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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1 (May 1st, 1926)

Locomotive Branch Progress

Locomotive Branch Progress

Tenders have been received for the new machinery required in outfitting the new workshops. These are at present being gone into carefully.

The second of the cars designed by Mr. G. S. Lynde (Chief Mechanical Engineer) for passenger traffic in sparsely populated districts on branch lines has been completed. The car is of light build, having a 20-h.p. engine and standard one-ton Ford chassis. Its maximum speed on the flat is 35 to 40 miles per hour. The Ford type was chosen by Mr. Lynde because it was the cheapest and had a very efficient engine, besides supplying an excellent service of spare parts. This type of car is intended for such places as are in the “back-blocks” category, having few passengers, and where the work can be done more economically with a car which needs only one man to work it, than with a train of two or three cars and a crew of three men.

New straight exhaust pipes are being fitted to engines, and are giving very satisfactory results in coal consumption and free steaming.

Grease, instead of oil lubrication, has been tried successfully on the big ends of “Ab” locomotives working express trains. The Chief Mechanical Engineer has now placed an order for fifty grease cups. When received and fitted on the big ends of “Ab's,” the use of lubricating oil for these bearings will be discontinued entirely. Further experiments are about to be conducted in the use of solid lubrication on other bearings. There are many advantages in grease lubrication. In a future issue the method of its use on big ends will be described.

The intermediate engine and tender drawbar-gear, on “Ab” locomotives has recently been thoroughly investigated, and a new design is now being tried out. Another design with slightly different details is also being made. The principal purpose of these is to give flexibility when traversing sharp curves and in negotiating undulating country. Another “Ab” improvement introduced is the use of forged instead of cast steel cross-heads.

Quotations for thirty-one new boilers for various classes of engines are being invited. Some of these are for replacements and some are spare. An order for ten of these boilers (super-heated) has recently been placed with Messrs. The North British Locomotive Company Limited, Glasgow.

Two hundred and fifty rolled steel disc car wheels are on order and will arrive shortly from England.

Spittoons now fitted in first class cars are to be replaced by ash trays of suitable design screwed on the interior walls of the ears. Hopper closets in cars will also be discontinued as soon as the first consignment of trapped W.C.'s specially made for railway purposes is received.