RAILWAY EXTENSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 79, 3 April 1928, Page 11

RAILWAY EXTENSIONS.

3ASGAVILLS BRANCH LINE. GOOD PROGRESS MADE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) DARGAVILLE, Monday.

During the six months since a start was luadg on the Dargaville branch railway luie, excellent progress has been made. Working from their control depot at Puke'huia, where about 30Q men ai;e in residence, the Public Works Department is able, with the assistance of motor launches, to transport workmen and materials to and fro. Heavy machinery can be quickly transferred from place to place.

Leaving Kirikopuni, the present terminus of-the railway, the route makes a "balloon loop" of about half a mile in length, doubling back to'the main line, and paralleling it until ' Paradiise station is reached. There it branches at an angle of about 45 degress to the south. On the '"balloon loop" the bulk of the earthwork and a large cutting have been completed by a locomotive. Ten tip wagons hre shifting up to 500 cubic yards a day. As quickly as possible the temporary line is being laid, for, with the taking over? by the Railway Department of' Kirikoptini line, directly after Easter, the Public Works Department will require this length *of Jine, on which to store their locomotive* and trucks, at present running on the main line. A new highway, wlueli will eventually connect Mapur.a with the main Wha nga re i- Da rgfi vil le highway is being constructed to take it>=s place. Within the next week a start will be made clearing Opiako Creek and deepening it preparatory to starting on the erection! of an embankment through the 1 Opiako swamp. • The three miles* straight •strfetch through this swamp,. reaching almost to TangoWanine, will take the machine .fully six months. Just below the TangOvvahinc School, on the main Dargaville-Wliangarei highway, a start was riiade last week with the excavation of earth work on a big cutting, so that the whole ten miles section from Kirikopuni to Tangowahine -has. been attacked at its most difficult points, with a view to this section being open to traffic, both goods and passengers, within tlie next eighteen to twenty months.

Waiotira-Kirikopimi. The handing over of .the Waio-tira-Kirikopuni section, of. railway by the Puilic' Works Department to the Railways Department marks a further milestone in the progress of this district, and the occasion will probably not be allowed to pass without some fitting ceremony. During the past three months over- 40,000 head of cattle, {rtieep, lambs and pigs have been transported. The passenger traffic has developed until there are over 1500 pasengers a month.

Tangowahine Township. Situated about six miles from Dargaville, the small township of Tangowahine will be, completely transformed within a very short space. At present it is the outlet to a very fine area of splendid 'dairying and eheep country, embracing the Tangowahiiie Valley, Karaka, the lower portions of Tutamoe and the Mangakahia .Valley. From it are now being constructed the roads which will subdivide the 4000 acres of this block, and within a few weeks the site of the railway station and overhead traffic bridge will be fenced preparatory to more extensive works being put in hand. ■ ~ From Tangowahine to Dargaville the line will follow the river very closely for a couple of miliw. The route has been surveyW and the plans are at present under review by, officials of the Puttlic Works and Railway Departments. There are almost five alternate routes for the last three miles approaching Dargaville BoiioVgh. %ot anticipated th*t wpijk wlll..be put in hand on this' section ' during this •' winter, the whole of the energies of the department/will' be concentrated on the line to Tangowahine. -