HOT BOXES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1067, 3 September 1930, Page 7

HOT BOXES

REMEDY FOR RAILWAY BUGBEAR “BENEFICIAL RESULTS” THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Today. "Early in the year I found that the number of hot boxes which were occurring in the rolling stock was developing to much too high a figure, and, as a result of my going into the matter with the Chief Mechanical Engineer, it was found that special steps were urgently necessary in order to bring the lubrication of stock up to a more efficient standard.” remarks Mr. H. H. Sterling, General Manager of Railways, in his-report for the past year. "To enable this to be done a special staff had to be taken out of the workshops and put on to the work for a time. Investigations were also made into our methods of lubrication, and various experiments were tried by way of remedial measures. Out of our investigations there emerged the fact that the quality of the packing that was being used by us was not such as to satisfactorily meet requirements, while the question of the type of oil that was in use also presented itself. "The prompt action which we took in the matter had very beneficial results, and the position as regards hot boxes commenced steadily to improve, and is now on a much more satisfactory footing. The oil question is still under consideration, and we expect to be able to reach a final decision as to the best quality of oil for our use when the tenders for supplies, which close very shortly, are being settled.”