Electrification in Sweden and Switzerland.

Spain is not the only European land that is finding electrification a pronounced success. Recent reports from Sweden and Switzerland all tell of the successful conversion of main-line railways from steam to electric traction. In Sweden one of the biggest conversions tackled has been the electrical equipment of the ore transport page 23 railways from Lapland to the Norwegian frontier, while equally satisfactory results have followed the electrification of the Stockholm-Gothenburg main line. The fastest train on the latter route now occupies six hours four minutes on the throughout run, as against the eight hours forty minutes taken by steam trains. Because of the proved success of electric traction, the Swedish State Railways are proceeding with the electrification of the Stockholm-Malmo-Tralleborg main-line, while electrification is also contemplated of certain tracks in Central Sweden, and the Western Railway, linking Malmo and Helsingborg with Gothenburg.

In Switzerland the latest electrification work to be put in hand covers the conversion of some 300 miles of main-line track, making a total of about 1,350 miles of electric line operated by the Government Railways. In this case single-phase current at 15,000 volts and 16 2/3 cycles is favoured. In addition, several privately owned railways in Switzerland are being electrified, the principal of these being the Bodensee-Toggenburg line (41 miles) connecting Romanshorn, on Lake Constance, with St. Gall. In Britain, big electrification works are being carried out on

Electrical Operation Speeds London Traffic.
London Bridge Station on the Southern Railway's new electrified tracks.

the Southern Railway, and in the course of a few months this system will work all its trains electrically between London and Brighton and Worthing.

In solving the problem of short-distance operation on economical and efficient lines, several European countries are finding Diesel-electric railcars of distinct utility. Germany is a leader in this movement and a feature is the effort that is being made to decrease driving resistance by the design of light railcars and stream-lined rolling-stock generally. In the near future there will be put into service in Germany a number of Diesel-electric railcars with V-shaped 12-cylinder Diesel engines developing 400 h.p., and with an engine weight of 3,750lb. There is also under construction an articulated stream-lined railcar for fast passenger movement, having a 400 h.p. engine in each end bogie, and capable of speeds of up to 95 miles an hour with about 150 passengers on board. Encouraged by the satisfactory results achieved with small Diesel railcars, the German railways recently have placed large orders for 150 and 175 h.p. units, as well as for the railcars of much higher power output to which reference has previously been made.

“Beautiful as sweet! and young as beautiful! and soft as young! and gay as soft! and innocent as gay!”—Young.
Our Children's Gallery.—(1) Phillip, Molly and John Scahill (Summit, Wellington); (2) Peter Mackley (Wellington); (3) Norman, Joyce and Constance Hills (Summit); (4) Richard Clyde Harvey (Waimate); (5) Dick and James Walter Harvey (Waimate); (6) Buryl Drew, (Henderson); (7) Bruce Dowdle, Mavis Wilson and Betty Dowdle (Wellington); (8) Auriol and Jacqueline King (Wellington); (9) Lenora Wardle (Otahuhu) and Ronald Robson (Wanganui); (10) Nancy and Rose Wakefield (Oturehua, Otago Central); (11) Leslie Gouffe (Wellington); (12) Alan, Colin and Nancy Bock (Ohakune).