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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 7 (December 15, 1926)

Passenger Car Repairs

Passenger Car Repairs.

The car shops are in what is known as a transverse building. The two main departments are placed one on each side of a power traverser and pit and only one car goes on each pit or track in these shops. By this arrangement any one car can be put in, or taken out, without disturbing any other car. The plan of operation is as follows:—

A car due for repairs arrives at Otahuhu; after inspection to determine what repairs are necessary the car is placed on the classified track. When space is available for it in the shop, the car is shunted between the lifting jacks adjacent to transfer, table, and raised off its bogies. The bogies are run out and across traverser directly into bogie repair shop. When repairs are finished they are placed on the short tracks between the pits outside the shop until required.

The car on the jacks is lowered on to shop bogie trucks, pulled on to the traverser, and carried to the pit or track to be repaired and painted. If the car requires washing down it will be put into the “wash section” first and afterwards placed on shop pit. Once on the pit or track inside the shop, the car is jacked up, and then lowered on to four special trestles, the temporary bogies having been removed.

When the car is stripped all parts are distributed by electric trucks to the different departmental shops for individual attention.

The carpenters first do their work on the body of the car, then the painters, as under the present schedule plans. Painting completed, the process of assembling is started and the bogies are again placed in position. Final trimming and cleaning is done on the track inside the shop.

All subsidiary departments are housed separately from the main car shops, so that dirt, dust, etc., are kept away from the cars under painting operations.

A certain number of tracks in one shop are definitely assigned to new work, so that materials for erecting passenger cars can be conveniently stored. Steel structural work will be fabricated in the structural shop and underframes will be brought into position in the shop on their own bogies via tracks and traverser.