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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 3 (July 1, 1930)

Use of the Tractor in Marshalling Yards

page 56

Use of the Tractor in Marshalling Yards

The recent International Railway Congress, in Madrid, produced many interesting discussions, and a most informative paper read threat dealt with tractor operation in marshalling yards. It was read by Monsieur Pellarin, of the Eastern Railway of France, and Monsieur Farenc, of the French Southern Railway. In this paper, it was remarked that the general principle in yard operation was that under which wagons, after their arrival in the reception sidings, were propelled over a hump and distributed thence by gravitation to a nest of sorting sidings, the wagons being allocated to each siding to form a complete train load. Subsequently the wagons in each siding were coupled up by a shunting engine and drawn into a further nest of departure sidings, where they were backed on to a brake van, the shunting engine then being replaced by the train engine. As the wagons travelled down the sorting sidings they might gradually come to a halt, or their progress might be suddenly impeded by contact with wagons already stationary. This latter condition was undesirable, and in consequence there were often found spaces in the sidings between succeeding cuts of trucks. This resulted in the fullest use not being made of the available capacity of sidings.

To remedy this undesirable state of things it was recommended, in the report under view, that tractors, running not on rails but on the ground alongside, should be employed for closing up and coupling. On the French railways successful use is made of appliances of this kind. Bauche and Fordon tractors of from 15 to 20 horse power, with rubber tyres, and two speeds forward and reverse, have increased the output of the Eastern Railway marshalling yards some 50 per cent. since they took the place of shunting engines.—(From our London Correspondent.)