RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 8, 5 October 1920, Page 6

RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK

« s . BIG TENDERS ACCEPTED v ~ BRITISH FIRMS SUCCESSFUL , 0 • The Prime Minister made a statement • in thij House of Representatives last •• night regarding railway rolling stock. He said that- twelve tenders had been receivr ixl from abroad for the manufacture of .> 25 class A.B. locomotives for the N(bw Zealand railways. Two tenders were from ® Canada, ono from tho United States, one from Germany, ono from South Australia, 1 and from the United Kingdom. The. '- prices ranged as high as JJ17.325. The contract was for delivery within twelve months, and all material used in con6truction of the locomotives must 'be up '■ to British standard specification The ■t succyssful tenderer was tho North BrU. 0 tish Company, of Glasgow, the contract 0 prico being .£12,800 per engine. The en--8 gino was the same typo as used on the ' Main Trunk express trains between Wel- ) r lington and Auckland, and weighed 81 0 tons 15cwt,, in working trim. s For the manufacture of 2500 eight-ton four-wheeled wagons, four tenders were - received from British firms, four from L < United States, ono from Canada, and one - from Germany. One British) firm tendorf ed for 250 wagons and another for 1000 ■- wagons. With ono exception th|) tenders i' were subject to fluctuations in respect of 0 both wages and material. The successful ■■ tenderer was Cammell, Laird, and Com- ■ e pany. This was the only tenderer who :1 quoted a firm price, their tender being ', A' 325 13s. per wagon. Ii Tho total cost of 'th's 25 locomotives, • said Mr. Massey, was JE3W,750, and of the 1 2500 wagons .£814,125, making a total of • £1,122,875 (exclusive, of freight and cost 8 of erection in New Zealand). The total s estimated cost of engines and wagons on thfc Tails in running order in New aea--0 land was about J1,700,000. The Railway - Department's experience of the manufac- - turo of tho North British Company and s Cammell, Laird, and Company had been ' sattefactory. , , "The now rolling stock when to band will help materially in. overcoming the difficulties the Department is experiencing in respect of locomotive power ana capacity," added. Mr. tow"Tenders are now being invited for tha ' manufacture, of 1000 additional wagons ' within the Dominion, and there are w ! tngto. 10 carriages, 60 brakevans and 1 625 wagons under construction « toe > minion at the present time. ™ " circumstances occur, it is nopea > oCo the bulk of the new wagons on ■ tV rails in time for the next Imsr r son. It is the intention of the mpan m"iit to send an officer to tie United • Kingdom to watch the construction of the > rolling stool referred to, andl also, to " cmite an insight into thy up-to-date metnL ids of working in the large manufactor--1 ing establishments in Great Britain. -