NEW STATION OPENED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20723, 17 November 1930, Page 10

NEW STATION OPENED.

BAPID CHANGE-OVER MADE. J lr ■ : ~—- „ WORK THROUGHOUT NIGHT. TWO HUNDRED MEN AT TOIL. HEAVY TASK ACCOMPLISHED. Auckland's magnificent new railway station was brought into use for tho first time yesterday. The change-over from the old to the now was effected by a j;ang of over 200 men who, with energy and determination, performed a remarknblo feat of massed labour without tho 6loppage of a single train. , Tho last train to leave tho old station I by tho Parnell route on Saturday night took its doparturo at :i? ll o'clock to tho accompaniment of exploding detonators, placed on the line by waggish railwaymeu in jubilation of the event. It puffed its way slowly through '' the railway yards while shunters and signalmen shouted mock farewells, lhreo trains used the old station yesterday morning but they travelled on tho Wcst- " field deviation. T :,/ The change-over was probably the greatest public task of an urgent nature that, Auckland has ever seen and noth*l ing but the most efficient and exacting generalship could have accounted for its ,Ycompletion in schedule time without the • slightest hindrance. Every detail of the • work had been carefully planned months ahead by Mr. J. Dow, district engineer '••an charge of new works, and the completion of the change-over in 24 hours, exceedingly difficult and intricate task, reflects the greatest credit on him and the .. members of his staff. •..a Men Work at Peverish Haste. - r " At 6 o'clock on Saturday evening 100 men assembled at tho scene of operations ready to start on their respective

jobs. No less than 110 railway waggons " f were waiting in the station yard loaded '" with 700 yards of scoria filling to complete the gap in tbo new embankment J "lromtho Parnell railway bridgo to the " new/ station, and a powerful automatic * shovel, on contract from H. Bray and ! 5 Company, Onehunga, was ready to cut '"-through the old main line embankment "to give the trams access to the station. By 7 o'clock the lights of the station and the approaches were turned on to •"' illurriinate tho scene, and powerful flood-s-lights, fixed to the roof of tho station :i: "anrf the Parnell bridge girders mado it -"-'possiblo to read the smallest newspaper "type ; readily. Everybody had received ""his orders and it was now a case of wait■•f ing for the word to begin. At 7.37 p.m. the last train to enter Ih'c old station that night crossed the .Parnell Bridge. As soon as it had passed : : the Beach Road entrance to the new station orders rang out and tho men pounced to their respective tasks like greyhounds let off the leash. In three ; mintit es the automatic shovel, controlled, - it .was' said, by the speediest operator in .-.Auckland, was v burrowing into tho cm-i-fbaflkment. which has carried the main lines into-Auckland station for nearly 60 years, and-platelayers were busy breaking tracks, both inward and outward. At the Parnell Bridge the tracks were broken again-and waggon-load after waggon-load of scoria. filling was dumped to build up the now embankment. -~v; ■" ; Engineers' Long .Vigil.

v. "The.-men worked at feverish haste. v.XpaJcing-down from tho top of the rise - in Anzac Avenue the scene was weird and bizarre —the Bhovel working like a I,] demon possessed, horses straining with their -loads of spoil, men wielding the ~..;pick with rythmic action and a dozen of --them carrying heavy dismantled rails out V- of the way -like ants moving an obstruc-vr-tive. iwig.. -./• By.midnight the haste had reached the ±:z point, of .frenzy. The small army had ljeen augmented by tho arrival of seven members of-the signal'branch, six electric • : r/lipe#meh and 11 telegraph operators, togj gether -with 20 Transport Board men, -£ ready- to link the Beach Road tramlines with the single track already laid up the station, ramp. Of the 110 waggon-loads •art of .scoria' filling 45 had been emptied at -.ir t-he • Parnell - 'Bridge. One tramline had -c,-been toupled up and the automatic signailing erfuipmefit oii the old main line j P H.:WftS" nearly dismantled. / : > Mr. Dow; who, with the exception of / -citiwm hoars' sleep, was busy on the job r a;! for 38 hours from 6 a.m. on Saturday, ordered a" half-hour spell at midnight and ii had hot tea served to the men. Another ,gspell and the issue of more tea was al;yr lowed at 4 a.m., but, with the exception ■ "fcf of .-the two brief intervals for rest, ICO men .worked until 6 a.m., a 12 hours shift, s when they were relieved by another 100 men, who also worked 12 hours and saw tho job through. Drenching Downpour of Eain. The long and tiresome task was mado rall the more arduous by a torrential down--v pour of rain that descended at 4 a.m. and •-j f continued for three-quarters of an hour. • •Many' of" the men sought shelter whilij having their tea, but a number received u

: good soaking and continued their work •■ under very unpleasant conditions. It was .: •a . very tired parly that whs relieved at •;r*6 'a.m.' During the remainder of the morning r. the /work proceeded according to schedule. Mr. Dow and his assisting eni.rpneers, Mr: W. K. O'Hara "and Mr. A. ;>;.'JS'elson Duder, together with Mr. G. Mc-<t-'Leod,- inspector of permanent way, and •i'Mr. jA» Stead, foreman of new works, ;= exorcised a constant supervision, and ;r-; when the district' engineer, Mr. J. K. ■-:;JLowe, inspected the progress of the work - :early iri the morning he had nothing but c to 'express. One trom track been coupled •' up and yftut ready to .Intake- the trams to the station doors, while ■r . Aho other was Hearing completion. The-embankment at the Parnell Bridge :.'had been raised-Very nearly to the re- ® .quired- height. This work, including the counmitiou of the'double track from the y station.' to a scissors crossing just on tho . Elation, side of th'c bridge, was completed -.'•last evening iri readiness to carry the Heiiald train nt four o'clock this morning and tho. first, goods train for tho south at 4.30 a.m. It was estimated that f ;600yds. of materia] were removed from » '-£ he old embankment, to make'a path for • entering and leaving, tho sta- - .lion- Tnis work was completed and trams . jivere running by 5 p.m. . when, the station '. ;>vas opened to the public Telegraphic Control of Trains. On Saturday riight the train control. Staff took possession of its now quarters in the station and the control of all trains from Mercer in tho south to Hclensvillo in 1 tho north was carried out from the new Station instead of the Post Office building trolled by the most up-to-date telegraphic v ;«rid telephonic apparatus. The stationmaster, Mr. H. K. Adams, took charge at tho new' Station yesterday afternoon.

• The change-over from the old to tho new ..' 'Station marks the completion of six years' n-'»-oA, far it -was' ia August, 1924,' thai i-ijiho first sod of the new station yard was .v miofficially turned' near where tho present beoniotive. shed stands. The Westfield x.deviation was commenced two years later tnd tho new station on May 3. 1928. Yesicrdfiy's change-over, although marked by ;.-jHO official-ceremony, was the actual syn-v.-.shronisation of all. three jobs, for it enabled. the deviation and the new yard :io be worked in conjunction with the new t ligation; for the first time. The official :3*fpotting of tho station will take place next vyjion the ceremony will bo peror/iicd by the-Minister of Railways, the ion. >V r A. ycitch.