THE TRANS-ANDINE RAILWAY.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 67, 21 March 1910, Page 3

THE TRANS-ANDINE RAILWAY.

The Trans-Andine railway scheme will rank among the most remarkable engineering achievements of the world. It is the first transcontinental line in South America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, forming one of the four outlets of isolated Chili to the rest of the world. The TransAndine will shorten the distance between Western Europe and Australia by about 1000 miles, and effect (it is anticipated) a saving of about nine days in the connection with Europe. The most serious engineering work has been in that portion of the route leading up to La Cumbre Pass, 12,605 ft in height, where the Cordilleras have had to be pierced by a series of difficult tunnels, and the Abt system of cogs and racks employed for the safe and expeditious running of trams. On one section of thirty-two miles there are 113 bridges, large and small, and in the mountains huge avalanche sheds will prbtect the line from the enormous masses of snow liable to be precipitated upon it. Near La Cumbre Pass the great spiral tunnel, perhaps one of the longest of its kind, and most difficult to construct in the world, has been made. It is 9941 ft in length, and was built by W. R. Grace and Co., of London and New York, the contract price being 6,569,775 dollars. This Avas completed in November last, and it is expected that by June next the last section of the line will be finished. Through traffic will be inaugurated in March, 1911, by which time the whole scheme will have taken thirty-seven years to carry out.