HOW TRAMRAILS WEAR

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 71, 17 December 1920, Page 3

HOW TRAMRAILS WEAR

EVIDENCE OT CITY. TRACKS. The astonishing manner in which steel tram rails wear when subjected to steady heavy traffic iB scarcely realisable by any gave those whose business it is to attend to the safe running of the municipal trams. • Evidence' of what fifteen years' traffic may do to the 'best of rails is afforded, in Courtenay Place,' where ■ iiow trncks art; being laid down for the first time since the initiation of the service. The depth of the .head.of a new 901b. rail of the standard used Ih Wellington, froni'tKe bottom of -the,,groove to -the "trend" on which the. car whettta- travel, is 1 1-8 inches. Some of the rails that are now being replaced are 60 worn do-wn that the depth has been lvdueed to 3-Bin., which means that three-quarters of an inch of solid steel of good grade, hns been ground off in fifteen years. Such has been the effect on the-mils opposite His Majesty's Theatre. At that point there ia a slight bend in th(- track, to nogotiate which in safety it is often necessary to upply the magnetic.broke.. This.brake is a shoe that bears down upon the "tread" of the rail with a considerable pressure, and its application accounts for a good deal of the wear which takes place. "' ■• The. rails all along Courtenay Place, ■where thp enrs carry their maximum burden, arei in n rothor bad way, and the renewals now boing mado are said to be urgently needled. The change over' to the. new southern track will be-effected as speedily ns possible after th,-6 ordinary services' have ceased to run to-morrow night. After tho rush of the holiday traffic is over tho work of renewing the rest^of tho southern track and tho whole of the'northern on 5 along the same thoroughfare will be put in hand.