TO ACCELERATE TRAINS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 55, 26 August 1911, Page 3

TO ACCELERATE TRAINS

MR. J. S. WARNER EXPLAINS HIS INVENTION. Says a Home paper:—Mr. J. Sutherland Warner's invention for the increased comfort and speed of railway travelling -which, it was recently announced, had been approved by experts acting for certain of the large railway companies, was explained by him to a Daily News J representative. "In effect," said Mr. Warner, "this thing is the equivalent of the pneumatic tyre. It entirely does away with the disturbing rock experienced on trains. Theoretically a carriage is supposed to swing on the bogie; actually it seldom does, and if it does the degree is very ] small. In my invention the links are i attached not near the centre, but opposite the axles, and so the carriage is not so greatly influenced by the movement of the bogie on the rails." Mr. Warner explained a little-known fact about the motion of vehicles, which shows the importance of the independent motion of the, carriage. No mechanical device moves through the air, the water, or on land in a mathematically straight line. Everything happens in a scries of curves. In his invention the bogie observes this law and travels in the curves, but the carriage remains steady. "Anyone who rides a bicycle or drives a motor car," said Mr. Warner, "knows that it will not travel by itself in a | straight line. In a railway the same thing happens, but the curve is cut short by the wheels on the rails; hence the jolting. The rolling-stock on our railways at present allows most inadequately for this, and everywhere my system has been tried the increased comfort is most remarkable. In regard to safety and speed, too, there is a tremendous improvement. I have calculated that we can save ten per cent, on speed going round curves, and it is impossible to derail the carriages." The War Office lias carried out several tests with the new carriages, and there is every likelihood that they will be used on several of the larger' lines before long.