FIFTY YEARS AGO
MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY Many difficulties were encountered by the Main Trunk railway contractors 50 years ago. Following is an item from the New Zealand Herald of May 15, 1885: " Mr. Isaac Coates, contractor for the Turongo section of the trunk railway, has just returned to Te Awamutu from the Thames, where he has purchased from the Thames Borough Council 50 tons of rails belonging to the old Tararu tramway. These he intends to use at the big cutting and elsewhere on the line. " A curious phase of railway management has been brought to light over the transaction. Mr. Coates intended to ship the 50 tons of rails to Auckland ancl send them from Auckland to Te Awamutu by railvray, but the management would not take tlie.se rails at a less price than 31s per ton, delivered at the sender's-expense into the trucks at the Auckland station. Had they been 50 tons of scrap iron, they would have been carried for 13s per ton. The consequence is that Mr. Coates has resolved to send the rails bv boat to Te Aroha and cart them overland from Te Aroha to Te Awamutu, this being less costly than using the railway."
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19350515.2.36
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22109, 15 May 1935, Page 8
Word Count
201FIFTY YEARS AGO New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22109, 15 May 1935, Page 8
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