THE MOUNTAIN LINE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 740, 12 February 1910, Page 13

THE MOUNTAIN LINE.

OVER THE BIMUTAKAS.

SUGGESTED DEVIATIONS. Tie mountain section of; the Wellington-Masterton-Napier lino, the celebrated Fell Incline over the Rimutakas, is theadmirataon of tourists, somowhat of a trial to the business,'man.in Vhurry,.and an interesting problem for railway engineers. Considerations , .of'; railway , finance,- added to the contention of the, Masterton Chamber of Commerce that the' "development of one of the most'productive districts in; New.. Zealand,' demands better means of communication with the port," call'fOr. a.

brief review of the! suggestions which have been . made' for ;:an .improvement'' of!the mountain section—impr) rement whicii, it.. '! estimated., ten years.:', ago;', would havo effected a saving of JC13.000 a year. At proknt time'; it is' considered that in view, of the 40 per cent, increase,' ; sinc; recorded ill ; tho;traffic:receipts at;stations bphvoen Pahiatua and Feathcrs'ton, there would be a Baying'of 0ver..618,000 a year. Three deviationsfrom,.:iho'.present 1 lolite have'been suggested—(a) a-'deviatidn fro'm the UpperHutt, via the' valley of. the Tauhennikau, to Woodville ,• (b) a deviation from 2iaitoke,via tho old coach road, -to Foatheiston; (o) a deviation from f J c> tone, via the Wainui-o-mata Valloy and tho Wairarapa lake shore. Via the Old Coach Road. For a deviation 1 via the old coaoh road from Kaitoko .to tho township, .in; length: about 9 miles WJ chains, tho,estimated cost v»ay got- down at <6181,200. The grade Iron Kaitoko to tho now Summit level at:99sfoet would bo 1 in 65, an] the ,sharpest.-curve would be of 10 chains radius.--.At the Surnn it- level tin. tram would enter a tunnel U3 chains in length, with a grade of 1 m GO, falling towards.: Feathorston. •: Other '.worts' of' i note .in ..the coach-road, deviaticn would be budges .across ,tho Puk'iiatahi and the Rimutaka, Tidswell's, Beat's; and Cave's.creeks - There wo.ild-;bo-no particularly heavy earthworks, and the line would join the- existing railway about 53 chains ; south -of Featherstjn. By' lengthening tho deviation to join the existing line about three-quarters of a mile beyond Featherston, and increasing the lesh-'-mated, cost to about a grade of ■1 in 55 would be assured,-but with sharper curves

To Femside via the Coach Road ,- Alternative- deviation schemes between Kaitoke and the Plain, via the Coach ltoad, but more expensive, were, suggested,,. Asia 6ct oft -to. the increased : cost,, these .would'be of easier grade. The 'first .of* these, is a - route via ■ the ■ Koad Saddle Tunnel 1 down the. left (side' of: Ab- . bott's - Creek, arid, thence along:',the hill-: sides beyond I'eatherrton to .Pernside -Station,- two' miles; .distant.,,- The. grades would be about 1 in '75, or,ywitii: flattened curves; no vworse than;.l ,iii ; . GO; ;• Heavier, Works "would be required—larger bridges and. viaducts" for.' the 'tributories. of - Abbott's Creok, iwith: 1i,150ft,',',-via'diict' of ■ cousidorable,length'.for Boar'. Bush" Creek, behind: Fcatherston.The: ;of: this alternative deviation: iroih; \lCaitdkb! to i 1 eatherston ■'was set; down j'at'i .£260,000. (:■ The second of thess proposed to. carry . tho 'Coach '.Road...deviation (:past l'eatherston,- and terminate it- at- Woodside, keep ing.,the : line.-.fairly ,well lip';.in".-the - hillscrossing .'.the';', four; creeks "included; in. construction-.!scheme-; for';.the;:three'-, pre-: vious-:schemes'.jriiich -higher 'up, ; -and en-' suring a continuous grade of .l.ih 95. or, : with flattened curves, a. working gradient of.,l;in -82,- or: even better. Commenting -?P. .W? S./Hay. remarked . ilfl.his .1809 report);-that the best grades from Woodside, to Kaitokeare obtainable by this route,-and-the worst, parts of the.line would be 6afer.': than the! worst parts along the: Tauherenikau route. The' .cost of construction from Pukurotaki to Woodside would be . very hcavv—snf ..£350,000, including ,*25,000 for-short tun-' nels,.. vto the cost, .'of-, 'the bummit; Tunnel, and ' .493,000 for' bridges andjriaducts.';;There would-be sdme. difliculty. in getting -,- gradesfrom; tho, Upper Wtt! to the bummit: sufficiently flat -to avoid the use! of assistant, engines-with tpo,present ratio of upto down-country traihe on-line .with so .flat a gradient', as this ono between Woodside and the Summit Tunnel. . . . -.-

The Tauherinlkau Route. : -The . Tauherinikau deviation vtonld j L, l off tlie existing route about two and; three-quarter, miles- beyond Kaitoke; and, aftor crossing the Riinutaka'Creek, proceed along, the - spurs and. intervening flats to a tunnel; through the. main range. 1 Hence, the line would .follow:, a tributary creek;to. its junotion with the Tauherinikau Eiver, then along the right .bank of .the latter stream for a distanoe ,ot, about four and a half, miles, where thero would be some heavy work. About three miles from. Woodside Station the line would ctoss the river,' either : on' 'a bridge, or a viaduct, and. then run along the terraces or.. the hillsides, according to the grade required, 1 in 70 being, in :the. opinion of the engineer, tho best to .obtain, even if: a little -more oostly. .Woodside, ;-being-.the' highest .point ?be-

h«en. the Wniohiiw . and Tanherinikan Rivers, is, considered. the engineer, tie proper terminal for this deviation.

, From Upper Hutt to Kaitoko. The oholce of - routes, considered the emgineer, lay between (1) .a line, from tho Upper Hutt, rising immediately after ■leaving that' station, to a' low saddle at K&itoke, requiring a 29-chain tunnel, thence_ through easy oountry to its junction with the suggested Tauherinitau de-

..viahon; and. (2) :a , line ; with .suitable grades between..the Upper Hutt and I(ai- ' toke Saddle; and .thence, via the ' Coach Road—Woodside deviation, the only objection to the ; latter being ite much greater possible oost..- -\ The -.odvatrtages to - be cxpeotcd, to be got from the. constrnotion or a .deviation with-. lin 70 grades:or ,lin 82 grades on: the straight . agaiiist, the doyiwxmiitrv traffic, : with properly .baldnced" grades ■agaiMt;the up-country ■ traffic,' would be: A- much quioker .service,between ,Wellington and Wcodside; a . saving of seven miles ..in.: length, of ; -journey; ;' and of: .over 1100 ft.. of -rise and fall, tobo .siirmountcd by each train; a considerable'.saving in rolling-stock maintenance, by the outting out of the 5 miles. 8 chains of curvcs of ' 5-cnains, radius, and 1 mile; 46 chains of: ourvea of 5| to ,7-chaiMradius, on the existing, line between the "Upper Hutt aitd Cross. Creek' Stations. (the,limits of curvature on the.naw line,being, say,.l&ohtuns. ■ Radius' Upper,' Hutt>: to, 1 the ■ Summit, ; ,andi 1\ or,B onains.Summit to. Woodside)the saving, of the' expenditure, required ! to keep' l up the Grass Creek. Station; .the

saving -of the useless'Jhaulage of Pell brake-vans,: weighing.:l2 to IS tons,! for each ' train up or down tho,Fell-Incline; the'saving of. expense'of irunnihg assistant engines between -the UppoT.Hutt' and; the Summit* and between ; ■ Cross"'Creek ; and Pigeon Busli, and;some".saving 'in-main-,taining the permanent .way on the Pell Incline.'': ;- r .-..u 7 ;■ : ■ The /deviation . via - the. -.Tauherinikiii would .reduce. the distance from Woodville to Wellington .to -• about :-..miles,as', .against 105. miles ,by! the. Hanawatu lime;' but in view of tho slower speeds through the Slanawatu Gorge, and the'slow, rate of,travelling'from Tawa.Flat.' to Wellington,. the .'.timo fromWoodvillevto j.Wel-' lingt»n ;.via ; the.'Tanherinikau deviation, would; oonsidered the enrineeri bo a little shorter; as it also should .be by the. Wood-side-Coach Road-Saddle Route-Mn both oases for passenger trains. .The ; rtUihg gradient via the Manawatu - line ;'agaiast trafflo to Wellington 4 is ,1' in 66; with 12ohain curves; as against: 1.,ih:70 .onUhe straight by tho Tauherinikau deviation. i 'Petone to Pigeon Bush, via Walnul. In . a report submitted, by E; W. Holmes in 1899, ' the ; then resident engineer,' on.tlie. suggested: deviation '■ Petone '.tor* Pigeon Bush, .via the. and i .Wfurongoroai ; obsferrod . "The, 'cototry . reservoir in

t'.io ViVnisi-o-mri'a Valley, and the narrow;;;/! bolt ot ilut epiMi'ry' a/up the Wairarapa yVVji Lake is quite toniit for settlement; it. is;, vd only fit lor a. forest reserve,, or. to. act:V,;.4 as a catchment-basin, for supplying Weilington with water and power M far/ m% ! '| theOrongorongo Valley is concerned. Tlio 'j \Wsirongomai. Valley .is merely a precipi-J;;,| .tooe.itoTOtaln gorge. .The.duet points mojO favour of this route are:—(l) Shorter by . ;-. 3 3 milag 17 chains than;constructedUnej.-'i?)! (2) low. summit lovel—viz., sGoft. abovo I

sed- level; (3) only! one.bridge. of any ' that. over the 7 : Hntt l :l? Riyer;' (4) - maintained;; (s)' .ivarr :' easy' grades (6) docs interfere witi . present Uno through leatherston." '. : :