers when timetables are being compiled in order to obtain the best possible results from the engines used to work train services. The Conference was of the opinion that economies could be effected by running engines through to destination instead of to sub-terminals as at present.
These trains were greatly. extended under the re-organisation of train services effected last year, and through running has been satisfactory. By their use yard congestion has been avoided and quicker transit has been given to goods. Where possible, local goods trains have been suspended when the running of through goods trains has reduced the loading.
Already action has been taken to separate the mixed trains by providing distinct passenger and goods services. The arrangement will be extended as opportunity offers. The Conference was also of the opinion that reduced engine loading for certain mixed trains should be continued in order to quicken the journey as much as possible.
It was felt that substantial improvement in train working could be effected by shortening existing long tablet sections by either providing for new intermediate crossing places, or by installing tablets where stations already existed. The longest section it is most necessary to divide at an early date is that between Puketutu and Porootarao (North Island Main Trunk). Here opportunity offered for the institution of an intermediate tablet station at Kopaki. Other Main Line tablet sections which it was proposed to reduce were To Kuiti-Puketutu, Owhango-Raurimu, Ongarue-Waimiha, Shannon-Tokomaru and Maheno-Waiareka.
The suitability of the “Sentinel” rail car for use on the Westport section and of the “Clayton” on the Kurow and Tuatapere branches would be investigated.
Shed and yard costs could be reduced by the installation of up-to-date mechanical appliances and devices at a number of stations. Provision is being made at Auckland new goods shed for electrically operated traversing cranes. Mechanical appliances for handling goods and wagons are necessary at Christ church goods, Timaru, New Plymouth, Dunedin, Wanganui, Greymouth, Wellington, Invercargill (yard), Palmerston North, and Frankton. The electric overhead cranes at present in use in the Invercargill goods shed and in the “D” shed Christchurch have been found to be very successful and economical.
It was recommended that goods conveyed by mail and express trains should be charged parcels rates.
The Conference approved of a thorough investigation of the position being made regarding motor competition with the Railway with a view to the Department placing vehicles on the road in suitable localities to combat private services. Among the localities suggested were Napier-Hastings, Wellington-Khandallah, Wellington-Lower Hutt. Auckland-Papatoetoe, Christchurch-Southbridge, Christchurch-Rangiora and Oamaru-Ngapara.
The provision of a night light in each compartment of cars on North Island Main Trunk trains in order to facilitate the exit and entrance of passengers was recommended, the light to be adjacent to the emergency brake lever now being fitted to Main Trunk cars.
A new arrangement for the convenience of passengers who desire to store their luggage at officered stations where they break their journey will be brought into operation shortly.
An Echo Of The Commission.
Sir Vincent L. Raven, K.B.E., who, with
Voluntary acts that are the result of mutual understanding and consideration, are superior in quality and likely to be more lasting than imposed duties (writes
Public Relations.
Railway officers feel a deep responsibility to an enlightened public opinion (says W. W. Atterbury, President Pennsylvania Railroad System). They feel that they are trustees for vast interests. It puts life, spirit and enthusiasm into the men in charge of the affairs of railroads. They have a high regard for the welfare of that great army of employees devoting their lives to the railroad servics. Their responsibility is great, and when that responsibility is exercised with a knowledge that its discharge in a spirit of fidelity to all interests will be encouraged and supported by Government and Public, the possibilities of continued and substantial progress are increased beyond estimate. The foregoing is fundamental. Upon such foundations we can build a railroad structure upon which the public can rely. All also is detail.
Railway Workers As University Students.
Two young railway mechanics, W. S. Wildman and
(ByTransportation Branch , N.Z.R.)
The reorganisation of the Railway timetables during the past year has undoubtedly developed great interest in this phase of Railway operations. It is probable that more consideration has been given to the timetables during recent months than in any other similar period in the history of our railways, and, though practically the whole train service has come under review, it is realised, by those who have given special thought to this matter, that the work has by no means been concluded, but that there is continual necessity to watch for opportunities to introduce improvements and economies in the service. The general reorganisation that has been in progress has given an impetus towards change and opened the way for the expression of new lines of thought. It has emphasised the necessity for considering the requirements of our customers, and for finding economies in working and improvements that will facilitate the flow of traffic.
The preparation of a Railway timetable is an intricate operation. It has to be viewed from every angle in order to reach a conclusion that will meet general requirements. A timetable that suits ordinary passengers may not meet the needs of school children; a time that suits at the starting point may not be conveniont for intermediate or destination stations, and an arrangement very suitable to the travelling public may be too costly to result in satisfactory business for the Department.
The proposed timetable should be one that will attract business, and, so, must be generally suitable to those who may be induced to travel. Convenient starting and finishing times are essential; as are sufficient intermediate stopping places. It has to be remembered that the more stopping places the longer the journey time, and judgment has to be exercised to provide for actual needs without unduly extending the time on the journey. Generally speaking, the public requires quick transit for passengers and goods. The demands of the public determine, to a great extent, the nature of the timetable, as it is useless to run trains which travellers will not use. In business the main effort is to supply what the public wants, and, to a lesser extent, to make the public want what the dealer has for sale. So with this great trading Department, it must be our aim to supply the services that are desired, and also to create the travelling habit, and induce the public in their own interests as well as those of the Railways to make full use of the services provided.
In order to suit the requirements of travellers, consideration has to be given to the various interests concerned. If the trains carry workers they must arrive in time for work, and must leave as soon after work ceases as will give the workers time to arrive at the Railway station. School children should arrive in time for school and leave soon after closing time. Commercial travellers usually leave their home station early in the week and return towards its close. Residents in country districts require a service into town and out again the same day, to enable business and shopping to be done without the cost of a night in town, and farmers attending stock sales usually require to travel to the sale and return on the same day. Whenever any alteration to a timetable is contemplated the requirements of the regular users of the trains must have due consideration. The starting time of a train is often governed by a steamer or motor connection that has to be made or by a connection with an incoming train. The making of close connections at starting and terminal stations, and also at sub-terminal stations en route is a matter of prime importance. Another most important point is the arranging of suitable meal hours. It is advisable whenever possible for passengers to be allowed time to obtain a meal before starting, and, on long journeys, meals should be obtainable at convenient hours.
Passenger trains arriving in the chief centres, if possible, should arrive at a time when tram cars are available to distribute the travellers throughout the town and suburbs.
It is necessary not only for our timetable to be attractive, but also for it to be economical in operation. And having considered a few of those matters which arise in making a timetable convenient, it is advisable to consider the subject from another aspect; the necessity for economy in working. In this connection any unnecessary running of trains or engines should be avoided, also the lengthening of the hours of the staff, and the payment of overtime rates of pay. Every effort should be made to reduce to a minimum the standing time of men and engines. It is economical to obtain full loads for the engines, and in this connection trains arriving from sections where there are steep, adverse gradients, and where schedule loads are consequently light, may in some cases be joined together into one train when the adverse gradients are passed, and the schedule load increased. Another matter requiring attention is the effective working of passenger carriages. It may be possible to effect economy in rolling stock by a suitable timetable arrangement which results in increased use of the existing stock. Similarly a timetable that gives quick despatch to goods traffic results in economy of wagons. When night passenger trains are under consideration the cost of
The combining of passenger and goods services by means of mixed trains, is justified only as a means of economy when there is no prospect of payable business separately, and, in such instances, the shunting work should be limited in order to give quick despatch.
Other matters to be considered in preparing timetables are the classes, power, and speed of engines available, the work to be done, the maximum speed permitted to be run over the portions of the line concerned, speed restrictions, gradients, the schedule and probable loads of the trains, signalling systems, the length of sections, crossing sidings, watering, coaling, and refreshment stations.
In some places trains are usually run in daylight over certain portions of the track on account of the danger from slips. In other parts daylight running may be advisable to enable passengers to view the scenery.
Goods trains require suitable starting times which should be as soon as possible after the goods consigned can be loaded for despatch; the work on route has to be considered and regulated; suitable connections have to be made and the hours for arrival at destinations must be convenient. It is important that goods trains should run through sub-terminal stations or make suitable connections there with other trains to facilitate the flow of traffic so that the goods conveyed shall stand as short a time as possible at sub-terminal stations. The avoidance of delay to wagons at such stations gives quicker transit for the goods conveyed, reduces shunting operations, avoids congestion, makes for economy in siding accommodation, and assists in the prompt despatch and timekeeping of trains. Stationmasters and others desirous of reducing the cost of shunting services at their stations may be able to suggest some timetable alteration that will effect the desired result.
Daylight Limited (Auckland-Wellington) leaving Taihape Station
Although the work of preparing suitable timetables belongs chiefly to the train control officers, the information upon which the timetables are based, to a great extent, comes from the staffs at stations. Information is continually sought from stationmasters as to the suitability of various timetable alterations that are under consideration, and the rank and file of the service should be able to give useful information as to alterations that would facilitate the work and induce additional traffic. Stationmasters, foremen, and the staff generally could assist greatly by watching for means of improving the train service in the directions indicated. The Department encourages the submission of suggestions for timetable improvement from all ranks of employees through their superior officers.
Suggestions made may not be capable of immediate adoption. An arrangement desirable at one station may be found to be quite unsuitable further along the line. The requirements of the public in one district frequently conflict with those in another. But the needs of the public, and the needs of the service should be made known to the timetable staff whose duty it is to reconcile conflicting interests as far as possible, and produce a timetable that will give general, if not entire, satisfaction.
It is only by the complete co-operation of all grades of the service in the common interest of the Railway Department, that the best timetable will be evolved.
(ByOne Who Was There )
An event of historical interest, still fresh in the memory of the writer, was the linking up of the Railway line between Christchurch and Dunedin early in 1877. To celebrate the occasion a Railway Picnic was held at Hampden, a small town about half way between Timaru and Dunedin. Two special trains, one from Timaru, the other from Dunedin, left early in the morning to convey, with their friends, as many railwaymen as could be spared from their labours.
Having just joined the service as a cadet, this outing was to me, as it was to many others, the day of my life. To travel a distance of 55 miles in a railway train, when I had never been more than five miles from home, was something to look forward to, and something to remember. Imagine, therefore, the eagerness with which I rose at 5 a.m. in the morning. I was too excited to snatch even a hasty breakfast; but my mother gave me some bread and jam to put in my pocket to eat on the way. I lost no time in getting to the station at Waimate, a town famous in those days for its timber traffic, and joined some other members of the staff. We left on a platform trolley for Waimate Junction (now Studholme Junction) to join the special train from Timaru due about 7 a.m. There was a hard frost that morning, and, as the sun rose, so did our spirits. We were a merry party, and all went well as the train sped along at the rate of 10 or 12 miles an hour on its way to Oamaru, the first town of importance enroute. It was the first time I had seen a town of that size—London would have seemed no grander to my limited vision. After a short stay, while the train was reversed and a few more carriages put on, the journcy was resumed. We eagerly scanned the passing vista of country we had never seen before. Passing Waiareka Junction, we came to the stone quarries, where huge blocks of white stone were being loaded into trucks. Hero and there we stopped to collect more picnickers, dressed in their Sunday best, their radiant faces expressing their joyous spirits. It was a bright sunny day, and as far as I could judge, there was nothing wanting to add to the enjoyment. Friendships, many of which I have no doubt have lasted to this day, were made, and many exploits on railway construction were related. All went well until we reached Otepopo (now Herbert), where our train was to cross another coming from the South. We waited and waited, but no train arrived. We became terribly impatient at the delay, and the stationmaster was urged to send on the train, but this he could not do as, just about a mile from the station, is the Otepopo tunnel, through which, owing to a bend in the middle, it is impossible to see to the other side. It must be remembered that, in those days, there being no telegraphic communication between stations such as we have to-day, the only way to find out what had become of the missing train was to send some one along the line to see. Eventually, it was decided to send a porter with flags in his hand to the top of the hill over the tunnel, and thence he was to signal if the line was clear. All eyes watched him eagerly as he ascended the hill. Soon we were delighted to see him waving. the green flag. “Seats please!” was called out in the proper orthodox fashion; the bell rang; the guard's whistle blew, and once again our train was on the move. Merriment reigned again, and the stories were resumed when, all of a sudden, we found ourselves in utter darkness, experiencing, for the first time, the sensation of being in a tunnel. Barely had we time to realise the fact when, suddenly, the engine brakes were applied, the whistle blew, and, greatly to their consternation, all those who were not firmly seated found themselves on the floor of the carriage, or sprawling over some one else. The engine seemed to be whistling louder than before, and the train soon came to a standstill in the middle of the tunnel. Not a light of any sort was visible, and soon, much sneezing and coughing, due to a horrible, choking sensation, took the place of the laughter that had filled the carriage but a few moments previously. Matches were struck, but nothing could be seen because of the dense smoke pouring in upon us. In a few moments —which seemed hours—the engine, still whistling, puffed again, and the train began to move slowly backwards. What passed through the minds of those passengers, many of whom had never been in a train, or a tunnel, before, you can better imagine than I can describe. It is sufficient to say that the most welcome sight that day, was the daylight that greeted
Walworth
The apprentice in passing through the critical stage of life from boyhood to young manhood, is easily influenced. Habits are quickly formed, and it is well that a strong, but kindly hand guide his steps and direct his youthful energy and ambition in correct paths.
Here is where the leading hands and foremen will prove their value. The apprentice should never be considered as a matter of convenience nor assigned to labouring or helpers' duties. We should make him feel that his chosen trade is the best possible selection he could make. We should hold the foreman responsible for the boy's thorough training just as we hold him responsible for the output of his shop. A good shop foreman will study each boy, advancing the alert, and coaching the backward. A great problem in apprentice school work is to secure a man as instructor who understands what is actually going on in the shops and who can also impart this knowledge to the boys. A good judge of human nature and one possessed of tact is required.
Apprentices must be taught to think and act for themselves. The most successful way of accomplishing this is by the use of charts or models of the work. Modern shop education should include both practice and theory. For his practical experience the boy should work in the shop on a regular machine, or at bench work. The theoretical work should be most carefully studied. It should consist of mechanical drawing and shop mathematics.
There was a time when an apprentice was automatically disciplined by his fellow workman. This period has, however, passed and the journeymen now feel that it is the Department's work to train the boys. Discipline, therefore, should be administered by the Department. But care must be exercised by their agent in its administration. He should be a man who is intimately acquainted with the boys and with the men. He should know each little peculiarity of his boys, their weaknesses and ambitions. He should have the respect of the journeymen and the liking of the apprentices. He should be intelligently sympathetic, yet impartial and just.
Foremen and Shop Instructors should work together to bring home to the boy the principle of prime importance—thoroughness, explain everything clearly, and never leave a boy in doubt regarding any operation or problem. Everything about the shop has a reasonable explanation and it is essential to future advancement that the reason, not merely the theory, be understood by the apprentice. It is not necessary that explanatory titles be given to each branch of study, but, starting with the elementary principles of the work, the entire study should be fabricated into a structure of practical working knowledge. Create within the apprentice first a love of principle, then teach him the importance of accuracy and finally develop speed.
I would suggest that an “Apprentice Board” be appointed, to be composed of each shop foreman with the works manager as chairman. This board to meet once a month to pass on the progress of apprentices and discuss matters pertaining to their training. They should go into each case carefully and thoroughly, strengthening the weak and encouraging the strong; for in spite of all the care that is taken there will be times when a boy will be discovered who is not making the progress that he should. If, after everything has been done that can be done to help him, it is found that he continues below the standard and does not take the right interest he should be advised to seek a job more in keeping with his capabilities.
It will also be necessary for the development of the apprentices to prepare rules to ensure an equitable method of employing standard lesson sheets for school-room work to avoid partiality and to ensure an equal opportunity to all. A faithful record of all apprentices while serving their time and an equally complete record of those who have completed their apprenticeship must be kept. Our Railways should instruct and promote their own men and not depend upon other railways to furnish them. In a very short time it will be found that this course of apprentice training is the only method to pursue to keep our Railway supplied with first-class mechanics, as we have no other avenue to draw from. It will give us a flexible body of young men whom we can transfer, as the need arises, to any position in our shops. The thorough training of our apprentices has the backing and support of our Chief Mechanical Engineer for it ensures to him not only skilled mechanics for the shops, but men trained and qualified to fill any position of a supervisory nature that may become vacant in his department. As a matter of fact every officer owes it to the Railways and to his superior officer to have men trained and qualified to fill any position that may arise.
Fay
There are four distinct phases of shunting, viz., goods shed and goods yard shunting, station yard shunting, dock shunting, classification and marshalling.
The efficiency of goods shed operation largely hinges on the facilities provided outside. It is necessary therefore that the track layout should be designed to facilitate rapid handling and that the motive power to move the wagons should always be ready to hand when required.
In this country, as most of my readers know, shed and yard shunting is done by a yard engine, in some cases supplemented by horses. Each morning wagons are placed in the sheds and yards for loading and unloading and draws made when all wagons are ready, or when it is most convenient, that is to say, during meal hours, or when an engine is available.
1—Capstan Shunting. How the Dummy is Used
In large centres the use of the yard engine for dealing with shed traffic is apt to become uneconomical, especially at busy periods, in that groups of men have to stand idle until an engine is free to draw the loads.
There are many devices for relieving shunting engines of this work. Illustration 1 shows one of the methods of handling shed wagons in Britain. Electric capstans pull the wagons in and out of the sheds and by means of turntables switch them to and from other roads. The turntable method was introduced in congested areas where adequate track facilities could not be provided. It considerably reduces shunting and sorting at the end of the day. Further, with a grid-iron layout, wagons can be moved from the goods sheds to the goods yard and vice versa without utilising engine power and without interfering with ordinary station yard work. The great disadvantage of this system is, however, that only four wheeled vehicles can be handled, and it is not recommended for a country where high capacity wagons will possibly become the standard.
Where space is available the better method is to provide sufficient tracks outside the sheds to enable capstans to feed and clear the sheds as required. The shunting engines can then handle the wagons when time permits. Diagram 3 shows three sample layouts and the position of the capstans and dummies.
A single road shed equipped with a capstan requires two roads outside, each of the same capacity as the shed road. The shed road is filled in the morning and one of the two outside roads is utilised for surplus wagons arriving during the day. When the shed is required to be “drawn” the capstan hauls the wagons on to the empty road and refills the shed from the other.
For sheds with two roads it is usually found that three outside roads accessible to both shed roads are sufficient, unless the peculiarities of the traffic require the drawing of both roads at the same time. In such cases accommodation of twice the capacity of the two shed roads would be required. This can be found either by providing four roads equal in length to the shed roads or three roads sufficiently long to accommodate twice the capacity of the shed roads. The layout in every case depends upon which direction ground space is available.
The modern capstan can haul up to 100 wagons at a time and an operation is simple and safe. As will be noticed in the illustration the capstan man takes two turns of the rope, his foot is on a push button operating the motor. By rotating the drum and applying slight pressure by gripping the rope the drive is taken up. At instant notice he can release the pull on the rope by slackening his grip. For the benefit of my readers who may be called upon to use a capstan I would like to add a word of warning. Never take more than two
In addition to the capstans there are other methods of moving wagons by mechanical means, such as tractors, ordinary motor lorries, etc. Lately a new type has been tried whereby a kind of wheelbarrow operated by an electric battery pushes or pulls the wagons. The various efforts in this direction indicate that there is a field for a more economic method of making small shunts in yards than by the ordinary shunting engine.
2,—Capstan Shunter at Work
It should not be thought that all sheds must be equipped with mechanical appliances for shunting. Before any decision is made regard must be had to the general organisation of the shunting services of the station yard, i.e. the number of engines employed, the position of the sheds in relation to the station yard, the number of goods yard roads and shed roads to be drawn at the same time, general track facilities, etc.
The timetable also enters into the question. Possibly the hour the shunting engines are fully occupied getting trains away, conflicts with the most convenient time for shunting the sheds. Again, incoming trains may arrive at an inopportune moment and interfere with the drawing of sheds.
It can be seen therefore that each case has to be fully investigated, bearing in mind not only the £s.d. aspect of the case, which is sometimes difficult to determine, but that efficiency in the operation of a yard has very far-reaching effects. This applies particularly to single line operation. A quarter of an hour's delay in one yard can soon spread disorganisation in all directions. Main line trains are delayed and terminals and sub-terminals 200 and 300 miles distant are affected. I mention this, because, from my own experience, I have noticed very often schemes have been turned down because operating officers have not been able to determine the exact monetary saving, whereas, they know, from practical experience, the capital outlay would be amply justified.
Station yard shunting consists, mainly, of breaking up strings of empty and loaded wagons into groups to the various parts of the yard, i.e. team tracks, cattle dock, sheds, wharves, private sidings, weighbridge roads, etc., or gathering them together and putting them in station order, preparatory to being picked up by passing trains, or taken to a marshalling yard for disposal.
In this country, due to the comparatively light traffic it is the practice for all such operations to be carried out in one yard
As regards team tracks, cattle docks, crane roads, weighbridge roads, etc., considerable economy in engine hours and wagon user, can be effected by being able to place or draw wagons quickly. This can be accomplished only when the facilities are such that the shunting engines engaged on preparing and receiving main line traffic in no way interfere with the engines engaged on station yard work.
In addition to the use of capstans for assistance in this work, overhead travelling cranes straddling two or three roads considerably reduce the shunting movements in yards dealing with heavy lifts, motor cars, machinery, etc. In most of the yards, at the present time, all wagons with heavy lifts have to be shunted out and put in a separate road to be placed one by one opposite the hand crane. This causes a lot of unnecessary shunting and, in addition, considerable delay to wagons must necessarily occur as loads are left on the wagons to avoid double handling. Overhead travelling cranes are now recognised as necessary appliances and have become part of the standard equipment of modern yards. Where there is an amount of stock traffic capstans can be usefully employed, but a more economical method is to lay the feeder roads on a slight grade so that the shunters can let the wagons down as required. Unfortunately there are few places where advantage can be taken of this practice owing to the nature of the ground. Horses are still used extensively and, in certain circumstances, are more economical.
Track Layout For Goods Sheds Worked By Capstans
Canadian Railway Mileage.
The latest official figures show that Canada has 40,261 miles of railway in operation. Canada has therefore more railway mileage perhead of population than any other country in the world.
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The best thing of all is to live like honest men, and to add something to the cause of liberty, justice and truth.—Chatfield.
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What is greater than to be numbered with those who extend the bounds of human freedom and thought; who enlarged the hope and the vision of mankind!—Moncure Conway.
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And this life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in every thing.—Shakespeare.
Among The Books
A Book For Railwaymen.
A revised edition of “Freight Trains and Terminals,” by
Industrial Psychology.
The knowledge of psychology applied to industry has grown considerably during recent years. The old rudimentary mental tests, often misleading or valueless, have been discarded, and new tests formulated in relation to particular industries, and, therefore, more useful for industrial purposes have been substituted. What these tests are, how they are applied and to what extent they may be found useful in industry will be found described in a most lucid and interesting fashion in “Industrial Psychology in Great Britain,” by
Railway Catering
Past and Present Methods
Until the latter part of 1917 Railway Catering in New Zealand was conducted in dining cars on the principal long distance express trains and in privately leased refreshment rooms for the less important trains.
The dining car system, quite apart from the financial loss at which it was operated, was not at all satisfactory from the viewpoint of either the Department or the majority of the travelling public.
The seating accommodation of each car was limited to 24, and as the cooking and galley facilities were also limited, one can readily appreciate the difficulties attendant upon serving several sittings and at the same time maintaining a desirable standard for the meals served. In many instances it was found impossible to cater for all who desired to partake of meals.
Most of the dishes required during the journey were cooked off either in land kitchens or in the dining cars some considerable time prior to the commencement of the meals, which naturally affected the standard.
The difficulties connected with the working of the cars were considerable and resulted in passengers suffering much discomfort and inconvenience in travelling backwards and forwards through long trains to reach the dining car and this discomfort was very severe in cold, wet weather.
One way to have overcome some of the inconvenience would have been the provision of a second dining car, but as this would, in most cases, have meant the loss of a passenger car on account of haulage limitation, such a step was considered inadvisable. In any case, such relief would have been only temporary, as the traffic throughout has increased.
The alternative method of effecting the desired and permanent improvement was found in an entire change in the Department's policy, and the decisions reached in this respect included:-
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The immediate discontinuance of the dining car service.
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The establishment of a railway refreshment branch.
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The taking over and immediate control by Department of eight privately leased refreshment rooms.
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The ultimate control of the refreshment room service over the whole system, as and when opportunities and circumstances warranted.
The far reaching effects of such a drastic change in policy will be appreciated, and not the least of these included arranging for all meals and refreshments to be provided in refreshment rooms at which adequate train stops had to be provided.
The internal fittings of the dining cars were dismantled and the cars refitted as passenger cars for the exclusive use of ladies and children on express trains.
With the inauguration of the new policy it became possible to immediately set and maintain a much higher standard as regards both quality and service and at the same time provide greater variety of items than was possible when the dining cars were running.
Owing to the widely divergent views held by different members of the community as to what constitutes a satisfactory standard, or sufficiency, of the meal in order that the inner-man may be satisfied, it would, of course, be impossible to please everyone no matter what system was in vogue. The almost entire absence of complaints, however, leads us to conclude that the Department's efforts are appreciated and meet with the approval of the great majority of its customers.
One of the first serious obstacles to be overcome by the newly constituted refreshment branch under the control of
The policy of ultimately assuming control of all the refreshment rooms is being gradually given effect to and twenty-five refreshment rooms, also the catering on the Lake Wakatipu
The staff employed at 31st March, 1918, numbered 117, whilst at 31st March, 1926, the number stood at 363.
The latest refreshment rooms erected by the Department are commodious structures, well furnished and fitted, thus enabling customers to obtain their requirements with promptitude and a minimum of inconvenience. The provision of modern, and up-to-date equipment for the assistants with adequate facilities for the preparation and preliminary work, enables the organisation of the rooms to be run without hitch.
It is proposed, in a future article, to give a descriptive account of the internal organisation, fittings and equipment of both dining and counter rooms.
All items sold at the Department's refreshment rooms are of standard size and as far as is practicable, of standard quality.
Bakeries have been erected at Frankton Junction, Marton and Oamaru rooms, where qualified tradesmen are in charge. The bakeries turn out the bread and small goods required by the refreshment rooms situated within convenient distances; such supplies being conveyed in suitable hampers fitted with trays.
N.Z. Railways Refreshment Room, Marton
Waitresses-in-charge of refreshment rooms not served from the bakeries are required, before being placed in charge of a room, to become thoroughly qualified in the making and baking of pies, small goods, etc., to the standard set.
Responsible officers of the Department who have travelled in other countries are unanimous in stating that the refreshment room standard and service on our system-having due regard for the tariff charges, cost of commodities, wages, etc.-is equal to anything met with during their travels, and the latest officer to affirm this is Mr. J. Pickard, who has recently returned from abroad.
Cadet, in Manager's office, took off message “No 111 delayed one hour. Injector on engine refused to work.” Cadet suggested to operator that he supply injectors' names as it would probably be a case for suspension.
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The noblest contribution which any man can make for the benefit of posterity is that of a good character.-Winthrop.
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You cannot dream yourself into a character, you must hammer and forge yourself one.- Froude.
Spidy
This time I want to explain the function of planning and scheduling as applied in our shops; why we set dates for detail work and why we ask the questions we do.
During the past year we have established at each of our main workshops, production officers whose duties include the making of plans for doing work, the cheeking of work in progress daily with the plans, the tracing up of all material required in order to ensure it being on hand when required, and the tracing of all factors causing, or likely to cause, delays to work in progress.
The idea is to cut the time between jobs. A shop plan or schedule says “Start stripping engine 761,” day one, and it gives the date. Finish day so and so. Deliver motion engine 761 day so and so. Finish so and so. All the work to be done is assigned a date, and all the twenty odd departments concerned are each given their part of the plan or schedule that is agreed to, or set by the Workshop Manager, before starting at all.
The whole process is much the same as running trains. You start at a definite time, you arrive at the different stations at a definite time, and you arrive finally at your destination at a definite time. What a ridiculous state of affairs it would be if trains were not planned or scheduled. It is equally ridiculous not to plan shop work so that all the different departments “arrive” with their part at a definite time. It only takes one delay to hold up the whole progress of an engine repair, and delays cost money every time.
Every day the production officer checks over all items on the shop floor, whether work due to be done is completed or not. If not, he has to find out why and record the reason on his delay sheets.
Right here I want to impress the necessity of correctly answering the production checker's questions as to why. The object of the question is for the purpose of reducing or stopping delays. By having an accurate knowledge of the reason for all delays, right when they happen, the Works Manager very often can do something to prevent it delaying the whole plan, and, at the very least, he can take steps to reduce the possibility of similar delays in future. The Production Department also has a special “Material Tracer” at each shop, whose duties are to get any material required delivered when it is wanted. He has facilities at the Stores and through the Head Office for expediting material from other shops or from other Stores, that it would be impossible to give to every Foreman, so the right thing is to “put it up to him” to get it. You can readily appreciate that if ten Foremen all approach the Storekeeper for ten items, all wanted, that they would get far less results than our specialist Material Tracer who is working to a definite plan and who really does know when each item must be on hand.
Delays, “or the time lost between jobs,” cost so much real money that
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Man absent.
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Lack of help, means work ready, but no men available.
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Lack of, or defective material.
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Lack of shop power.
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Lack of tools, or machine troubles.
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Lack of instructions, drawings, etc.
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Lack of work.
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Reason not clear.
I may tell you that I have personally checked up for better equipped shops than ours by this “delay record system” and found 25 per cent. and even 45 per cent. of the time being lost to production through preventable delays, and this is the reason why we have started scheduling in our existing Shops, even with our poor equipment. It is obvious that we can only go so far at the present time, but if everybody helps we should be getting better all the time.
If by way of definite information we find that we have lost 150 hours production in one week due to “power troubles,” we can do something about it. If we find that delays through “lack of material” cost us 350 production hours per week, we can do something about it, and so on. Not all in a minute perhaps, but we can, and what is more, we
are doing. For that reason I ask everyone's co-operation to tell us why they are not “on time.” and the real reason every time a production man asks it. I'll tell you he is sincere in his “ask.” The sooner everyone properly understands our purpose the easier our task will become. The human side of this work is our most difficult problem, because organisations of our size contain one of every sort and the one “can't be done” pessimist acts like a dragging anchor to the whole ship.
I have explained the method of planning and the reasons therefore as being applied in our Workshops. Let me ask all other “it doesn't apply to us” departments: “Do you honestly think your department has any more medals than the Locomotive Branch Shops. Is your work done at the right time at the right cost? Is there lost time between jobs.' Do you know the reasons for your delays?”
What I am suggesting is that there is the need in every department for a periodical analysis of the work being done. To find the best method and to have definite plans.
If you have “got” what I have endeavoured to convey to you, you will realise that the system is constructive and that it has a bigger purpose than to find faults. Old time
Portion of Workshops Production Schedule for Ab. Locomotive Overhaul
Some years ago (says the “Dominion”) the Health Department, as the result of persistent and effective propaganda in the press, created a strong public opinion against the habit of expectorating on the footpath. Now-a-days an offender in this respect is regarded as a menace to the health of the community and a fit subject for public odium. If the reckless motorists could be surrounded with a similar atmosphere of public dislike less would be heard of his kind.
Tact, Courtesy and Co-operation Earn Their Own Reward
The Commercial Manager ( D. Rodie) does some Broadcasting
Our great national undertaking is a service which exacts a high degree of zeal, energy and efficiency from its countless members. It would not be possible to anticipate success if every individual engaged on the railways did not exercise that co-operation and devotion to duty which is not baulked by the hardships and dangers that must necessarily be encountered. To keep this spirit alive there must be no division between the management and the staff. Nothing succeeds like cooperation; and this relationship is the more necessary when it is remembered that the prosperity of the country depends to a large extent on the success of its railway system.
The old belief that there is a vast dissimilarity between the conduct of a private concern and the Railways will not hold water to-day. It is often argued that Government departments are greatly over-staffed and subjected to perpetual political interference; but critics always overlook the wide distinction between State and private enterprises, in that the fundamental principle of one is the public well-being and that of the other private gain. The competition which is the basis of profit-making in the world of business is, in public administration, supplanted to a great degree by wise co-ordination and control. There is a wide diversity in principle, but in method the difference is not so great. Always, the magnitude of the Railways must be taken into account. Another distinetly important feature when comparisons are made, is that the Railways are more open to public review, a circumstance which tends to magnify apparent deficiencies; but all factors considered, and without laying any claim to perfection, the Railway methods bear more than favourable comparison with those of the business concerns.
This may be very satisfactory, but it does not signify that the day has been won. We must always keep foremost in our minds the truism that success can be retained only by the maintenance of the original standard which achieved it. A helpful thought in this connection, too, is the aphorism: “What is easily achieved is as lightly regarded.” Moreover Railway history is changing rapidly, and following closely in the wake of the dawn of a new era of public requirement is the demand for an entirely new character of service. To furnish that new service entails modernisation of equipment, better rolling stock and roadbed, higher speeds with an adequate safety margin, and increased comfort for the traveller. The preservation of the personal factor between the Railway and its customers is also of the greatest importance. Tact and courtesy constitute the paying material of the highway along which we have to proceed. A personal visit by a Railway representative to a disgruntled client will do more towards the creation of goodwill than the choicest letter ever penned.
Well defined rules and regulations are essential for the conduct of so great an organisation as ours, but the accommodation of the client is in some cases more important to the net result than strict adherence to regulation. Slavery to the mere letter of the rules sometimes has disastrous effects, when a slight deviation (as warranted by the circumstances) might convert an unfavourable one. And, remember, every convert will convert others.
Service should be our first consideration. I do not mean servitude; far from it. The practice of service places the employee in the position of a host and the customer in the light of a guest. Public goodwill is the key to the successful operation of the Railway Department, and good service is the basis of public goodwill. To understand thoroughly the requirements of service there is a necessity for co-ordination between all branches of the organisation. Every employee must familiarise himself with the business affairs of the Railways. The day is past when the spirit of “that is no concern of mine, it has to do with Department Blank” can stand. Each employee should regard himself as an indispensable factor in the operations of a great human enterprise. We are all working to the one goal.
The day will never return when it can be claimed that the workers in an industry in this country can afford to be indifferent to the conditions and the outlook of the industry that employs them.
In the Railway service a helpful guide to all employees is the statistical information that is compiled from week to week. It represents a barometer which records the business of the
Let me make a passing reference to the work of the Accountancy Branch which provides this indication of progress. It is impossible to divorce the work of the Accountant from the business operations; he acts as the alarm-signal for wasteful, inefficient and unbusinesslike practices.
We have all to remember that little subtraction sum: Receipts munus expenditure equals profits, and it is the duty of the Railway Board to see that what is obtained after that subtraction has been made is equivalent to 41/8 per cent. on the capital cost of the Railways. A knotty problem, you say? That is not denied, but it is one which a real spirit of co-operation can render the more easy of solution.
With our business axes sharpened we can blaze a trail in the forest of success, appreciate the ultimate result the more by virtue of its difficult attainment, and keep it secure by a continuance of our initial efforts. It would be an irretrievable mistake to attempt to spoonfeed the public-they themselves neither seek nor desire it-but by courtesy and tact we can stimulate their interest, win their confidence and prove that the Department is out to serve them. Do not misunderstand me. It is not a case of approaching our customers cap in hand. In offering the public the use of a public utility we are backed by the merits of a service which entitle it to their patronage.
The subject matter of this article is one that should appeal to all railway workers. It deals with a line of expenditure incalculable, owing to the frictional deterioration of component parts working upon a locomotive or other heavy type of rolling stock. Employees ought to derive some material benefit arising from the great economic savings accruing through the adoption of improved methods in various forms of lubrication. Wastage in this direction increases expenditure and, correspondingly, reduces profits which, in turn is detrimental to all concerned, for wages in any industry suffer, must suffer in consequence of any economic waste, whether through faulty lubrication or any other cause.
Lubricants are substances employed to reduce friction. Technically, “friction” may be described as the effect produced by two bodies sliding one upon the other which have upon their opposing surfaces minute asperities that interlock each other. The sliding movement which forcibly removes these minute irregularities, creates what we call friction. Friction is reduced when these asperities are small and lubrication is resorted to, to prevent that loss of power caused by motion under these conditions.
The lubricants chiefly used have a less co-officient of friction than the parts in contact. The term “co-efficient of friction” is an expression which indicates the proportion that resistance to sliding bears to the force which presses the surfaces together.
In a steam engine, where many parts are moving, a large amount of friction is produced, which tends to stop these parts, and would ultimately do so, were they not continually re-supplied with fresh motion obtained by the burning of fuels. Hence it is apparent that the engine has not only to overcome the resistance of the work to be done, but, also, the resistance created by its own parts. In other words, the amount of heat manifested in friction is the amount of extra heat that will have to be generated under the boiler, and the extra cost of working will be the cost of the fuel necessary to produce that heat. From observation we know that the tendency for a good many lubricants is to “gum”, or what might generally be called “oxidise.” This is chiefly caused by insufficient care in preparing the various forms of mixture.
The requisite for a good “locomotive grease” for high velocities is that it should be of a suitable consistency such that it will neither run away too rapidly nor be too stiff to cool the axles. It should also have lasting power, so that there may be as little increase of temperature as possible in the axles even at high speeds. It must be borne in mind that a careful analysis of locomotive grease is no test whatever of its practical value, which can be determined only by actual experiment.
(Concluded)
In these enchanting Southern Alps Nature is seen on a grand and mighty scale. She was never more prodigal of her scenic gifts to man. Standing on the north-west flank of the Liebig Range, four miles south-east of the Hermitage, at a height of 3,000 feet, an unrivalled panorama greets the eye. From the beautiful white domed peak of Maunga Ma in the south to de la Beche in the north a distance of eighteen miles, one beholds mountain loveliness in all its purity and majesty. In the beautiful language of Wordsworth:-
…….A step—
Mount Cook, which reaches an altitude of 12,349 feet, dominates this scene of surpassing wonder and loveliness. The great mountain rises from a spur of the Southern Alps that diverges at Mount Dampier. This spur runs south for some ten miles and divides the valleys of the famous Tasman and Hooker Glaciers. The Tasman Glacier is the greatest outside the polar regions. It is eighteen miles long and in places more than two miles wide.
The Murchison Glacier is also an ice-serpent of great proportions, being more than ten miles long. The glaciation of the Southern Alps is indeed a most striking phenomenon. The great glaciers are fed by tributary glaciers of which fifty or more can be counted from commanding heights.
One of the very finest sights in all these wonderful Alps is without doubt the famous Hockstetter ice-fall. It is a frozen cataract which comes down from a great snow plateau 9,000 feet high on the east side of Mount Cook. In the appropriate words of Byron: -
Its brilliant hues with all their beams unshorn,. Resembling, 'mid the torture of the scene, Love watching Madness with unalterable mien. The fall descends about 4,000 feet to the Tasman Glacier, and is more than a mile wide. Writes the
It has the appearance of tumbling water storm-beaten, broken, confused, surging round rocks. It has something more than the appearance of wild unrest, for water pours through its clefts and cubes, and toppling pinnacles of ice break away and crash as they fall from hour to hour.
Another spectacle of striking beauty is the Douglas Glacier which comes down over a great cliff 3,000 feet high. From this height thirty-five waterfalls flow down to the ice below.
Scene in the Southern Alps
The penetrating detonations of the avalanches which are heard here at almost measured intervals would seem to have been deliberately provided by Nature to herald the culmination of her artistry and majesty in the scene before our eyes.
Mount Cook itself which as we have said reaches an altitude of 12,349 feet is a spectacle of immense impressiveness. To quote Mr. Reeves again:-
From the south-west with its ridge, it resembles the roof of a Gothic church with a broad massive spire standing up from the northern end. When under strong sunlight the ice glitters on the steep crags, and the snow-fields, unearthly in their purity, contrast with the green tint of the crawling glaciers, the great mountain is a spectacle worthy of its name.
There have been a few privileged alpinists who have stood on the very summit of Mount Cook and gazed with wonder and admiration on the scene which greets the eye on every side. One party of climbers has accomplished the difficult feat of climbing up one side of the mountain and down the other. This was one of the finest achievements in the history of mountaineering in New Zealand or any other country. This party of three New Zealanders and a Scotsman commenced their great climb from a camp 6,000 feet up on the eastern side of the mountain. They started away in the moonlight and attained the summit after 14 hours of strenuous climbing. In all, it took them 36 hours to accomplish the ascent and descent of Mount Cook, during which time they were almost continuously on the move. The descent involved the
On the Tasman Glacier, Southern Alps
The sun dipped to the rim of the sea and the western heavens were glorious with colour, heightened by the distant gloom. Almost on a level with us away beyond Sefton, a bank of flame coloured cloud stretched seaward from the lesser mountains towards the ocean, and beyond that again was a far-away continent of cloud, sombre and mysterious as if it were part of another world. The rugged mountains and the forests and valleys of southern Westland were being gripped in the shades of night. A long headland still thousands of feet below on the south-west stretched itself out into the darkened sea, a thin line of white at its base indicating the tumbling breakers of the Pacific Ocean.
Every lover of the sublime in Nature will find in these Southern Alps scenes to stir his imagination to empyreans of wonder and delight. There is nothing just like it on earth. Serious students of Nature will find material for a life-time of research; the alpinist will find here opportunities for the greatest adventure; the artist will find here a paradise indeed; those who find the burden of life weighing heavily upon them will find here a haven of rest. The body and the mind is rejuvenated in this land of enchantment which modern transport now places within the reach of all.
Robertson
The mechanism and appliances for controlling railway trains on grades and for stopping at stations, like many other important inventions, started from very small beginnings. In the early days, when four wheel stage coaches were the principal means of travelling, it was found necessary on descending steep grades and inclines to have some means whereby to check the speed of a vehicle so that it could be controlled in safety. A practical means of carrying out this idea dates back only about 272 years.
Before this the means of controlling wagons, carts, or coaches when moving down steep places was very crude. It generally consisted of placing a sprag through the spokes of the wheel and allowing them to skid along the surface of the road, the friction produced helping to retard and govern the speed. Other methods for the same purpose were in use, such as chaining a log of wood, or a stone to the back of the vehicle, and this dragging along the ground acted as a check or brake.
Improved methods of controlling stage coaches, wagons and such like vehicles, date back principally to the time when the condition of the public roads was being improved, and it was becoming possible to travel more quickly than formerly from one part of the country to another. The stage coach between London and Bristol ran a distance of 117 miles in 15 hours, or an average of about 7 3/4 miles an hour, including all stops for changing horses, etc., so that the maximum speed must have been much faster. And so the braking and controlling of road vehicles improved as the demand for higher speeds increased.
From 1770 to 1870 there were granted 190 patents for braking appliances for common road vehicles. Of these, forty-six were applied to the rim of the wheel, twenty-eight to the nave, twenty-seven were actuated by the movement of the horses, twenty-one were applied to fly or brake wheels; eight were applied to the axle, ten were worked by a spring; four were automatic; three electro-magnetic; three pneumatic, four relying on momentum, three accumulated power for subsequent propulsion.
In America 170 patents were registered, 21 of which were for automatic designs.
The first brake devices adopted formed the basis generally for all later types of braking appliances. The early stage coaches were provided with an iron shoe which, on going down hill, was placed under the wheel so as to drag along on the surface of the ground, and thus retard the vehicle from going too fast or getting out of control. This method is still in vogue at the present time on heavy horse-drawn vehicles.
The arrangement of two brake blocks with a beam connected to each so that the driver could manipulate them by a lever, was and still is in common use, on many New Zealand horse-drawn road vehicles.
The beginning of railways and railway appliances dates back to 1630, when a coal mine-owner at Newcastle-on-Tyne, finding the roads between his mine and the river so bad as to seriously interfere with the handling of the coal, placed on the roadway wood rails and ran thereon wagons with wooden wheels. The tractive effort was so much decreased, that the necessity of some controlling con-trivance to check the speed on the inclines was found essential, and brought out some simple forms of braking appliances. One of these consisted of a metal tipped beam fastened to the frame of the wagon in such a way as to scrape along the ground at the side of the track. Another was a simple lever attached to the side of the wagon. This, when desired for use, was pressed down by hand or foot on to the top part of the wheel.
The invention of the locomotive and the laying of railways as we know them to-day created a demand for an efficient train brake, and many interesting and ingenious devices were made and patented.
In Britain 650 patents were granted for various railway brakes. Of these, twenty-one were electro-magnetic; twenty hydrostatic; thirty-two pneumatic, fifty steam; the balance being mostly handbrakes and designs of foundation brake gear.
In 1833, Stephenson patented a steam brake, which consisted of a simple steam cylinder with a piston, the rod of which connected through a system of levers to a cam brake. The first air brake was a vacuum brake patented by
In the U.S.A., up to 1870 there had been granted 305 patents for railway brakes, of which eight were automatic; three electro magnetic; five steam; one vacuum and two air brakes. Some of these inventions were put into service and, at the time, seemed to meet requirements.
The Cramer brake came into use in 1853. This consisted of a large spiral spring attached to the brake shaft at the end of the car; this spring was wound up by the brakemen immediately after leaving a station. Attached to the mechanism was a cord running through the train to the engine cab. This brake was so designed that when the enginedriyers pulled the cord, coil springs on each vehicle were released at once winding up the chains attached to the brake levers, bringing the brake shoes against the wheels.
Fern Arch, Buller Gorge
The Longbridge chain brake came in 1855. This consisted of a system of rods and chains connected throughout the train. On each vehicle were two pairs of small pulleys, each sliding towards the other upon an iron framework, but held apart by a spring. To each pair was connected a top rod leading to the foundation brake gear. Upon the engine was placed a drum connected by a worm and gear to a small friction wheel. When the lever was pulled the friction wheel came into contact with the driving wheel, causing the drum to wind up the chain and shorten its length throughout the train, thus bringing the pulleys on each vehicle closer together and applying the train brakes.
Hydraulic train brakes were also brought into service, worked by liquid stored under pressure in an accumulator. The pressure was obtained by a direct acting steam pump on the engine. In the case of automatic brakes, water under pressure was stored in receptacles under the cars. These brakes applied, on emergency, in a manner quite similar to the automatic air brake.
In 1869 the Westinghouse non-automatic air brake was brought into service. It consisted of a steam actuated air pump placed upon the side of the engine, and a reservoir for compressed air. Connected to this reservoir was a three-way cock having a pipe which carried throughout the train, connections between the vehicles being made by means of flexible hoses and couplings. Each vehicle was provided with a simple castiron cylinder, the piston rod being connected to the brake lever. When compressed air was admitted to the cylinder, the piston was forced out and the brakes applied. Compressed air passed into the train pipe and brake cylinders by means of the three-way cock, when desirous of releasing brakes the three-way cock could cut off the reservoir pressure and exhaust the air pressure from the train pipe and brake cylinders to the atmosphere.
This was the most simple and efficient railway brake that had been brought into service so far and was largely adopted by the American railways. Experience soon indicated that there were several weak points in it, however. The applications throughout the train were very slow, and if a hose coupling between the vehicles burst, or the train parted, the centre braking power was lost. Experience soon made very clear the fact that a railway brake to be satisfactory must be perfectly automatic.
This led to the introduction of the Westing house ordinary automatic brake which was designed in 1872, and complied with all
The automatic principle, first introduced by Mr. Westinghouse, has long since been generally accepted as the principle upon which continuous brakes should act.
For many years the Westinghouse ordinary brake rendered valuable service, but the progress of the railways developed new conditions. These were met by the invention of the Westinghouse quick-acting brake in 1887. Its action is practically instantaneous and simultaneous on all vehicles of a train of any length. The difficulties, which before this prevented the application of continuous brakes to long trains, were overcome. In actual tests with trains 4,000 feet long the quick acting brake applied from the engine to the last vehicle on the train in about two seconds. The extremely rapid action obtained by this means considerably reduced the distance in which trains could be stopped.
In 1909 Mr. H. H. Jackson, then Chief Mechanical Engineer of the New Zealand Railways, carried out some air brake tests in the South Island. The following was one of these tests:-
A train consisting of a tank Wf engine, 30 La iron wagons, and a bogie brake van; weight about 212 tons, speed 33 miles per hour; train stop 330 feet; time of stop 16 seconds; level track.
Although the Westinghouse quick-acting brake was a considerable improvement and gave better results than any previous brake, the still further rapid advance of the railways and the desire for higher speeds called for some improved methods of making shorter and smoother station stops. To meet this demand of the railway world, the Westinghouse Brake Company in 1908 brought out an improved triple valve, designed to give a quicker and smoother brake application when making station or emergency train stops. The improvement consisted of quickening the application of the air brake on every vehicle on the train by the simple method of automatically making local train pipe reductions on each vehicle, causing an earlier action of the rearward triple valves, and a more simultaneous braking effect being produced with every train stop.
In America the Westinghouse air brake has developed to a very high standard of efficiency making it possible to control trains safely running at a speed of 60, 70 and 80 miles per hour, and also heavy trains weighing 16,000 tons on the grades and 17,600 tons on the level track, the length of the heavier train being over a mile and a quarter, the weight of the engine alone being 450 tons.
Few people travelling on railways have any conception of the appliances installed for their protection and safety. On the New Zealand railway trains the proportion of brake power available on any train is about 70 per cent of the empty weight of that train. For example:-a train, weight 100 tons, has a brake stopping force of 70 tons. This high brake power is always available and is easily controlled by the enginedriver. By moving his brake valve handle he can apply the Westinghouse brake lightly or with its full force and give air brake graduations or applications according to the train stop he desires to make.
If the train should part the air brake will immediately automatically apply on every vehicle in the train, while in cases of necessity or emergency the guard can apply the Westinghouse brake from his brake van.
The whole working parts of the Westinghouse Automatic air brake are very simple and the principles to operate and manipulate when (1) charging (2) applying or (3) releasing, consists of (1) equalising (2) decreasing and (3) increasing the compressed air in the brake apparatus.
Tour Of Indian Hockey Team.
The following is the text of a letter recently received by the District Traffic Manager, Dunedin, from the Secretary of the Otago Hockey Association in connection with the visit of the Indian Army Hockey Team:-
The generous manner in which you assisted the officials of the above Association in connection with the recent visit of the Indian Army Hockey Team is very much appreciated. Your valuable co-operation considerably minimised our difficulties, and I now on behalf of the local Association tender you our very best and sincere thanks for your help and support.
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They are never alone who are accompanied by noble thoughts.-
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Education is the giving or withholding of opportunity. Equality of opportunity means first and foremost a liberal education.-
Spidy
The question of rewarding labour for increased output is one that concerns all modern industries. Modern industrial managements realise that in absolute fairness to the men, there needs to be some system, whereby they may pay a man, for that extra output that he is capable of giving, if there is the extra incentive there for him to give it.
The workman on his side knows that very often he could turn out more output if he wanted to, but feels that as there is nothing in it for him, there is no reason why he should do more than a fair day's work, as we all call it. The question is, “How can the difficulty be overcome?” The difficulties are not so many really, if a mutual trust between the management and the men can be obtained and maintained, with regard to all the operations and methods of the whole system.
I propose to put before you the principles and operation of such systems, based on my own experience, so that the subject may become familiar to you, because at some future date such a system will be offered to you. I know only one successful way of introducing any system, and that is to put all the cards on the table, face up, and endeavour to have everybody concerned know as much about it as I do myself.
The premium system has been adopted by most of the modern factories to replace piecework, because it is more fair, it possesses advantages to the men and also to the factory, and it does away with the old rate cutting trouble that killed the old piecework systems. This is the premium system. The whole scheme is handled in terms of time—not money.
The operator is “allowed” a certain “time” to do definite work, and he is paid, as a bonus, one half of the time he saves, at his own regular rate.
For example:-Suppose the allowance for turning tyres was one hour per pairs that would be equivalent to eight pairs in eight hours. Supposing the operator turned out ten pairs in eight hours; he would save two hours for which he would be paid a bonus equal to one hour's pay at his ordinary rate. The whole of the operator's work for the period is totalled, and if no bonus is earned, the regular hourly wages are paid. The slate is cleaned; there are no penalties, no debts. Hourly wages are, of course, always guaranteed.
The method of setting times is quite different under this system; it is more liberal than is possible under piecework and at the same time, it offers greater incentives to the men. I will explain details later on. I ask you not to pass any judgment on the scheme yet. Wait till I explain more of it to you. I assure you it is absolutely a fair system. Incidentally we are not ready to start yet. When I get through explaining the whole system, I propose inviting your questions by correspondence and by personal discussion with your shop committees.
In the meantime, look up the subject. Sometimes it is called the “Fifty Fifty System”; others call it “Halsey Premium System,” and much has been written about it.
New designs of locomotives for American Railways are continually being made to meet changing conditions and developments (says “The Engineer,” 15/1/26). The increasing size of fire-boxes and the consequent great overhang and weight at the rear end led to the introduction of two-wheel trailing bogies several years ago, and this arrangement is practically universal on modern engines. With further increase in size and weight of locomotives, the weight on the trailing axle has become so great that, in combination with heavily loaded driving axles, the engines were very severe on the track, in spite of flexibility in taking curves. To meet this condition, four-wheel trailing bogies are being introduced and the Texas and Pacific Railway has recently put in service some ten-coupled engines of the 2-10-4 class, with the additional feature of a booster or independent engine geared to the rear axle of the bogie. The front cross frame of the bogie has an attachment for a pin connection in a transverse casting between the main frames. These engines, using oil fuel, can handle trains of 3,000 gross tons on divisions 200 and 270 miles in length, having ruling gradients of 1 in 66 and curves of 286 feet radius. The 63 in. driving wheels carry 300,000 lbs. or nearly 27 tons per axle, and the total weight of the engine is about 220 tons. The boiler, 8 ft. in diameter, carries 250 lb. pressure and has a radial stayed fire box, 12 1/2 ft. by 8 ft., with thermosyphon partitions carrying the brick arch.
By Those Who Like Us
His Highness, the Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar, who visited the Dominion recently, wrote to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, expressing his gratitude for the great kindness and hospitality extended to him throughout his recent tour. He requested the Foreign Secretary to convey to His Excellency and to the Government his appreciation of the transport facilities which were placed at the disposal of himself and party. “In this connection,” he wrote, “I would ask that my special thanks be conveyed to the Railway Commissioners of the several States through which I travelied, for the very excellent arrangements which were made by them for my comfort.”
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Mr. E. McGregor, Secretary of the Morrinsville School Committee took a party of twenty-five school children to the Exhibition at Dunedin. In writing to express his appreciation of the very excellent manner in which all the necessary arrangements for the transportation of the children were carried out by the Railway staff and for the courtesy extended he states:-
I understand that the children from the Morrinsville School made the longest trip undertaken by school children visiting the Exhibition, and I know that many teachers and others thought that the responsibility of conveying school children over 1,200 miles by train and steamer with the attendant transfers from train to train and from train to steamer was too great for them to accept. The arrangements made by your Department, however, were so complete that I did not have a single moment's anxiety as to the children's welfare on the journey and all your officers of every grade with whom we came in contact went out of their way and did more than their duty in order to make matters pleasant for us.
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It would have been almost impossible to have held the Conference had it not been for the thorough manner in which Mr. Chapman and his staff entered into their work. Visitors from England and the United States spoke in glowing terms of the courtesy and consideration extended to them by all concerned.
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Bishop West-Watson, the new Bishop of Christchurch, says: “Travelling on the New Zealand Railways is like having a day in the country.” Besides the trip to Dunedin from Christchurch, he had previously visited Timaru and Mount Somers by train. “Railway travel here,” continued the Bishop, “is not such an exhausting rush as in England…….Taken all round the trip was delightful.”—“Lyttelton Times.”
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Among the many letters of appreciation received this month is one from the firm of Munt Cottrell & Co., Ltd., expressing their thanks to the Goods Agent at Wellington for keeping the Railway Yard open on a recent Saturday afternoon for the purpose of loading 130 tons of cement. Such action was of the utmost value to the firm “and affords good proof” they write “of the manner in which the Department studies the interests of the Commercial Community.”
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The firm of E. H. Little and Company, Produce Merchants, Auckland, in thanking the District Traffic Manager at Auckland for the assistance rendered in the speedy transport of potatoes from Pukekohe for shipping per “Niagara,” writes under date May 11th:-
The fact that the Company was able to load three-quarters of the shipment yesterday helped them considerably towards giving the last truck to be loaded aboard, more careful stowage.
He adds that the Company appreciates this assistance and is gratified to know that it can be aided in this way by the Department.
Locomotive Branch Notes
In our May issue some particulars were given regarding thirty-one new boilers on order for locomotives. The following are the details:
Ten class Ab, Wab, Ws, and Q boilers have been ordered, six for renewal of boilers in “Q” class engines, and four as spares.
Ten class “A” boilers are being obtained, eight for renewal and two spares to facilitate repairs.
Two class “X” are also being obtained in order to avoid holding engines too long in the shops while the present boilers are being fitted with new combustion chambers, fireboxes, and super-heaters.
Two class U, Ua, and Uc boilers.
Three class B, Ba, Bb, and We. Two of these will be used for re-boilering class B locomotives and one is spare to facilitate boiler repairs.
Four class Ub (Baldwin) boilers.
This programme has been extended by the ordering of twenty additional boilers, viz, one Ub (Baldwin), two Wg, Ww, ten Wf, and seven Ab, Wab, Ws, Q. All these new boilers are superheated. Grouping of the classes has been made to indicate that the boilers are interchangeable in the classes grouped.
No provision has been made (in view of the intention to reduce the number of classes of engines in service on the railways) for future re-boilering—except to use one or two new boilers previously made and on hand-of the following classes of locomotives:-“D,” “F,” “Fa,” “J,” “K,” “L,” “La,” “M,” “N,” “Na,” “Nc,” “Oa,” “Ob,” “Oc,” “P,” “R,” “S,” “T,” “Ub,” (Brookes), Ud, V, W, Wa, Wb, Wd, Wh and Wj.
Lines for serving the site of the Hutt Valley Locomotive Shops are being put down, and preparation for the levelling are now in progress.
The clearing of the site for the Addington Workshops and the removal of the necessary buildings is being pushed ahead with. The new tarpaulin shop has been completed and will soon be ready for occupation.
The removal of old buildings and the clearing of the site for the Hillside Workshops is progressing satisfactorily.
Workshops Machinery.-Orders for the first year's requirements have been placed and specifications for the second year's quota are now being prepared. It is expected that these will be available for issue about the end of August.
Workshops Electrification.-At Petone-with the exception of one steam boiler-the change over to electrical operation is now completed. At Hillside, Invercargill and East Town tenders for the equipment have not yet closed.
Rolling Stock.-Four bogie wagons and twenty-four four-wheeled wagons have been completed at the workshops, and arrangements are in hand to build twenty-one brakevans for the South Island Main Line and branches.
Rail Cars.-The Edison Battery Car has been completed. A trial was made on 17th June between Christchurch and Lyttelton. The car ran satisfactorily. Certain alterations which the Clayton car required have been carried out. The car is now ready for service.
Fuel Saving.
Effect of Economy in the use of Coal.
The cumulative benefit of small economies is perhaps nowhere more strikingly evident than in fuel saving. The following particulars should prove interesting to those in whose hands finally rests the power to conserve fuel by the exercise of wise economy:-
Coal costs £2/3/- per ton.
The New Zealand Railways use 326,824 tons per annum.
Our coal bill is thus £702,671.
If every locomotive burnt 1 lb. of coal less for every mile it ran, the Department would use 5,852 tons less per year, or save £12,582.
Will every engineman help his Department to get this economy?
I extend pity to no man because he has to work. If he is worth his salt he will work. I envy the man who has a work worth doing and does it well. There never has been devised, and there never will be devised any law which will enable a man to succeed save by the exercise of those qualities which have always been the prerequisites of success, the qualities of hard work, of keen intelligence, of unflinching will.-
* * *
In all lives there is a crisis in the formation of character. It comes from many causes, and from some which on the surface are apparently trivial. But the result is the same; a sudden revelation to ourselves of our secret purposes, and a recognition of our perhaps long shadowed, but masterful conviction.-
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Self-respect is the corner stone of all virtue. -Herschel.
New Emergency Brake
There has been a considerable amount of discussion from time to time appearing in the press suggesting the introduction of communication cords on the trains of the New Zealand Railways, similar to those supplied on express service in Great Britain. The difference in construction and make up between the New Zealand and British types of passenger rolling stock has presented in the past a serious obstacle to the introduction of a safety measure of this nature. Now, however, the Chief Mechanical Engineer (
In each passenger car compartment there is being fitted up an emergency brake cock. This is enclosed in a box with a thin glass front. In emergency the glass may easily be broken by the passenger, and the turning of the cock applies the brake just as effectively as an application by the enginedriver could do.
Near the box is placed a notice reading as follows:-
To stop train in extreme emergency break glass and turn lever down. Penalty for improper use £10.
The emergency train stop cocks are connected to the train brake pipes, which extend from the engine to the last vehicle on the train. When the emergency cock lever is pulled down the compressed air in the train brake pipe escapes and this causes the Westinghouse brake to apply, instantaneously and with its full force, to the whole train. It is also intended to introduce a form of communication cord into sleeping cars of the transverse compartment type.
It is anticipated that the occasions upon which there will be any necessity for using the new facilities for applying the emergency brake will be extremely rare, but nevertheless it stands as a complete safeguard to meet just such occasions as those for which it is introduced.
Luck means rising at six o'clock in the morning, living on a dollar a day if you earn two, minding your own business and not meddling with other people's. Luck means appointments you have never failed to keep, the trains you have never failed to catch.- Max O'Rell.
Quick work by railway men in retrieving an awkward position caused by an error on the part of a porter is the subject of pleased comment by officers of the Franklin Poultry Club. The early train from Auckland on Thursday morning brought about twenty-five homing pigeons, in two crates, from an Onehunga owner for entry at the club's show. However, following a practice in vogue by arrangement between pigeon owners and railway men, in connection with pigeon flying contests, a porter liberated the birds, not noticing that they were consigned to the club secretary, and on the label were written the words, “not to be liberated.” The crates were also put on an Auckland-bound train a few minutes later, to be returned to Onehunga, states the “New Zealand Herald.” When the mistake was discovered, the Pukekohe railway staff quickly established communication with the owner and the officers at his nearest station, with the result that the birds were secured on arrival at their loft, put back into the crates, and sent back to the show by train in time to be judged.
The above is published to show how a situation may be retrieved when one of the few errors to which even railwaymen are liable, gets itself committed. Instead of crying over spilt pigeons, the quickest means were taken to have them replaced. On being asked to explain a similar mistake in the Christchurch goods shed a few years back the storeman confessed himself stumped. “These little things will happen,” he wrote, “God only knows why!”
Gordon
Commendations.
The following list shows the commendations made up to 15th June, 1926.
H. C. Bell, Station-Master, St. Andrews.- Labelling of checked luggage.
J. Currie, Fitter, Lambton.-Suggested brake rigging on “Zp” wagons.
J. G. Graham, Fitter, and J. Wardell, Leading Fitter, Addington.-Suggestion that condemned train pipe air hoses be utilised by making foot mats for switchboards, machines, etc.
McLeod, H. N., Storcman, Thorndon.-Suggestion that figures on L.6 (left luggage) tickets be printed in plain block type.
K. J. Robinson, Porter, Lambton.-Suggested coupling hook device.
Traffic And Stores Branches.
Relieving Officer:
A. Henderson to Grade 4, Auckland.
Stationmaster:
A. P. Seccombe to Grade 6, Hikurangi.
Clerks:
F. Cording to Grade 5, Taumarunui.
G. E. Applegarth to Grade 6, Bluff.
Goods Foreman:
D. Lynch to Grade 6, Bluff.
Guards:
R. Kneeshaw to Grade 2, Taumarunui.
J. H. Knowles, to Grade 2, Thorndon.
A. E. Spain to Grade 2, Auckland.
A. T. Breayley to Grade 2, Otira.
L. M. Allender to Grade 2, Maungaturoto.
E. C. Hooper to Grade 2, Invercargill.
Porters:
M. T. Timings, Porter to Clerk, Grade 7, Ashburton.
Porters to Shunters:
J. L. Lincoln.
A. B. Murray.
J. Brown.
P. O'Connell.
E. A. H. Lepper.
W. G. Grigg.
S. J. Hawk.
C. A. Ryder.
A. L. Cowie.
J. Wright.
I. Thompson.
Locomotive Branch.
Fitters to Mechanicians:
A. R. Foley to Grade 7, Chief Accountant's Office.
Fitters to Draftsmen:
F. Dudley, Newmarket.
W. G. M. Colquhoun, Petone.
Labourers to Washoutmen:
W. E. Mack to Grade 2, Taumarunui.
Lifters to Train Examiners:
F. T. Polkinghorne to Grade 1, Taihape.
Maintenance Branch:
Leading Carpenter to Bridge Inspector, Grade 6, Invercargill:
G. Hardcastle.
Electric Lineman to Electric Lines Inspector:
J. R. Munro.
Electric Lineman, Grade to Special Grade:
R. Dorroch.
Signal Erector to Electric Lineman:
F. Sedgely.
Carpenters to Leading Carpenters, Grade II.:
M. A. Blackburn.
J. R. Stewart.
Surfacemen to Gangers:
J. Friel.
J. Johnston.
W. J. Francis.
W. H. Doidge.
Labourer to Bridgeman:
E. W. Elliott.
It is not generally known, says the Otago Daily Times (3/5/26) that the old Manawatu Railway Company established a New Zealand record for locomotives. In a test, with an engine and two cars, a speed of 64 miles per hour was attained.
The Administration invites ideas likely to effect economies or improvements in any phase of Railway operations.
To the keen, observant employee, methods for improving the service sometimes suggest themselves in the course of the day's work.
Your suggestion or invention may be valuable both to yourself and to the Department. Do not hesitate to send it along to the Secretary, Suggestions and Inventions Committee, Head Office, Railway Department, Wellington.
Note-Although the suggestions and inventions listed have not all been adopted, the enterprise of the members concerned is greatly appreciated.
Safety First
Vigilance!
Among the most prolific causes of accidents to-day are unsafe and thoughtless practices-a forgetting of the relation between cause and effect. Life has developed interests due to the wonderful progress of our age which have multiplied the pre-occupations of the mind. We perform operations without that rational thought and sober reflection which safety demands. It is thus that accidents happen. The remedy lies in taking our jobs more seriously, and concentrating our whole attention on the work we have in hand.
* * *
Safety And The New Employee.
Addressing the annual meeting of the Safety Section of the American Railway Association, Mr. E. A. Hadley made a strong plea for the education of the new employee in the rules of safety. “It seems to me” he said, “that it is a matter of the utmost importance that the new employee be educated in the rules of safety. A man who may not be influenced by a plea based on sentiment or by logic, spoken, written or pictured, can be directed in the proper channels of thought by concrete examples. You must be able not only to tell him what he must or must not do, but why.”
* * *
The “Safety Conscience.”
The development of a “safety conscience” in the individual is calculated to achieve more in the cause of accident prevention than perhaps is possible through any other medium. We are not sufficiently conscious of the ever present possibility of accident, we take appalling risks, and what is worse, we have an altogether inadequate appreciation of the human suffering and the economic loss inseparable from almost every accident. So important has the question of accident prevention become to-day that great industrial establishments have devised “safety codes of ethics” for the guidance of their staffs from superintendents down to the humblest employee. The imperative need is impressed upon all to make this cause their own. From one such “code of ethics” we extract the following, which is applicable to managers and foremen:-
You must explain to each man any hazardous conditions or dangers which are present on the job he is to do.
You must visit the new employee frequently to find out if he is thoroughly familiar with safety rules, and the special hazards of his job, and has the proper attitude towards safety.
You must understand every danger point in your Department.
You must see that every dangerous condition receive immediate attention as soon as it develops, and that each man uses proper care in doing the work.
The following extracts are taken from the code as applicable to the workmen of this Company:-
The desire to work safely can not be given to you. You must have or develop that desire yourselves and use it to see that you obey the instruction given by your foreman and keep from getting hurt.
All employees must be safe workmen and believe in safety.
Such a “safety code of ethics” serves a useful purpose in the development of the “safety conscience” in the individual, which after all is his surest guarantee against accident.
* * *
Level Crossings.
It takes different kinds of fools to make a world complete; but the fool who races trains is very hard to beat. He cares not for the safety of the persons in his charge; in fact, he is a lunatic who should not be at large. For, when the engine whistles, he will find that it's too late to go back and read the notice that was hanging on the gate. Stop! Lookout! Listen!-This notice may be seen at every level crossing where accidents have been.“Safety.”
Maintenance Progress
The Auckland new station yard is rapidly taking shape. A very good idea is gained of its extent and stage of progress by a climb to the top of Campbell's Point, the face of which is fast crumbling under the onslaught of a high powered steam navvy. Looking from the Point, one views a scene of great activity. In the foreground stand the abutments and piers of the Campbell Point overbridge, which will eventually carry heavy road traffic over the new yard. The foundations of this bridge have had to be sunk fourteen feet through water-logged ground to the solid reef. On the left of the view is the carriage yard, which is at present used as a dump for permanent-way materials. In the centre of the picture is the most interesting feature, the new passenger sidings. These are now in place ready for the construction of the platforms. The sidings even as they stand give a good idea of the capacity of the new station. The plans for the platforms and the connecting subways are ready, and the work of construction will be put in hand shortly. It will be no easy task, as the site is all made ground, requiring extensive foundations and careful timbering.
The plans for the new station building and offices are now approaching finality, and it is hoped to erect a building in keeping with Auckland's fine standard of architecture. Foundations forty-seven feet deep are required and will demand very serious consideration.
A long stone wall is seen stretching down the middle of the yard. This represents the dividing line between the passenger and goods yards and is occasioned by a slight difference in level between the two yards. The passenger sidings are rising so that they may eventually cross Beach Road to the Morningside Tunnel. The goods yard layout is very fragmentary at present, owing to ordinary operations having to be maintained and the goods sheds blocking the ground.
The site for the great outward goods shed and offices on Breakwater Road is cleared ready for building to start. Tenders closed on the 10th July.
The engine shed and depot are undergoing a considerable change, their direction and operation being reversed. Whereas ingress and egress for engines was from Breakwater Road it will in future be from Campbell's Point. A seventy foot turntable has been erected near the over-bridge and promises to be a very satisfactory equipment in view of the increased length of our engines. Accommodation for locomotive coal is being provided in two largo paddocks each with a storage capacity of several thousands of tons.
Campbell's Point stands as a dividing line between two rival forces-Railway men on one side and Public Works men on the other. Both are making good showings with their respective jobs, but whereas the Westfield deviation is clear going, the work in the railway yard is hampered in many ways by the necessity for keeping all railway traffic operations at full capacity. Conditions in respect to this will become more intense as the work nears completion, and will demand very wise foresight and careful planning on the part of those in charge.
Accident At Blackball Bridge
(Grey River.)
A Plucky Rescue.
On the morning of 2nd June, an accident which might have had a fatal termination, occurred at the Blackball Bridge. Bridgeman H. W. L. Wisdom and Casual Bridgeman J. S. Furness were working on a stage under the gantry removing temporary waling from the pier, when, as a result of the waling slipping and causing one of the needles to release itself, the stage on which the men were working fell into the river, throwing both men with it.
Furness was stunned by the fall and drifted about 150 feet below the bridge. Carpenter W. T. Ryan, of the Maintenance Works staff, Greymouth, dived into the river from the gantry (a distance of 25 feet) and saved Furness who was drifting down stream just under the surface of the water. The latter was in a very exhausted condition when brought ashore, and medical aid was summoned. After artificial respiration had been successfully applied the unfortunate man was taken to his home.
Bridgeman Wisdom swam down the river and was picked up by the Department's boat.
From inquiries made from those who witnessed the accident, there is no doubt that, but for the plucky and prompt action of Carpenter Ryan, Furness would have been drowned. It is understood that Ryan's workmates and a few local residents have collected about £10 for presentation to Ryan who is a widower with a young family.
The Board has granted Carpenter Ryan a reward of £10 to mark the Department's appreciation of his heroic action. It is understood that particulars of the rescue have been sent to the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand.
Wit And Humour
A large sunfish, weighing about a ton and a half, has been washed up at Hokitika. One theory is that it had heard of the activities of a distinguished American novelist fisherman, and stranded itself to avoid capture.
* * *
Teacher: “Willie, you're late again, there's no excuse for it.”
Willie: “No sir. I've been standing outside for ten minutes trying to think of one.”
* * *
City girl (staying at farm): “That bull always seems so savage when I go near him.”
Farmer: “It must be on account of that red dress you are wearing.”
City girl: “Well, I know it's terribly out of fashion, but I didn't think a country bull would notice it!”
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The way that one thing leads to another is exemplified by the following story of a way-back farmer whose cow was killed by straying on the railway line. The loss of the cow led him to think of the insecurity of life's tenure and how the best laid schemes of cows and men gang aft agley, so he obtained two forms-one a claims schedule against the Railway, and the other a life insurance proposal.
In filling in the replies to queries he perpetrated the following:-
Re Insurance: Born! Yes.
Business? Poor.
Re Cow: Disposition of the carcase? Kind and gentle.
Hump Shunting In Arabia
(
Abe's children (returning home with father) “Fader, ve vant a ride.”
Abe (hailing bus conductor): “How much for my Abe and Rachel to Commercial Road?”
Conductor: “Nothing, if they're under five years old.”
“Right you are. Drop 'em at de bottom of Commercial Road. I'll walk.”
* * *
Mr. Wood: “How is Mr. Stone and all the little pebbles?”
Mr. Stone: “Oh, quite well, thank you, and how is Mrs. Wood and all the little splinters?”
* * *
Teacher: Here, you young rascal! Why did you put this pin in my chair?
Bright Pupil: “I was just showing the class how nerve impulses are sent to the brain.”
* * *
A Miracle.
An amusing story is told by
When the time arrived for him to occupy the stage he chose a thorough specimen of the “country bumpkin” type to assist him, of whom he made great fun during his performance. But the country man got his own back when it came to producing rabbits.
“Now,” announced the conjurer, “I am going to produce a rabbit out of this gentleman's inside jacket pocket.”
The other grinned broadly. “That'll be a miracle,” he said. “I've got a ferret in there.”
Variations In Traffic And Revenue
as compared with last year—1st April to 26th June, 1926
Note.—“Minus sign” indicates decrease.
The above statement is compiled from the weekly traffic returns, which are found most useful when forecasting the approximate revenue for the period, and tracing the weekly fluctuations in traffic.
In surveying the above figures it must be borne in mind that Easter Monday 1926, was 5th April, and in 1925 the 13th April, so that the current year's passenger figures would be slightly affected on account of a portion of the advanced bookings being included in March period. However, the large decrease in the number of passengers carried in the North Island, viz.: 272,845 is due almost entirely to motor bus competition in the suburban areas of Auckland, Wellington and Napier, while the increase in the South Island is mainly accounted for by the Exhibition traffic.
Livestock shows a substantial increase due to the late season, and to the fact that sheep have been moved owing to shortage of feed in Wellington and Hawke's Bay districts.
Timber has dropped 19,000 tons—almost every district showing a decrease. This is mainly attributable to heavy importations of poles for Power Boards last year and also to unfavourable weather conditions interfering with loading operations, particularly in Ohakune district.
Under the heading “Other Goods” there is shown an increase of 11,000 tons and the main factors bearing on this increase are:—
Large shipments of artificial manures at Auckland, heavy inward shipping at Lyttelton, and an increased output of coal from the West Coast mines.
Turning to the revenue, the increase in passenger receipts is due to more long distance bookings this year—mainly issues to Exhibition visitors. The decrease in parcels revenue is explained by the fact that horses and motors are now booked through the goods.
The new tariff is responsible for the increase in goods revenue.