TRAMWAY MATTERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 66, 11 December 1907, Page 8

TRAMWAY MATTERS.

THE AUCKLAND ACCIDENT. Mr. Stuart Richardson, electrical engineer, was consulted yesterday as to what'set of circumstances could bring about the extraordinary, accident that occurred to an Auckland tramcar on Saturday ovening. Ho could not say precisely what had caused the accident, but assumed that a fault bad occurred in tho controller, and an arc had formed in tho box. ■ If this occurred there would probably be a glaro of light, through the apertures of the controller-box at tho motorman's end. Ho could not imagine firo playing .all about tho ironwork of the car unless a cable (in the car) broke, and with wooden "seats and floor it was difficult to imagine how the passenger's could gqt a shock. THE SEATOUN SECTION. The permanent way of the uew Seatoun section of tho tramways has been passed by tho Engineor-in-Chief (Mr. Holmes), but | there are matters concerning- the electrical part "of tho work which have yet to bo adjusted before the, line is sanctioned as ready for traffic. It is'understood .that the. power available for this section .has. been, found to bo inadequate, owing to tho loss occasioned by tho hoavy grades to be negotiated in reaching Kilbirnie, tho demands 'on the energy made on the Miramar line, and the loss occasioned by tho distance of the section from the manufacturing point. This is being rectified as speedily 'as possible by the erection of " boosters " at convenient points. The line will not be ready for traffic until Mon-r day or Tiiosday next. TROLLEY-HEAD TROUBLES. . ■ Inquiry was made of Mr. Richardson respecting tho number of trolley-heads which seemed to . have been pulled out He did not know that any more of such accidents had occurred lately than at any other time, but admitted that there were more "prill-outs"-in-Wellington than in a city with a centre-running overhead system. A record is kept of tho number, of accidents to trolloy-hcads. This was looked up. and it was found that for the .weok ending December .2, ten .Woods's olley-heads wero pulled out to one Holmes-Allen, and there wore about twice as many of the former the latter in use. The weok hofore that oij AYoods's and. one Holmes-Allen heads were pulled out. Somo difficulty had been experienced.in making the Holmes-Allen heads in the Dominion satisfactorily, but this was j being overcome, and as a number were arriving shortly, they would replace the Woods's heads. .

1 NEW CAES. Some of the long-awaited under-trucks hare arrived and are being fitted to the car-bodies at the Newto\vn sheds. There should be four or five more big side-door palace-cars ready for the Christmas traffic.