In building railway carriages, it is necessary, on account of the great expenditure and the large number required, that the greatest economy be observed. Economy, indeed, should be the first consideration of all the departments connected with car building, right from the designers to the painters and trimmers. But if our desire for economy be carried to the extent of adversely affecting the soundness of construction and good-workmanship it ceases to be economy and becomes merely cheapness.

Let us traverse some of the different branches through which a car passes and find out, if possible, where a saving could be effected. These comprise designing, timber drying, milling, finishing, assembling and painting. If only a small saving can be accomplished in each of these departments, the total will amount to something worth while in the cost of the completed car.

Design.

It is neither necessary nor advisable to construct the whole of the car of one class of timber, such as kauri for instance. This timber is becoming very costly on account of its growing scarcity. Douglas fir could be used for floor bearers, top and bottom rails and intermediate rails and studs, and besides being cheaper, should be more serviceable than kauri on account of its strength and elasticity. If it is desirable to avoid using imported timber, red pine would be quite suitable for studs, floor, counterfloor, ceiling and roof, and would prove a considerable saving.

Standardisation of parts would be a further aid to economy. Windows and doors might be kept to a standard size and so cheapen construction. A further saving would accrue by keeping spares in stock for repairs.

Doors fitted with loose pin hinges look much superior to, and are more convenient than, those fitted with ordinary steel or brass hinges. The extra cost would be saved many times over by the easy removal of the doors when necessary for painting. The flooring, and, more especially, the side sheathing, if standardised, would save much in time when repairs were necessary.

Facilities for the easy removal of windows, doors, swingover chairs and other inside fittings should be thoroughly studied. As a car is renovated many times, any improvement effected in this direction would mean a considerable amount saved during the life of a car.

Timber.

Most important of all, perhaps, is the state and quality of the timber used. It is essential that, after being selected for suitability, it should be thoroughly dry. This is of first importance, for without dry timber no wood-constructed vehicle can be built that will stand the strain to which a railway carriage is subjected when in use.

Kiln Drying.

In all modern shops of any size, a drying kiln is installed. The ultimate cost of kiln-dried timber is less than that involved in carrying the large stocks necessary if one is to depend on air-dried material. Opinions may differ as to the merits or demerits of kiln-dried timber compared with air dried, but I do not think it can be shown that timber properly dried in a kiln is in any way inferior, while it is much cheaper and more convenient than that dried in the ordinary way by stick stacking. However, no matter which way we dry our timber it is essential that the timber be dried down to, but not below, the average humility of the atmosphere in the district in which the car is built.

Sawmill.

Having assured ourselves that the timber is in a suitable condition to be worked, it is passed into the sawmill. There the real work begins. A competent supervisor should be in charge of the mill, as the opportunities for waste, both of timber and time, are very great indeed. The mill foreman should be an expert car builder and well acquainted with the capabilities of the machinery. His duty would be to see that the requirements of the finishers and builders were fully and promptly met, and accuracy in size and finish of parts strictly adhered to, thus saving a great deal of time when the various parts came to be assembled. A filer, or leading mill hand, has quite enough to do in keeping his saws in proper order and his machines tuned up to run smoothly, without having to pay attention to all the details that would be required of him if he had to look after the milling of all the various parts of a car.

Time should not be skimped in the mill. Pillars, styles, rails, etc., should be finished as nearly complete as possible, for time judiciously spent at a machine is saved many times over both at the benches and when page 21 erecting. It is sound economy to know the full capacity of the machinery and obtain the greatest output possible consistent with accurate work.

In regard to accuracy the steel gauge should be used in preference to the rule when running T & G (tongued and grooved) lining, floors, checks in pillars, etc. This is the surest way of getting each successive running exactly like its predecessor.

The utilisation of small pieces, especially of the more expensive timbers should be studied. This can be done satisfactorily only when the draftsman has allowed for it in his plans, and also when the mill has suitable machinery, for unless the small pieces are put through the machines rapidly and little or no hand work is required upon them, the extra cost of handling becomes too expensive and costs more than the price of the timber saved.

Finishing Bench.

Where doors, windows, and partitions are assembled, every facility should be given for handling and glueing the various parts. As much work as possible should be done at the finishing benches, where it is made easier on account of having every convenience, thus saving time and building.

It is self-evident that when we come to the actual building of a car the work should be the very best that we can put into it. All tenons should be of such a tightness that the framing hammer, or cramp, would have to be used to put them in position. No tenon should be allowed to be put in hand slack, for it is in the framing that we want strength and rigidity. These two features are essential to a railway car on account of the many movements and shocks it has to withstand. It is here that one sees the necessity of dry timber. A frame built with half dry timber, be it ever so well fitted and braced, soon becomes loose through shrinkage, a fault which cannot be rectified afterwards.

While assembling the car it is necessary to keep a strict watch on the cost. But, as already said, cheapness should not be sought at the expense of good work. If soundness of construction is sacrificed, our cheapness, in the last analysis, will not be in the interests of economy.

When side sheathing, it is a good practice to glue the joints. This process is certainly more expensive, but given dry timber, with good fitting T & G, the outside sheathing becomes as one board, acting as a brace to the car. It adds lasting qualities and gives a better foundation for the painter to work upon.

The same argument used in regard to labour may be applied to material. When covering the roof with canvas, white lead putty should be used, and the canvas stretched just enough to take out the creases. Too much stretching weakens the canvas. No substitute, such as whiting and oil, can take the place of white lead. If this is done you will find that as soon as the oil has perished the whiting will powder between the fingers. The consequences are a rotting canvas and a leaky roof, and more repairs that would have been avoided by the use of the better material.

When we come to the interior finish of the car, our motto should be “Rich, not gaudy.” A neat, plain finish, such as a thumb moulding with a high polish, which can be readily kept clean, is preferable to a more elaborate finish with many quirks and corners that are always more or less dirty. The plain finish is the more desirable from both a sanitary and an economic point of view.

The salient points in our search for economy in car construction are:—

Dry timber. As much machine work as we can possibly put upon our wood work. Facilities for glueing and finishing. Good work in construction, always with an idea of building to last. Interior fittings, designed for easy fitting up and removal.

If these points are borne in mind from the start until the finish, we will then have a car that will be economical right throughout its life, and even although it has cost a few more pounds to construct, its cost card will show that it is both cheaper and more economic in the end.

A 600.

The big express locomotive A600 which was involved in the Opapa accident was returned to service on 23th June—79 days after being shopped at Napier for extensive repairs. This reflects great credit on the staff at the railway workshops. A600 has an interesting and honoured history. Built in 1914 by Price Bros. at their Thames works, she had, up to the time of the Opapa accident, run 363,855 miles in the Wellington and Napier districts. She was the engine selected to draw the Royal train during the visit of the Prince of Wales, and it will be remembered that, on the occasion referred to, the Prince (under the supervision of the enginedriver, the late Mr. R. A. Telfer, with whom was associated Spare Enginedriver P. D. Clasby and Fireman J. C. Muir) himself drove this particular locomotive for portion of the journey.