STEAM V. ELECTRICITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 216, 5 September 1908, Page 6

STEAM V. ELECTRICITY.

THE STATE RAILWAYS. COMPARISON OF COST. The elcctrilication of the railways of the Dominion is a, subject that has created some attention, it has been urged that the experiment should be tried on the Chrisli-hurch-LyUclton line iu older to do away with the smoke nuisance in the tunnel. A report on the proposal has been prepared by -Messrs. -Tom. Coom (Chief Engineer) and A, L. Beattie (Chief Mechanical Engineer) of the Railway Department, -and was submitted to Parliament on Wednesday. Thctreport, alter referring to various electric schemes in Korce in various parts of the world, says it would Vc advisable to obtain practical expert advice upon the best system of electriiication to be adopted on the ChristcluirchLyttelton line, and recommends that no further action be taken until this is done. To run the ordinary service tin. cost of electric installation, H is estimated, would be something like £147,400. Power plant would cost £00,01)0, electric locomotives for goods traffic. £17,500, three passenger trains £24,000, overhead equipment £32,50()(, contingencies £13,400. The cost for total equipment would be equal to £11,338 per mile of single track. The power plant which it was necessary to provide would be capable of dealing with a very much larger traffic at proportionately only n small increased annual cost hy running a continuous service. This onnlil onlv be sustained where there was a heavy and regular suburban trallic to deal' with. . The annual charges on the basis (it existing trallic, would be about £24,1)0!). If the "existing slock could be useil the capital cost could be reduced by abo.'.l C 15.000. and the annual charges by C 1125. The train mileages for the serricc'upon which calculations are based would be about 118.000 per annum. The report further states that the elecrilication of main lines of railways for dealing with both passenger and heavy goods traffic was at present practically in au experimental stage, b-.i from'experiments now being earned out experts were of opinion that a con-dder- ;,!,!,, ri .,U,etioll would be Ultimately cf,.,(,.(| l,„tl, in initial and working costs in the near future.