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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1 (May 1st, 1926)

The Study of Railway Problems Abroad — Return Of Mr. J. Mason, Member Of The Railway Board — Valuable Information Gained

page 30

The Study of Railway Problems Abroad
Return Of Mr. J. Mason, Member Of The Railway Board
Valuable Information Gained

Looking sun-tanned and particularly fit after nearly a year occupied on his round-the-world tour in search of railway information, Mr. J. Mason, the first member of the Railway Board to be despatched abroad in conformity with the Ministerial policy for reorganising the Railway, was his usual, even, possessed self when visited at his office in the brick building in Featherston Street where the Heads of the Railway are housed. He was quite prepared to tell, for the benefit of members of the service, about the things he had seen and the information he had gained in the course of his globe-embracing itinerary.

Mr. Mason, it will be remembered, set out on his travels accompanied by Mr. Angus, Locomotive Engineer, and with him were also associated, at times in England, Mr. Davidson, Assistant Chief Engineer, and Mr Pickard, formerly of the Wellington District Traffic Office.

The general movement was an outcome of the plan for the education of Railway Officers adopted by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates soon after he assumed control of the Railway Department.

Mr. Mason included his confrères in alluding to the tour, and paid a tribute to the assistance rendered by them in securing information likely to be of advantage to the working of the Railway system in this country.

Referring to the fact that never before had Railway Executive Officers from New Zealand officially visited England, he remarked that on their present tour they had been “trailblazers.” Members of the service who might in future be sent overseas to bring back the wider vision and surer knowledge, which personal contact with the practice and problems of overseas railroading confers, would have the benefit of the guidance which his own experience and that of Messrs. Davidson, Angus and Pickard has rendered available.

Speaking generally, Mr. Mason said that if anyone expected, as a result of their inspection of Railway conditions in other lands, that a sweeping alteration in the railway methods of this Dominion was likely to be undertaken, they were doomed to disappointment. Nothing of the kind was at present either necessary or desirable.

The chief benefits derivable from the close inspection of overseas railroad methods lay rather in details of administration and technique—matters often small in themselves which were none the less important, and which, in the aggregate, helped to pave the road for successful operation. Still there would be certain directions in which alterations could with advantage be made, which would have far-reaching effects in moulding the Department to the world standard of transportation efficiency.

“I am,” said he, “busily engaged in formulating proposals in report form for the adaptation of the best in the various modern phases of railway working found in other countries to suit the requirements of Railway business in this Dominion.”

As visible evidence of the assiduity with which the search for information was prosecuted by these representatives of our Railways while overseas, it may be mentioned that, for months past, matter bearing upon Railway problems has been landing at the Head Office, containing the ingredients, as it were, from which the pie of improvement for the New Zealand Railways has yet to be baked.

Mr. Mason did some strenuous travelling both in the Old Country and in America in an effort to gather, in a limited time, as much information as possible.

Very frequently after spending the day in close examination of working conditions at, say, Manchester, Liverpool or York, the night or a goodly portion of it was spent travelling possibly to London, or some other centre where appointments lasting through until the evening of the page 31 next day had to be kept within an hour or two of arrival. The train would that night be again boarded for a run to Newcastle or some other important distant town, and with the morning another vivid day of interview, discussion, examination, and research would be undertaken.

“I lost seven pounds in weight while in England,” laughingly remarked Mr. Mason. He attributed this to the constant strain of work and travel which the effective carrying out of their ambitious programme of inquiry involved.

Fortunately in New Zealand, through the lines being under one control, difficulties arising from distinctive practice in various parts do not arise, but a great deal of information which is applicable to our lines has been gathered from a careful sifting of railway practice as it exists to-day in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, other portions of Europe, and America.

Amongst the most striking features of railway operating which came under Mr. Mason's observation was the surprising volume of suburban passenger traffic handled at the big London terminals, and the punctuality maintained by the train services.

“The high standard of efficiency in these respects,” he said, “has been obtained by heavy capital expenditure which nothing but the great concentration of population in Great Britain (now 48 millions) could warrant.”

The way in which the populace flocked from all parts of the country to the various watering places on Sundays and Bank Holidays and the popularity of Wakes and Fairs constituted another phase of British life which impressed Mr. Mason.

“For Wake Week in Manchester,” he continued, “the manufacturers simply closed down their works while all the working classes streamed off to the seaside and other holiday places. They were all out for a good time, and nothing could damp their ardour. At these times people might be seen sleeping anywhere about stations at all hours of the day or night waiting for their trains, and nothing disturbed their determination to be carefree and to enjoy themselves. Bad weather, train congestion produced by the handling of such enormous crowds, or any other inconvenience, was treated as nothing to worry about. They had the real holiday spirit. At Blackpool, with rain falling continuously in a heavy drizzle, the town packed to overflowing, and thousands unable to find accommodation, there was no sign of discontent. Instead, all were as gay as possible, singing away and cracking jokes, ‘wet as shags,’ but enjoying themselves immensely. Under similar circumstances a New Zealand crowd would almost certainly feel rather bedraggled and look somewhat downcast.”

Asked as to the goods traffic, Mr. Mason said this was remarkable at some of the big goods stations, there being a huge volume of traffic dealt with.

“At Bishopsgate, where, owing to the site being in a congested area and blocked in with huge buildings, there has been no opportunity for extending their shed space, both inwards and outwards traffic is dealt with through the same building, the outward traffic being worked from midday to midnight, and the inward traffic from midnight to midday. Of course under these circumstances, some overlapping occurs; but the position is well handled in spite of the limited accommodation available.”

Referring to train speeds in England, Mr. Mason said he had timed some trains travelling at over 80 miles per hour on portions of their journey, and others kept up a speed of 60 miles per hour for considerable periods. Yet having regard to the difference in conditions between one country and another, the broader gauge, the more consolidated track, the more level country which England has compared with New Zealand, he considers our express trains do very creditable running, particularly the “Limiteds.” “On this point,” said Mr. Mason, “I have heard many spontaneous complimentary references by visitors. They are pleasantly surprised at the great development in railways they find in so young a country as ours, and also that so much has been done in New Zealand particularly under the more recent development of operations and extension of train services by and for a population which even yet does not exceed one and a-half millions.”

“Although,” he concluded, “each country has its own distinctive features, for speed and comfort it would be difficult to find anything to surpass the English Railways. At the same time it must be acknowledged that in some of the other countries visited conditions were very good indeed.”