Workshop Improvements
Moving Along With The Times.

We have gone through the shops at Petone. The general impression gained was much the same as that described in the Saga of King Olaf, when

Workmen sweating at the forges
Fashioned iron bolt and bar,
Like a warlock's midnight orgies
Smoked and bubbled the black cauldron
With the boiling tar.

A visit to the Railway Workshops is all that is needed to assure anyone that the time has fully arrived when new shops are necessary to cope adequately with the work which, through many years of steady railway expansion, has become more and more hampered by congestion in the existing old buildings.

On entering any of the shops the visitor observes the new Time Machines, with the racks alongside containing the cards of employees. On arriving or leaving the shop, each employee takes his card out of one rack, punches it in the Time Machine, and places it in the other rack. The machine types the time on the card. We saw the rush in one shop when the cease-work whistle sounded, and the speed with which everyone was “clocked out” was remarkable. This system, introduced recently, accurately records the time of every member in the shop. Under the old system only the time of arrival and departure at the main gate was recorded.

There is an air of ordered efficiency about the building very pleasing to the beholder. Drawbacks, of course, exist. Such murkiness, for instance, as is found in the blacksmiths’ shop will be done away with in the new buildings. Under the re-organisation already effected, there has been a grouping of machines for special classes of work which does much to expedite production.

The men are proud of the capacity of some of the new machines installed. All these are motor driven, so that belting is not so much a feature of the workshops as in the past. We saw a powerful punching and slotting machine, and a spindle lathe into which long lengths of bar metal are put for cutting up to the length and thickness desired; then a surface grinding machine with its many revolving emery wheels putting a fine finish on machined metal attracted attention. An interesting piece of machinery, the “rumbler,” looks like an old fashioned churn or a modern washing-machine, and is used for polishing up cast iron articles, which tumble about as the machine revolves losing in the process their roughness by friction. A special gritty material is put in with the articles to assist in sanding them off, and the result is to put a fine smooth surface on formerly rough-faced articles. Two new Bullard boring mills are among the fast working machines introduced. In a vertical turret lathe were piston rings being cut for locomotives. Then the new high-speed planer and grinding machines claimed attention.

The main shop for moulding is interesting, for here it is that crucibles full of molten metal are poured into moulds made of special sand to form the required shapes.

An indication of what can be done by improved machinery is furnished by the new Loudon lathe for turning wagon wheels. This is a very powerful machine, boring deeply and quickly, so that whereas the older pattern of lathe was considered to be doing quite well with six pairs turned per day, this one can turn 16 pairs in the same time.

Electrically driven machines for supplying compressed air to all air-driven machinery in the workshops are installed in a special room. These require no attention beyond lubrication. They supply compressed air at 100 lbs. to the square inch, and have an automatic safety valve. It was fascinating to watch this device cut off the power as soon as 100 lbs. was reached and bring the power in again immediately any reduction took place.

In the blacksmithy department great strides have been made in the establishing of machinery to reduce human labour. A bolt-making machine capable of making 2,000 ordinary bolts per day was introduced about twelve months ago. Four samples of tools which this monster could make accompanied the machine from the manufacturers, but at Petone already over a hundred types of tools have been made from it, and its amazing adaptability to meet new requirements shows no signs of exhaustion. It bends and twists, slots and moulds practically anything in the bolt line up to 1 ½ ins. in thickness. We saw bond chain screws and shackles, superheater element bolts, wagon hinges, and back plates made by this mechanical vulcan. Hexagonal-headed page 27 bolts, 1 ½ in. × 2ft. 2in., of which a black-smith and striker could turn out 36 in one day, are produced at the rate of 400 to 500 per day by this machine worked by one operator. Westing-house brake pins, of which in one day a blacksmith, striker and steam-hammer attendant could produce 14, are now prepared at the rate of 250 per day by one man on the bolt-making machine. Another labour-aiding device is a 2-cwt. electric hammer which hits hard and with remarkable frequency whatever comes under its beat, and which can be regulated to a hair's breadth.

A larger tool shed has recently been provided. Here tools from all the workshops are brought for grinding up, a man being constantly employed for this purpose. When any tool is required, it is obtained from this shed, all ready sharpened. Previously every man had to grind up his own tools, and several might want to be grinding at the same time. The new method thus helps efficiency. The grinder becomes expert at his job and so time is further saved. The sharpened tools are all laid out on tables and racks in order, and are thus immediately available.

The shops are working at full pressure, with ordinary preparations for holiday traffic, augmented by preparation of the Royal train. Four engines are expected to share the honour of hauling Royalty in the North Island. These are Ab 833, A 600 (which previously conveyed the Prince of Wales), Ww 131 and Ww 575.

Class J. Engine in process of conversion into a Shunting Engine at Addington Workshops. W. W. Stewart, photo.

The Royal train will consist of the Royal car, Vice Regal car, an 18-berth De Luxe sleeper, one kitchen car, one Royal dining car and storeroom, one ordinary dining car, two 20-berth sleepers, one 18-berth sleeper, and a guard's van. The utmost interest is being taken by all employed in the work.

A new plan which works well is one under which all jobs for outside departments and other shops are prepared in a separate building. Some Departments so supplied are the Car and Wagon Inspector's, Post and Telegraph, and Public Works. Here also are water gauge mountings, fusible plugs, and Westinghouse pump valves made.

A feature of the shops work at Petone is the daily consultation of the Manager and his foremen in order that progress reports may be made and the whole work synchronised.

The general impression created by a visit to the Workshops is that on the manufacturing side the Department is well up with the times.

We are never so much disposed to quarrel with others as when we are dissatisfied with ourselves.

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No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth.—Bacon.

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A sense of humour is the love child of the intelligence.—Sir Herbert Tree.