USE OF LIGHT RAILWAYS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17583, 29 May 1919, Page 8

USE OF LIGHT RAILWAYS.

BRITISH PJLAN OP "AGRAILS."

ENGLISH ENGINEER'S VIEWS,

OPERATION WITH MAIN LINES.

Some notes on the construction and the employment of light railways were recently contributed to an Inverness journal by Mr. John C. Mackay, a recognised authority on the subject. Mr. Mackay deals generally with the British Government's proposals for improving transport in rural districts by means of light railways, and particularly with the application of this form of traction in districts where roads are not sufficiently well made to carry heavy wheeled traffic.

Referring to a suggestion that motor transport has advantages over light railways, Mr. Mackay contends that commercial motors would be as positively tied to defined routes as railways and motor traffic requires good roads. In the Highlands, some of the light railways would, to be of real service, be from 30 to'so miles in length. These districts could not be adequately served by motors. On the existing roads motor loads fit to carry heavy motor traffic would cost an enormous amount, and the expense of upkeep would also be heavy and continuous. QUESTION OF GAUGE. Proceeding, Mr. Mackay writes:— If light railways are to be satisfactory we must disabuse our minds d£ all that we now associate with railways, and construct them in a much less expensive manner. Such lines are being seriously considered all over the kingdom. For such light railways, or "agrails" as they are to be called, it is proposed to use the material of the two thousand miles of small railways, which have, since the beginning of the war, proved so useful behind the trenches in France. They are portable railways of a 2ft. gauge, with rails of 161b. to the yard. The locomotives are steam or petrol driven. In my opinion these "agrails" should be constructed on the 2ft. 6in. gauge, with rails 301b. per yard. The 2ft. gauge Is too narrow for many purposes. The width of the rolling stock for these "agrails" can be taken as three times the gauge, and therefore witn a 2ft. 6in. gauge a waggon of the same inside dimensions as those on the standard gauge lines may be used, and a 301b. rail will carry a 5-ton axle load; and with this axle load and a bogie waggon the "agrail' would carry a loaded main line waggon, and save, to some extent, transhipping. The "agrail" train can also run at a maintained speed of 25 miles'an hour, if necessary, and in every way I consider the style of railway I have specified as the smallest and.. the most economical for a permanent light railway. If anything less than this is required, then a railway is not a justifiable proposition, and if anything more, then a light standard gauge should be put down. TRANSHIPMENT FACILITIES. The great objection to this type of railway in the past has been transhipping. In Herefordshire, where were are preparing a scheme of six different branches, we propose that they should all radiate from the citjr, which happens to be in the centre of the county. The only produce to be transhipped will be "foreign" produce. To deal with this, we propose to have any of the bodies of the small waggons made of "containers," or steel boxes, which will fit into a main line waggon, and so the t.anshipment of box and contents will oe quite easy, by means of a crane; and arrangements are being devised by which fruit lorries can travel either on road or rail. Main line waggons carrying hme in bulk, or other minerals difficult to tranship, will be car ried bodily on "transporter cars" to their destination on the "agrails." The transhipping sidings of the "agrails" joining the main lines will be raised, so that the floor of the "agrailsl'l waggon will be on a level with the- floor of the main line waggons. With imagination on the part of the manager and engineer, many difficulties can be overcome. If it is a question of having an "agrail" or no railway at all, the question of transhipment does not need much consideration. The question of finance is important. The Government has not specified any financial scheme, but it seems to me that the system used in Belgium, with some modification, might be adopted. Perhaps a fairer scheme would be that Government should provide one-half the capital, and the County Council or other authority the other half, the Government receiving no interest until the County Council had drawn its share. This would be a satisfactory bargain for the County Council as the railj way would possibly pay the interest and working expenses on one-half the capital, while the Government would reap some advantage by increased rates and taxes on increased value of property and increased production. i The method of working these lines and the question by whom they will be worked will require serious con sideration. In any case they should be worked separately from the main lines, and by other officials. I should be inclined to place them under the control of the county road authorities, who could either work them by their own servants or let them out to be worked by contract. To begin with the traffic will, in a large number of cases, not be large, and should not give much trouble. When the system has grown, means to meet its requirements can be devised. One of our former engineers said, "Make railways and they will be the making of your country." This principle was adopted by Cecil Rhodes in the development of Rhodesia, and it has been justified by the results attained.