STRATFORD-MAIN TRUNK

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 89, 8 November 1932, Page 2

STRATFORD-MAIN TRUNK

HISTORY OF CONSTRUCTION REVIEW BY RIGHT HON. J. G. COATES A statement covering the operating s'nce (the commencement of the work on the Sttfatford. Main Trunk was given The Post yesterday by Rt Hon J. G. Cbates, Minister oi Public Works. The total length of this railway when completed will be 89 miles, and in this, length there are 25 tunnels ] with a total length of 6 miles 34 i chains. This in itself is an indication of the comparatively rough and brok. en country traversed by the railway for a great portion of its length, said Mr Coates. Starting from Stratford at an elevation of 1012 feet, where the first sod was turned in April. 1901, the line traverses the open closely settled country on a steadily descending jgrade to Toko 61 miles from Stratford. Thts section was completed and opened for traffic in August. 1902 Construction steadily proceeded and the next section to Douglas, five miles further on, was opened in March, 1905. The country through which this first 11 miles runs, is typical undulating Taranaki country which has been comparatively closely settled, and has been highly productive for a i number of years. From Douglas the line rises over Kior e Saddle to Huiroa, 16 miles from Stratford. This length which included some heavy formation was handed over to the Railway Department in April. 1908. After leaving Douglas the character of the country changes, and after passing the Strathmore Saddle it becomes very much more broken. From Hjiiroa to Te Wera at 221 miles a distance of 6J miles the railway traverses about four miles of low lying swampy countrv until it rises over the Kiore Saddle, with a summit tunnel 11 chains long, and drops steeply to Te Wera. The'com, pletion of this section in Tune. 1910, bv bringing the line within reasonable distance of Whangamomona by the main road stimulated settlement in that area, and strengthened the demand for through connection to the Main Trunk. Many Difficulties The next section from Te Wera to Pohokura presented many difficulties, not the least being the question of transport in winter due to the want of road metal in that area, the construction of the Pohokura tunnel, and the generally wet and unstable nature of the country involving heavy slips, a feature which has been en. countered almost throughout the entire work t and particularly from Pohokura onwards. The country traversed from now on had been heavily timbered and although a considerable amount iof clearing had been done by the settlers still a great deal of clearing had to be done, and a great deal of trial survey work was necessary before the most suitable location could be selected. The general importance of this line was now becoming increasing appareut, and the annual expediture had risen from some £IO,OOO per year in 1902 to £'93,235 in the year ending March 31, 1910. The line was completed to Pohokura in August, 1912. During this period work was being vigorously pushed ahead to Whangamomona at 37 miles 53 chains, and the further seven miles to Tahora was being opened up. Beyond Pohokura the formation was very heavy, including a 30 chain tunnel through the Whangamomona saddle, and con. siderable bridging. Hauled by Road All material for construed.)-! ahead had to be hauled over tha Whangamomona saddle on the main; road, and in winter time road conditions were appalling; a portion of the road was surfaced with burnt papa, but the greater portion was deep mud. Conditions on the work and in the small Whangamomona township were very cramped on account of the difficult conditions of winter transport, and it was a great hoon to (he community when the line was opened to that place in July, 1914. The start of the Great War, with its consequent drain on the manhood of the country, and reduction in the monies available for Public Works, resulted in a very pronounced taper I ing off in the prosecution of this work, and the section to Tahora was not completed and handed over until November, 1924. The work was almost closed down towards the end of the war, and afterwards the necessity for develop-

ing a new source of ballast supply and the reconditioning of a Portion of the closed section caused considerable delay. The portion between Whangamomona and Tahora was indeed actually a difficult piece of construction comprising two tunnels, numerous road and stream diversions, a number of bridges and very heavy earthwork. Much of the country was unstable, and construction throughout the whole section was hampered by heavy slips which kept the small number of men employed during the latter portion of the time almost wholly employed in shifting slips. When the Tahora section was finish, ed operations were completely suspended. More Money Tn_ 1925 the completion of other public works made it possible to devote a larger sum of money towards the completion of the through connection between Stratford and the Main Trunk at Okahukura. Beyond Tahora there was at least io miles of very rugged and precipitous country before coming to the somewhat easier country in the Haeo Valley. In order to get through this country it. was necessary to pierce four high bush covered ridges, difficult of access and devoid of all roads or other means of transport. Between 51 miles and 56 miles, a distance of five chains, there were four tunnels with an aggregate length of 399 chains. The steep ridges through which these tunnels had to he driven ran right across country oractieally at right angles to the | direction of the centre of railway and were separated by deep ancf prel j cipitous gullies. i In order to complete these tunnels within a reasonable time, means had to be adopted to get transport across these ridges, so that several of the tunnel faces might be worked simultaneously. In addition to this the only economical way to tackle the work was by means of up to date machinery and it was, therefore, decided to erect a large steam electric nower house at Tangarakau station. This place comprised the only flat, land between Tahora and the Haeo Valley, and it was here that the base of operations on the ridges was established. Construction Depot In addition to the power house it was necessary to erect a fully equipped construction depot with repair shops, sto r es and all the equipment necessary fo r operating a section which was for most of the time comparatively isolated. An extensive village comprising single and married men's hutments, recreation grounds, school, social hall, shops, offices, etc. water supply and electric lig'ht was provided for the workmen.

From Tahora at 47 miles to Tan,- | garakau flat at 50 miles 50 chains a f tramway was built suitable for t a k-1 ing railway rolling stock so that | timber, cement, shingle and all the j material of construction could be I brought to the depot in railway trucks without double handling. The object in doing this was to enable the tunnel construction to be tackled immediately without the delay which would have been involved in completing the section of line between Tahora and Tangarakau and before advancing the railhead. Once the tunnel construction wag well in hand, j the formation of the Raekohua sec tion between Tahora and Tangarakau was tackled, this latter portion involved heavy earthwork, bridging and the construction of two tunnels. The section from Tangarakau at 50 J miles 50 chains to approximately 56 I miles was carried out from the Tani garakau end involving as it did four large tunnels; in its prosecution most of the machines, drills, compressors, concrete mixers', hoist's, etc., were driven electrically by power produced at the Tangarakau power house. An electrically operated jigway was used to hoist material over the first ridge to give simultaneous development at the first and second tunnels, and service roads and tramways were built to sei've the other two tunnels.

Rough Pastoral Country The country served by the railway between Huiroa and Tangarakau is comparatively rough pastoral country, and from Whangamomona co Tangarakau particularly the settlers had a hard felling and clearing the bush to' make homes. The comparatively w e t climate and mild temperature caused a prolific growth, which has required unremitting efforts to cope with it. From Tangarakau to the Haeo the country is quite unsuited for settlement, being rough, precipitous and heavily bush covered. At the Okahukura end of the railway actual construction did not start till 1911. The first investigations into the route for a railway connecting Stratford with the Main Trunk

route were made round about the year 1889, Trial surveys then made proposed to make Ongarue township the place of junction, the route then Proceeding via the Ohura Valley to the Paparata Saddle/, Where the Tangarakau Gorge i s entered.

The Other End Soon after the completion of the Main Trunk railway, detailed surveys of the Main Trunk' end of the line were undertaken. As a result of these the Government decided to locate the junction with the Main Trunk at Okahukura, situated seven miles from the district centre and railway subterminal of Taumarunui, Ongarue it. self heing 14 miles from the subterminal. In addition to this advant. age, the new route was six miles shorter than the railway to Ongarue would have been, though the former required a tunnel 76 chains in length through the dividing range. Construction work was commenced in November, 1911, the late Sir Joseph Ward turning the f.rst sod, and has been gone on with continuously since. "Leaving Okahukura the railway at once crosses the Ongarue River by a combined road and railway bridge, the railway being carried on the upper chord, and the roadway on the lower. Then rising on a 1 in 50 grade for two miles the tunnel through the dividing range between the Ongarue and Ohura Valleys is entered. The construction of this tunnel, which is 76 chains long, was let by contract. The work proved to be too big for the contractor and his sureties, and eventually the contract was taken over and completed by the Government. ' The Ohura Valley is reached at. the 6-mile peg and the Matiere Station Yard at the 10-mile peg. Between Okahukura and Matiere the formaion has heen of a very heavy nature, including big cuttings and fillings on the steep papa hillsides characteristic of this part of the route. In addition to the big tunnel mentioned, there are four short tunnels and two bridge rossings of the Ohura River. Dairying Country At Matiere township the Ohura /alley opens out somewhat and the hills on either side lose some of their step natures. The country becomes suitable for dairying on the flats and easy slopes of the hills, and the steeper hills make good grazing country. Quite an extensive roading system in the country to the north of Matiere eads into that township. Between Matiere and Ohura township at the 18-mile peg the railway lies on the floor of the easy Ohura Galley, excepting for a small rise over :he saddle leading into the Waitevhena Valley. The formation has )een easy to moderately heavy, and m the length are three bridge crossngs of the Ohura River and of the Vaitewhena Stream. The county ontinues of the nature described at t Matiere, and quite a number of roads lead into the Main Valley at various | points along the route. j Ror a number of years a goods and passenger service has been maintained by the Public Works Department between Okahukura and the railhead is it advanced. This service has been of much benefit to the district. From Ohura township to Tokirima Station at 27 miles the construction was heavy and the gradients fairly J steep, there being four tunnels aggregating 67 chains and heavy earthwork and culverting, the formation of this section being the principal obstacle to be overcome during the 1927-30 period. From Tokirima to the'Haeo at 31 miles the line traverses the Haeo Valley, and where the country is somewhat easier and construction correspondingly lighter, although there are three tunnels and considerable bridging. Proceeding onward the country is very similar, and just beyond the 33 miles we come to the eastern end of the last of the large tunnels of the Tangarakau-Haeo series which are being constructed from the Stratford end. This constitutes approximately the point of junction between the two sections 33 miles from Okahukura and 56 miles from Stratford. The coutnry between Ohura and Haeo is fairly rough and comparatively sparsely settled, the settlers mostly going in for mixed farming.

Through Traffic None of the line at the Okahukura end has yet been handed over to the Railway Department owing to the complication of running traffic while construction and ballasting operations were in progress, but all traffic offering has been handled by the Public Works Department, and it is hoped that if no unforseen contingencies arise it may be possible to accept through traffic about the end of. November, although the line will not be finally completed till probably five or six months later.