RAILWAY WORKS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16948, 11 May 1929, Page 5

RAILWAY WORKS

ACTIVITIES AT KOPUA DIVERTING THE CREEK Users of the main south road between Gisborne and Morere have been struck ■with the evidences of activity at tha Kopua camp and in the Waikura valley. in connection with the Gisborne-Wai-kokopu section of the East Coast Main Trunk railway. The task presented the Public Works Department in taking the line through the Waikura valley is no light one, but it is being tackled in a manner that has proved most impressive to those who have had an opportunity of examining, even superficially, the progress already made. The main camp of the railway workers is just alongside Bartletts' homestead, on a stretch of flat ground bound on one side by the main road and on the other by the creek. There are upwards of 60 tents standing in this space, and already a number of huts have been erected or are in course of erection. Daily new supplies of material are being received, and service cars travelling between Gisborne and Wairoa daily encounter loaded lorries making for the railway camp, either from the Gisborne or Waikokopu ports __ More than, 100 men are encamped at Kopua; and the arrangements for early building include -i store ana social institutions, with offices mr tno engineers -in charge of the : ••> and the usual dumps for material. ' Aetal is being gathered from the Kopua creek' and broken ready ?use in concrete culverts and on the ds. and there ».e all the indications an extremely busy time ahead.

, - .DIVERTING THE GREEKAmong the portions of the work already commenced are the short diversions of the creek running down the Waikura valley to Kopua. At 1 many points, the creeks natural bed sweeps m long and tortuous windings, and involves a great deal more space than is >, necessary to carry the water off even v in flood time. In order to straighten the creek-bed and leave more ot the valley-floor available tor the railway wfoirkj}, Several pute* are being made through the "promonotories" round which the creek at present wends its way. The evidences of these job are to be seen at several places between the Kopua camp and the head of the valley, and much interest has been aroused by the operations, which are being earned out by manual labor with shovels and barrows iii the meantime. It is quite remarkable to note the amount of spoil aheady shifted by this means, and though the work ahead of the shovel men is still considerable, a survey of the locality gives the impression that the back of the diversion work is broken. Another point of interest is the access road to the tunnel face on the Gisborne aide'of the first long tunnel, at the head ot the Waikura alley. The road debouches on to the main highway some distance on the Gisborne side of the bitumer work on the Wharerata hill, and already the formation seems to be complete, and metalling under way. As the access road will have to be used all through the winter, the departmental officers are ensuring reasonable travelling conditions by paving the road before it has any ■vjipavy use. Stocks of material are being accumulated near the tunnel-face, and travellers on the main highway yesterday noted that manual labor was being employed to some extent in the transport of these materials down the access road. Pack-horses are in use, to some extent, also. The impression gained from the' outward signs of activity is highly satisfactory, and while the work so far done is merely preliminary to the commencement of the railway line proper, its

vigorous prosecution is an encouraging sign of the determination of the Government and the, department's officers to push ahead as fast as possible with this section of the railway. WORK AT WAIKOKOPU. At Waikokopu. a Herald representative found another scene of activity yesterday. Huge stacks of "awn timber were to be seen on every hand, and a number of hutments have been erected already, some of them being from the abandoned Rotorua-Taupo line. A large fleet of .lorries is engaged in carrying the materials from the port to the railway works, and Mr. H. J. Peacocke's contract for tlie construction of the Ko{raawhara road bridge and the metaling of about 3£ miles of' the road to the bridge adds to the activity displayed about the district. Railway work at the Waikokopu end of the line has been put in hand, the initial work comprising the blasting ' of the track round the bluff near the port, through solid rock. The line of the permanent way runs from a little below the Opoutama bridge, over a new bridge across the creek, and thence along the face of the hill on the north of the abortive creek harbor and out

past the store. At the Waikokopu there are 60 Jpts set up and occu|>ied, and there are two other camps comprising 65 and 40 huts respectively. The country north of the inlet and in the places to be tunnelled is reported to be o fa good holding nature, and not likely to give much trouble. The Public Works Department's men have begun the metalling of a road from the bridge up to Kopuawhara valley, and a visit from Mr. F. T. M. Kis.sell, chief" .electrical engineer, is expected soon, the purpose of the visit being to arrange for the extension of

the electrical transmission line from Nuhaka to Waikokopu, a work which it is expected the Wairoa Power Board will undertake. The line will be carried on to the Kopuawhara camp at a later date, and "eventually will deliver current for the lighting of the tunnel workings.