MUCH ACTIVITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 135, 5 December 1938, Page 15

MUCH ACTIVITY

RAILWAY WORKSHOPS

CONSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMME

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, December 4.

■ During a visit to Auckland this weekend, the Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. C Sullivan) supplied information concerning the efforts being made by his Department to complete the building of rolling stock to enable more effective handling of the heavy goods and passenger traffic anticipated during the summer months. "The workshops in Otahuhu," said Mr. Sullivan, "are pushing along vigorously a programme of construction of cars and wagons for North Island traffic. At the1 Department's other shops, similar signs- of activity are in evidence. The Wanganui shops at East Town are building their quota. The Hutt workshops have already delivered three standard type rail-cars for the Wellington-New Plymouth run and the fourth is almost ready. Before the Christmas recess the Addington (Christchurch) workshops will have delivered for the South Island services a large amount of rolling stock. "Totalled, the figures give 31 cars and 936 wagons extra to the rolling stock available last summer, and they should assist materially in satisfying the public demand during the coming season. The work of constructing cars will be carried on steadily after the holidays, for it is recognised that many more vehicles will be required to ensure the effective handling of the Cenkennial exhibition traffic, which will begin before the summer of 1939." Mr, Sullivan pointed out that a large number of wagons and cars regularly passed through the workshops for overhaul, and that many of these required heavy repairs. ,/ He then dealt with the subject of locomotive construction, and stated that the Hutt (Wellington) and Hilliside (Dunedin) shops were concenrating on the building of 41 modern locomotives of the "X" class. • These would be turned out at regular intervals in the coming year, and 20 should be available in time for the early exhibition traffic.