RAILWAY DEVIATION

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 72, 18 December 1937, Page 10

RAILWAY DEVIATION

Work On Turakina-Okoia Section

Dominion Special Service. Waiigainii. December 17. Consigned to the Public Works Department for use on the Turakina-Okoja railway deviation, approximately 10,857 hardwood sleepers are expected at W a ‘ nganui early next week in the Union Company’s inter-colonial freighter, Kiwitea. During the past few months much plant and material for the deviation construction camps has arrived at Wanganui by sea, and some particular!}’ heavy machinery has been unloaded at the wharves. The Kiwitea cargo was loaded at Australian ports last week. She has 770 tons for Wanganui, including sleepers, and is due at Castlecliff on Tuesday morning from Wellington. Good progress is being made with the deviation. Nearly 200 men are engaged on the undertaking and two tunnels, one of which will be about a mile and a quarter in length, are being bored through the hills to eliminate steep gradients and heavy haulage costs between Turakina and Okoia. Loading restrictions now in force because of these grades is also an important factor, and even the most powerful locomotives on the section cannot haul more than 240 tons over the Turakina-Wangaehu and Okoia banks. Modern machinery, powered by electricity. is being used for boring out the tunnels. Shifts were introduced about three months ago. and gangs of men work in relays for 24 hours a day. The tunnel at the Turakina end will be the longer of the two. but the other, located at Denlair, on the Fordell side, will be about a mile in length when completed.