DUPLICATION OF THE MOSGIEL RAILWAY LINE.

Evening Star, Issue 11452, 21 January 1901, Page 4

DUPLICATION OF THE MOSGIEL RAILWAY LINE.

The District Railway Engineering Department has been busy for some time preparing detail plans in connection with the decision 1n double the railway line between Dunedin and Mnsgiel and lessen the grades. At the present time the worst grade between town ;inrl the Caversham. tunnel is lin 50, and that is Ki br ••educed to lin 80. To do this, which of cours? goes hand in hand with the doubling (if the- line, entails a work of considerable magnitude and involves bridging Anderson Boy and Kensington roads, the road traffic passing underneath the railway. In order to reduce the grade the incline will have, to be started away from the hill altogether, and with this object the grade will commence a little to the south of the overbridge at the foot of Jetty, street. It will be sufficient to carry tli« train on to a level •bridge at the place of the present crossing at Anderson Bay road, and from that point to Kensington road the line will be level. After crossing the bridge over Kensington road the ascent will be resumed, and, as we have said, Caversham will be reached by a 1 in 80 grade instead of 1 in 50. as at present. From Cavcrsbaiii there will be a deviation from-the present line, and a new tunnel will be put through the hill, the line coming out at. the back of the. Abattoirs at Rurnside. From this point to Mosgicl the e.tact route at one or two points has not been definitely decided upon, but the present maximum grades of 1 in 60 and 1 in 55 will be reduced to 1 in 100. it being estimated that whilst the outgoing loads from Dunedin can easily be negotiated with a 1 in 80 grade, the loads from Mosgiel require the easier ascent of not greater than 1 in 100. The first part of the work to be put in hand will be that between Dunedin and Caversham. the necessary borjngs for the bridge foundations having already been made.