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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 6 (October 1, 1928)

Current Comments

page 17

Current Comments

Reciprocity on the Railways.

An important disclosure in Parliament when the Financial Statement was recently presented should receive a considerable amount of regard by sheep-farmers and others who are preparing for the despatch of their produce during the coming season says the Rangitikei “Advocate.” We refer to the concessions granted by the Railways Department in the freights on fertilisers. Since the reduction in freight on this important farming material was introduced, the benefits directly presented to farmers amount to many thousands of pounds. Although the country generally benefits by this concession in the shape of increased exports, it is to be hoped that the settlers will not forget that they owe to the Railways Department some measure of reciprocity and that when consigning their wool and other produce they will patronise the railways—their own railways—where services exist.

Feeding the Multitude.

Fifty-two special trains carrying some 20,000 people were chartered from the L. M. S. by works, factories, etc., for their annual outings on Saturday, June 30. To accommodate one party alone, comprising 3,000 of the Raleigh Cycle Company's employees, seven restaurant car trains were required between Nottingham and London, and 200 catering staff supplied them with meals. The catering on the road for such a large number of people is an example of the extraordinary development in catering for railway travellers, which is further evidenced by the fact that during each of three recent week-ends a record number of 50,000 meals was served on L.M.S. expresses. A few years ago the number of people taking meals during a similar period could be reckoned in hundreds.

Use of Truck and Bus by Railroads.

The use of the motor coach and the motor truck by the steam railways of the United States in providing various forms of passenger and freight service, continues to progress steadily.

On 1st June 1982, sixty-four railways were a year ago, and the number of motor coaches operated is 1,047, as against 800 last year. The motor-coach routes total 340, an increase of 140 over last year, and they cover a large area of the United States. The aggregate motor-coach-route mileage is now 14,805, as compared with 8,000 at the same time last year. Forty-five railways, in addition to those carriers utilizing joint terminal motor service at St. Louis and Cincinnati, now are operating motor trucks, tractors and trailers, as compared with thirty-one roads a year ago. The number of trucks, tractors and trailers operated (most of which have been arranged for under contracts) is 4,902 as compared with 3,300 at the corresponding time a year ago. The number of routes and terminals served by the railroad motor vehicle freight carriers is 298, as against 259 last year, and the number of miles of motor-truck routes operated by the railways is now 3,521. There are no figures available to afford a comparison between the mileage of motor-truck lines this year with that of similar lines last year, but it is known that there has been a large increase during the past year.

Fast Running.

Following upon the increase recently authorised in the scheduled speed of the principal train services in France, the palm for train speed in Europe, and probably in the world, is now held by the Nord Company. This company's express which leaves Paris for Berlin at 12.15 p.m. each day, is booked to make St. Quentin (95.1 miles), in 92 minutes—the train travelling at a speed of 62 m.p.h. from start to finish. The same railway company also runs no less than 27 out of 32 trains which are timed at over 58 m.p.h.