Our railways—from their earliest days

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32975, 22 July 1972, Page 10

Our railways—from their earliest days

(Reviewed by R.J.)

Railways of New Zealand. By David B. Leitch. Leonard Fullerton, Ltd., 245 pp. Illustrations, index.

As railway systems shrink, so the mass of literature about them continues to grow. The latest addition to books concerned with the local scene is Mr Leitch’s “Railways of New Zealand.” Less specifically a text-book than A. N. Palmer’s "Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives,” and more detailed and comprehensive historically than W. W. Stewart’s fine personal account, “When Steam Was King.” this new volume can undoubtedly find a space on the shelves with those two established “classics” of railway literature. The author already has to his credit “Engine Pass” (describing persona] footplate experiences), and a number of articles in overseas railway magazines.

In a clear and pleasantly-readable style Mr Leitch describes and explains the development of railways in New Zealand from the earliest days to the present. He even speculates in the final chapter on the future of the system, criticising the New Zealand Railway’s lukewarm attitude towards upgrading passenger facilities, but rightly praising the flexibility of the freight-handling system. The possible role of rail transport in the inevitable boom in the tourist industry is also mentioned. The first chapter deals with pioneer railway projects, notably the Dun Mountain scheme of 1862 in Nelson Province (utilising horse traction), and the first steam-traction project — Canterbury’s own Ferrymead line of 1863. Next comes an examination of the steady expansion made possible by the Vogel Scheme, in which the central government assumed responsibility for railway construction in an effort (a highly successful one) to open up the back country for immigrants. Mr Leitch economically sketches the rapid growth of the rail system both in the South and North Islands, in the process highlighting certain staggering engineering feats. One of the most impressive of these was the construction, in 1878, of the renowned Rimutaka Incline (the mean gradient on the eastern side of which was 1 in 15 — almost twice as steep as the most severe gradients in Britain). An even more famous exploit was the construction at the end of the nineteenth century of the Raurimu Spiral, which carried the North Island Main Trunk route over rugged parts of the central plateau, and needed three horseshoe curves, two tunnels, and a complete circle to advance the tracks four and a quarter miles (or one and a quarter miles as the crow flies).

Perhaps of particular interest to South Island readers is an account of the construction of the Otira tunnel, begun in May, 1908, and not open to traffic until May, 1923. The tunnel is five miles twenty-five chains long and has an average gradient of 1 in 33. It carries New Zealand’s first electrified line through some of the most difficult terrain in the world, and is a fine tribute to the persistence and ingenuity of the country’s railway engineers. The author concludes his historical survey with a description of post-war modernisation (Ch. 6 and a brief mention of the more important private rail systems (Ch. 7 Up to this point the book is fascinating, certainly of sufficient interest to engage general readers. However, the following two chapters, devoted to a very brief catalogue of tractive units and rolling stock, might well bog down the layman in technical detail. On the other hand, the catalogue will prove too superficial, I think, to satisfy genuine enthusiasts, particularly as A. N. Palmer’s “Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives” deals with almost the same material in more detail, and with copious illustrations.

Mr Leitch tends to fall between two stools also in the first of his appendices. Devoted to the principle dimensions of representative N.Z.R. locomotives, it is of insufficient interest to the general reader, and insufficiently comprehensive for the expert. However, this is not to detract from the general thoroughness of the author’s method and documentation — evidence, no doubt, of his academic training. The four subsequent appendices are much better than the first, and of interest to enthusiast and casual reader alike. Appendix Two deals with locomotive preservation, pointing out that the local Ferrymead Museum possesses l the largest collection of ex-N.Z.R. locomotives in New Zealand, and providing an implicit tribute to the energies of various preservation societies throughout the country. Other appendices deal with dimensions of bridges, viaducts, and tunnels; traffic statistics; and recent line closures. Mr Leitch’s book is, over-all, a valuable contribution to railway literature. Possibly the price and the relatively small number of illustrations may deter some. Even so, it remains a volume indispensable to the genuine enthusiast.