96. Brigadier-General Brownasked the Minister of Transport whether his attention has been called to the different systems of electrification used by the Southern and the other railway companies in this country; and whether he is satisfied that in case of emergency there would be no difficulty in transferring engines and trucks from one system to another without unloading or delay?
§ there will be no difficulty in the expeditious transfer of engines from one railway system to another, or in the transfer of freight without unloading. Regulation 7 of the Railway (Standardisation of Electrification) Order provides that as and when (owing to electrification) the proportion of one-third of the (steam) locomotives owned by any railway company, as at 31st December, 1928, have been replaced by electrically propelled stock, the Minister shall lay down to what extent electric locomotives belonging to that company shall be equipped, in accordance with standards set out in the Regulation, so as to be capable of through running on other railways worked by a different method of traction.
§ Mr. G. GriffithsWill not this be very much easier when the railways are nationalised?