PURCHASE OF ROLLING STOCK

Chronicle (Levin), 21 August 1946, Page 5

PURCHASE OF ROLLING STOCK

(Special Correspondent.)

♦ RIG CONTRACTS WITH BRITISH FIRMS

Received Tuesday, 11.15 p.m. LONUON, August 20. Two important contracts representiiq an expenditure of approximatel £3,000,000 for the purchase of Britis.. eleetrieal and other railway rolling stoek, spares and equipment, have been negotiated by Mr. P. R. Angus, ehie. meehanieal engineer of the New Zea land Railways Department., and Mr. L W. Aiekin, O.B.E., represeming th. general manager of railways, during their present visit to Britain. Botli eoutraets have now been sigued 011 be half of the New Zealand Uovernnien! by Mr. W. .1. Jordan. * The larger of the two contracts whicli embraces an expenditure of ap proximately £2,000,000, is for the purielia.se of all rolling stoek neeessary r. I carry out complete eleelrilication of t h (Wellington metro])olitan railway ser viees as far as Upper llutt. This ro 1 1 ing stoek eomprises seven eleetrica. loeomotives, two-eoaeh eleetrieal mutli ple nnit trains, and approximatel^ thirty additional trailer eoaches, to getlier with a large quantity of spares This eontract is with Cory Wright am iSalmon, of Wellington, in associatio. with the Lnglish Eleetrieal Company. and is in continuation of an existing eontract between the New Zealand Rail ways department and the sarne sap pliers. As the eontract is for a long term, a special rise and fall priee elaus has been inserted. | The second eontract, whicli is divideil between tliree British suppiiers, is foi tlie purchase of 3000 open steet rail wa waggons and represents an expenditure of approximately £.1,000,000. These waggons will lie used to supplement exJsting. TQlling stoek in varions pa'rts 0 . tlie Doniinion. ) The new eleetrieal rolling 'stoe': bought for the Wellington system, is I similar in design to the stoek already in nse between the, citv and Johnsonville. New loeomotives are being specially designed to eater for goods haulage ovei tlie completed sections of tlie electrilied traek in the Wellington nietropolitai. area. The iirst deliveries of the new equipment will take place in January 1948 and thereafter at agreed delivery dates. When he signed tlie larger of the tw>. contracts today, Mr. Jordan expressed gratilication that New Zealand had let these two contracts to Britain at a time when every effort was being niade to build up the British export trade. I11 spite of the war the English Eleetrieal Company had continued with the manu facture of similar equipment orderecl by the New Zealand Railways Departnient in 1942 and iive two-ear eleetrieal train.were now either loading or on the watei for New Zealand. Messrs Angus and Aiclcin will be in Britain till the end of the present month arranging details iu eonnection with the contracts and deal ing with other Railways Departnient business.