§ 18. Mr. A. M. SAMUELasked the Minister of Transport how many obsolete four- and/or six-wheeled passenger coaches are standing on the siding in Great Britain; and whether the question of their convertibility into goods trucks has been under consideration?
§ Sir E. GEDDESI have no figures as to the number of obsolete coaches, but the practice of railways when rolling stock is no longer fit for short journey traffic is to sell the bodies, if possible, as living huts, and use the under-frames for various purposes in works and yards. As a general rule, under-frames of this class of stock are not sufficiently strong to justify converting them into goods wagons.
§ Mr. SAMUELDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that although he has not been able to get the figures, there are, indeed, a large number of these coaches, and that it might be well to inquire into the possibility of turning them into freight trucks?
§ Mr. WATERSONWould it not be false economy?
§ Sir E. GEDDESI doubt very much whether these frames, in any appreciable number of cases, are sufficiently strong for conversion.