NEW STATION YARD

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 23, 27 July 1934, Page 10

NEW STATION YARD

PROGRESS OF WORK

MAIN LINE CHANGE-OVER

A YEAR'S RESULTS

The'result of the work which has been in progress upon the new Wellington railway station yard for about a year is becoming apparent. About half of the tracks for the goods trains have been put in their final position on tho Thorndon reclamation, enabling the Lambton area, which is to be used exclusively for passenger traffic and cars, to be cleared of the old goods tracks, and this is now under way. The old tracks have been used for many years, and renewals for the last few years, pending the building" of the new yard, have been postponed from year to year as an economy measure. This material, as it is being, lifted, is being practically scrapped, as it is well past a useful life. A start is now being nlado to lay out tho permanent car sidings for the uso of suburban passenger-cars, when they are not required. Besidonts of Johnsouville and district may welcome this indication of the realisation of thpir desire that their trains should come into Wellington. Another big job is the shifting of tho present Wairarapa lines, between tho old Thorndon Esplanado crossing near the Thorndon tram shed and Davis Street, nearer to their permanent position on the landward side. They cannot yet be placed in their final position, as they would come right through the present Thorndon passenger platform, but they will bo' placed very nearly in their permanent position. They will be laid permanently after the Thorndon Station is demolished. ■ A GAME OF CHESS. It, can Teadily be realised that the building of a new yard on top of an old yard, where all the tracks lid, in different directions, is something like a game of chess, and this involves the special uso of a certain number of tho offico staff who do nothing else but plot out theso moves from one end to the other. Those moves are known for a long period ahead. In order to arrive at tho best method of changing over much forethought and many discussions must ensue between the various branches of the departments concerned, as tho trains must be kept going every day and all day. The traffic, locomotive,. signalling, electric, and maintenance branches are all involved in these discussions and in concerted' planning to jfVoid useless expenditure. A start will soon bo made to build the rest of the goods yard on the area that is being made available by the chang-, ing over of the main lines. Tho changing over of the main lines is a tricky proposition to the maintenance staff and signalling staff.. This work will commence shortly,, when, there will bo an important change-over. Material is coming to hand, in large quantities, such/ as hardwood sleepers from Australia;/ steel rails from" England, machinery, etc. WHILE RECLAMATION SETTLES. Most of the work-to date has been done on the Thorndon reclamation. The filling of this 68 acres, first by the dredges and latterly by ballast from a pit which has been opened .by the Railway Department on land at Silverstream, has taken more than 2,(300,000 cubic yards of spoil and gravel. The problem facing, the Department is the building and keeping in order of the tracks while the settlement of all this filling takes place. The main lines on tho final plan swing round on the land waTd side of the old yard, and the greater part of these main lines will he on old ground, but only a piece on the northern end,' which the Wairarapa trains are already travelling on, is permanently built and in use. , WELDED JOINTS. Many people will have noticed that going from Wellington on the up line there is an absence of "clicketyclack" for about a mile in the vicinity of Kaiwarra. ■ This is due to fhe Department . trying out the principle of welding five: rails, together by tho Thermit welding process, the joints between each set of five rails being the ordinary fish-plates. The oxpan sion and contraction which formerly took place at. the end of each rail now takes place over fivo lengths of rail^at the fishplates, and this has to be carefully watched. Most of the reclamation on the seaward side of Thorndon is devoted to work for the goods traffic. On the landward side, of Thorndon reclamation will be situated the new locomotive depot. That portion ■ south of .Davis Street will ; be. devoted .to passenger traffic,. such as platforms " and the storage of cars necessary to the working of the Wairarapa, and Manawatu traffic. The new station building" is also on this area, and.in, front of;it there , will: be an open space for the handling of taxis, motor-cars, trams, etc. Progress on the station itself is at present confined to pile-driving for the foundations. 'All this work is seriously affected by the, weather, and progress depends largely on the number of fine days. A heavy day's rain hampers resumption of work the following day, and consecutive fine days are few. ,