78 SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF YORK AND DISTRICT 



to the Rescue Station of the Yorkshire Coal-Owners' Association ; to 

 the new grid power station at Kirkstall, and to the works of the York- 

 shire Post, each among the most modern of their kind in the kingdom. 

 Notes on each of the above are appended, and it is only regretted that 

 space does not admit of descriptions of the countless other items of 

 engineering interest which the district affords. 



York Carriage and Wagon Works, 



The York Carriage and Wagon Works were opened in 1884, but since 

 this date several extensions have been made, and the works now cover 

 an area of 62 acres, including 18 acres of roofed buildings. The number 

 of hands at these works is normally about 2,750, but owing to the present 

 trade depression and forced economies this number has been reduced, and 

 is now a little over 2,000. 



Until the amalgamation of the various railway companies now forming 

 the London & North Eastern Railway in 1923, the whole of the carriages 

 and the greater portion of the wagons required for the North Eastern 

 Railway were constructed at these works, and also the maintenance of 

 this stock was undertaken here. Since the amalgamation the carriage 

 works have been considerably developed, and now permit of the larger 

 portion of the carriages and special wagons required for the London & 

 North Eastern Railway being built here, in addition to a greater number 

 of carriage repairs, and the erection of new steel bogies and underframes 

 for the other sections of this Company. The machinery is everywhere 

 of the most modern type ; processes have been radically altered wherever 

 productiveness can be thereby improved — as evidence, the rapid increase 

 in the use of welding ; components are made to jig throughout, and 

 assembly is carried out on the progressive system, each receiving in the 

 course of its route through the shops the attentions of successive gangs, 

 all in accordance with a definite time-table. As a result, great savings 

 have been made. The time taken from the laying down of the floor of a 

 vehicle to its leaving the shops has been reduced from 5 J weeks to 10 

 days, while the ' heavy repairs ' of a carriage now take 20 days in place 

 of 12 weeks. Carriage wheels are re-turned in three-eighths of the time 

 formerly required, and that often without removing as much metal as 

 formerly, thus prolonging life. 



The Carriage Works are now capable of giving an output of four new 

 complete 61 ft. 6 in. vestibuled bogie carriages, and the repairing of 77 

 carriages (17 heavy and 60 light repairs) per week ; also, in order to 

 avoid duplication of expensive plant being laid down, and thus reducing 

 overhead charges at the Company's different carriage works, all carriage 

 underframes complete with bogies are built here, and delivered to the 

 various centres. 



The Wagon Works, where only repairs are now undertaken, are con- 

 nected to the Carriage Works by a footbridge over the main goods line, 

 and turn out between 500 and 600 repaired wagons each week. 



The Carriage Works contain : 



Forge and Smiths' Shops, with drop hammers, presses, steam hammers, 

 etc. 



