RAIL DEVIATIONS

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 13840, 26 April 1938, Page 7

RAIL DEVIATIONS

Three important railway deviations have been brought into use recently in the Hawke’s Bay district. South of Takapau, two 10-chain curves have been replaced with 20chain curves which make it possible for trains to run over a long length of track without any reduction of. speed. At the foot of the Opapa grade there was, till recently, a 10chain curve round which trains had to reduce speed considerably. For heavy passenger trains about to ascend the hill the speed restriction was most undesirable. The curve has now "been flattened to one of 21 chains radius with the result that trains , can now have a good run at the hill, The third deviation was on the Port Ah.uriri line on which there were three very sharp curves where the line followed round the meandering of the Tutaekuri river over fifty years ago. River diversion works and the Napier earthquake resulted in the ground level being raised to an extent- that made it possible to straighten the railway at small cost, with the result that two easy curves and a straight piece of track have been put down in place of three sharp curves.