SOFT COALS

Hokitika Guardian, 9 April 1930, Page 8

SOFT COALS

HOPEFUL EXPERIMENTS

THIRTY ENGINES TO BE

FITTED

WELLING'ION, April 5

The Railway Department has greatlv increased its consumption of New Zealand coal during recent years, and has freon constantly conducting experiments with a view to overcoming certain disabilities' with the use of semi bituminous coals, so that !u----tiKV extensions can bo made of the policy of utilising the local product. b-'ine re,v .t dc\jiopmeul.s in this direction were spoken of hopefully bv the Hon. W. B. Taverner, Minister of Railways, in an interview with a 1 ,'i..,es ’ conespondeut. Trials have been made under traffic conditions with a standard type of main line locomotive, using wlmt is known in. the United States as the “ rosebud ” type of grate. Instead of the familiar firebais, the grate is composed of a series r,f (;a,st-iron slabs closely perforated, the holes being half' an inch in diameter at the top and seven-eights of mi inch at the bottom, this variation being of ad vantage in making the easting. It has been found that the plate type of grate will enable an efficient thin lire to .'be maintained under traffic conditions, and it is a thin fire which is needed for best utilisation of the sein.i-bitiimiii.ouS coals of the Waikato and the South Island. There is lc-s tendency for tire fire to l>ecome 'block od by clinker, and in practice it finis been found that an engine can run about a. hundred miles' without necossitv for cleaning fires.

“The experiment is not yet regarded a.s final ” added the Minister, “ but it is sufficiently encouraging to warrant equipping thirty locomotives with the |date grates. Fifteen will he run in the South Island, and fiileen in tluNorth Island. The original equipment has been, carefully watched under working conditions for six months. The Department is also trying in conjunction with the plate grates a steam spray introduced above the fire-door, which, in conjunction with the baffle plates, appears to "be more effective as a spark a-rresjter than devices hitherto in use.”