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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 3 (June 1, 1935)

The Future of the Railways

The Future of the Railways.

Corridor tender on L. and N. E. R. “Pacific” Locomotive, employed on long-distance non-stop runs.

Corridor tender on L. and N. E. R. “Pacific” Locomotive, employed on long-distance non-stop runs.

The future of our railways is a topic of first importance, alike for railway managements, employees, and the general public. After a century of service, railways the world over continue the principal means of movement for mankind and mankind's belongings, and it seems certain that, for long years to come, rail transport will hold pride of place as the most convenient, efficient, and economical system of haulage. During the past few years, many perplexing problems have had to be tackled by railway managements and their staffs. Trade depression has been universal, while the rapid development of road transport on both the passenger and freight sides has also come as an obstacle to railway prosperity.

Probably the biggest problem facing railways to-day is that which concerns future methods of traction. There are two main lines of development open to the railways. One covers the utilisation of autonomous, or self-propelled, traction units, like the steam or oil-fired locomotive; the other embraces electrification, depending upon central generating stations and a radiating system of overhead feeders. Which of these arrangements is likely to be favoured? It is a significant fact that, at the present time, the majority of the big British and American railways are fighting shy of the immense initial capital expenditure involved in main-line electrification. There are exceptions to this situation, of course, as witness the continued electrification expenditure of the Southern Railway of England, and the Pennsylvania Railroad of America. In the main, however, trunk route electrification is, to-day, definitely under a cloud, interest everywhere being turned towards the development of more powerful and more economical self-propelled traction units, such as the steam locomotive and the Diesel engine.

Prophecy is apt to prove dangerous, but it would certainly seem as if a very promising future lay ahead for self-propelled traction. In particular, one is impressed by the obvious advantages and economies offered by the internal combustion Diesel engine. These self-contained motive units can get along without any elaborate system of overhead transmission lines, and usually even the most severe climatic conditions prove only a temporary obstacle to regular schedules. Improvements and refinements in self-contained units may be at once taken advantage of, without costly alterations to electrical machinery or transmission lines, and altogether there appears a very strong case for self-propelled traction as against universal electrification.