THE ROTORUA RAILWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 259, 1 November 1893, Page 8

THE ROTORUA RAILWAY.

This afternoon Messrs James Stewart, Engineer-in-charge of Rotorua railway, Coom, Residenb Engineer Railway Department, and Vickerman, Resident Engineer, Public Works Departmenb, arrived in town from a visib of inspecbion bo the Pukareru - Tarukanga section of the Rotorua Railway the last portion of which was completed by Messrs McLean and sons about a month ago. During their stay they thoroughly overhauled the work. They traversed the section to Tarukinga by train on Monday and returned by trolly on the following: day stopping on both occasions at intervals to examine the condition of the road. Although the line is now in a fit state for traffic, as the fact of the train conveying the party of engineers having traversed it at a good speed proves, there are certain repairs which ib will be necessary to effecb before the line can be ready for passengers, and tbe people of Auckland able to travel by rail within 8 miles of our great sanatorium. Our representative, who visited the line, thinks these repairs will entail an expenditure of £800 or £900. In many parts of the way, where there are extensive embankments, the ground has subsided with tbe resulb that bhe lines are several inches below their original level. To raise these will probaply cosbaboub £200. The principal work which will have to be done before a regular passenger brain can be run bo bhe end of the line without danger of interruption is in two large cuttings near to Ngahra. In both of these there have been serious slips. The largest is in a cutting three hundred feet high. JETere the ground has broken oil at the top of bhe cutting, and bhe whole side bas clipped en masse. Although bhe fallen soil does nob at present obstruct the line, lit may do so any day, and if the train were running regularly might cause a serious stoppage to traffic. These two slips wibh other minor repairs may absorb £600 or £800. In the case of both the soil will have to be removed, .and the banks rescarped to a more secure angle, and in all probability the face of the more seriously damaged cutting will have bo be partially faced with sbone bo rebain the soil which, when saturated with waber, runs like quicksand. These repairs, our represenbative gabbers, could very likely be effected, though a train was running without the traffic being interfered with. As the Government are anxious to open the line as soon as may bo, ib ia nob impossible that bhey may allow of this being done, but ib is far more probable that tbey will, on receipt of the engineer's report, get the line put into running order before putting a train on it. Three weeks, it would eeem, should see bbc line ready, if the work was pushed forward vigorously.