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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 9 (January 1, 1929)
Production Engineering — Part XXVIII — “Milestones”
Production Engineering
Part XXVIII
“Milestones”
Over the Christmas and New Year holidays two very important events took place in the Workshops Reorganisation Scheme. These two events were, firstly, the definite closing down of the old shops and offices at Newmarket and Petone, and secondly, the occupancy of the new workshops at Otahuhu and Lower Hutt.
Otahuhu had been partly occupied for about a month prior to the end of the year, but the holiday change-over was the real “milestone” in the progress of the work.
“Moving in” is, however, not the finish. The task ahead now is to complete the detailed equipment of each department in each shop as quickly as possible, that the desired results may be attained.
This work is progressing steadily, and now that each departmental foreman is taking up his allotted duties, the job will be considerably lightened. It is unnecessary for me to ask everybody to do his best in this connection, for I know it is being done.
The new surroundings seem to have produced smiles and good feeling, and all that is left to be said is that I appreciate the way in which the whole staff has organised and carried out the movement without a hitch, and without any serious! interruption of the work of the Railways.
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The Largest Locomotives Ever Built in the British Empire.
The above is one of a series of locomotives (known as the 3,100 series) recently built for service on the Canadian Pacific Railways. The following are the chief particulars of the locomotive: Type 4-8-4, boiler pressure 2751b. sq. in., cylinders 25 ½in. × 30in., diameter drivers 75in., tractive effort 60,8001b., firebox length inside, 140 3–16in. width inside, 96in., flues 196—3 ½in., tubes 7—3 ½in., 59—2 ¼in., length over tube sheets 20ft. 6in., firebox heating surface 377 sq. ft., arch tube heating surface 45 sq. ft., tube and flue heating surface 4,509 sq. ft., superheating surface 2,112 sq. ft., combined heating surface 7,043 sq. ft., grate area 93.5 sq. ft., factor of adhesion 4.12 sq. ft., weight on drivers 250,000lb., weight on engine truck 61,0001b., weight on trailing truck 112,0001b., total engine 423,000lb., total tender (loaded) 286,0001b., coal capacity 18 ½ tons, water capacity 12,000 Imp. gals.
As before mentioned, the “moving in” is not the finish. There is still a quantity of new machinery to arrive from England, and the closing down of the old shops makes it possible to move certain machinery and power equipment that could not be moved until the loco work and the rolling stock work were definitely separated into the new shops.
This “milestone” in our railway shops' history is not only a physical one—it represents more than just new shops, new methods and monetary propositions. It represents a change in working conditions, hygienic conditions, and community development that all who worked in the old shops have been forced to appreciate since their first hour's work in the new buildings.
I express the hope that all concerned will truly appreciate the change and keep their particular part of the shop clean by taking a pride in being tidy and careful with all tools, equipment, and work in their section. By so doing the men will benefit the Department and themselves.