20,000 Miles of Road on Rail Tracks
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FOR half the amount to be spent on railway modernization, 20,000 miles of modern roads could be built along the existing lines of track. This point was made at a conference held last week-end by the Railway Conversion League at Moor Park College, near Farnham, Surrey, attended by road transport and railway engineers, industrial consultants and representatives of road associations and political parties.
Mr. L. M. Ballamy, consulting engineer. said that to ask whether electricity, steam or oil fuel was best for railways was like discussing which whip to use to flog a dead horse. Mr. N. E. Bennett, transport executive, stated that the Americans, with Diesel locomotives, and the French. with electricity, had done all they could to improve their railways, hut both were losing money.
Brig. T. I. Lloyd, former deputy head of engineering at the War Office, said that British Railways had bled the British Transport Commission white. Conversion of the railways into roads would not cause a great transport upheaval as they carried only a fifth of the country's traffic.
"It is a gigantic task, but it merits a gigantic remedy," he added.
Brig. Lloyd is the author of "Twilight of the Railways—What Roads They'll Make." reviewed in The Commercial Motor on November 29. 1957.
NEW FEEDERS FOR SALOPIA NEW express feeder services from Wrexham. Crewe and Nantwich were granted, last week, to Salopia Saloon Coaches, Ltd., for their extended tours from Whitchurch. There were no objectors. The North Western Traffic Commissioners were told that a similar service from Chester granted in 1954, had proved so successful that passengers in Wrexham. Crewe and, Nantwich had asked for similar facilities.
The application was granted or Sundays only, throughout the year, on condition that only passengers booked for Salopia extended tours should be carried. without separate fares.