Wellington Fiducias etc
Graeme Bennett
Tuesday, September 25, 2001 6:21 AM
The resemblance of the Wellington Fiducias to the
Osgood Bradley and Brill Master Units cannot be regarded as mere
coincidence.
In those days when the cars were being built , New Zealand
was using tramcar technology from all over the world and adapting it to suit
local conditions and requirements.
Wellington's 4 foot gauge, ( with its 2 and 1
seating,) produced a THIN Master unit in fact....albeit with max traction
trucks !!!
Many other cars in New Zealands provincial centres had
cars which would have been quite at home in any American
town
Examples........
Pic 1........... Shows New Plymouth No.5
built by Boon of Christchurch 1914, typically American, but with English
electrics and trucks.
Pic 2 ............ Some REAL American
cars made it to the Shaky Isles in the form of 9 of the ubiquitous Birney cars.(
3 to New Plymouth)
(Photos by Trev Terry, Hamilton New Zealand)
Reference is made in GC Stewart's publications to the fact
that Napier, which had a 3'6'" gauge , asking Brill to supply narrow gauge
Birneys. ( They could not say it was impossible !!)
WGB
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