EAST COAST RAILWAY

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6439, 17 January 1924, Page 5

EAST COAST RAILWAY

WAIHI-ATHENREE SECTION

GOOD PROGRESS MADE

COMPLETION ABOUT JUNE

Good progress is being made with the construction of the Waihi-Athen-ree section of the East Coast Mam Trunk railway line, and there is reason to look forward to the completion of the permanent way by the end of June next or thereabouts (says the Telegraph). Unexpected difficulties, particularly in connection with the finding of solid foundations for the bridge piers at the Waihi end, were encountered, but these have been overcome, and in a matter of a few weeks it will be possible to go right ahead with the laying of the lines over a stretch of five or six miles to the gorge, the track having already been prepared. Further on the bridges with one exception have been completed, and the girders are now being put into position on this, so that when the gorge is reached the carrying forward of the permanent way to Athenree will be continued without interruption.

AT THE WAIHI END

In company with an official of the Public Works Department a repre-sentative-of the Telegraph went over the completed portion of the line—apart from ballasting—-at the Waihi Waihi railway station to the other end recently. This extends from the side of Wellington street, a matter of about 48 chains. The permanent lines are now in close touch with tb e bridge over the Ohinemuri River, which has a lengthy span, and the construction of which has been no mean engineering feat, owing to the great depth to which the piers had to be sunk to find solid bottom, a work which necessitated the construction of a large coffer dam, with its many thousands of bags of sand to hold back the waters of the stream whjle the pier foundations were put in. In the case of the pier on the Waihi side it was found necessary to go 28 feet below water-level to find solid bottom/

READY FOR GIRDERS

However these troubles have all been surmounted, and so far as the bridge is concerned-everything is in readiness for the girders, which, when assembled, weigh about 12 tons each. \ In the absence of derricks sufficiently powerful to lift this weight it was found necessary to construct a falsework frame, weighing about 22 tons, and with this the river has been temporarily spanned. Light rails were thrown across, and these are at present being utilised for the conveyance ; of spoil fi’om the cutting on the / Athenree side of the bridge to fill in .an embankment on the Waihi end. It is estimated that this work will occupy from four to five weeks, and on its completion the frame will serve the main object for which it was built, that of carrying the great weight bf the girders while being hauled into position with the aid of a crane. Meantime workers are engaged assembling the girders for the Ohinemuri bridge and for that across the Whimata stream, some little distance further on. 'Those for the Waimaia will soon be ready and should be in position on the bridge before the trucking of spoil across the Ohinemuri bridge has been finished, while in the case of the latter the girders should be in place about two months henee.

CLEAR RUN TO FOLLOW

From there on rapid headway should be made with the permanent way, as practically to the end of the section it will be simply a matter of sleepers, rails and ballast. These operations will be greatly facilitated by the use of one of the departments oil locomotives, which is to be put on shortly at the Waihi end to convey all necessary materials to the railhead, and will probably be followed \ soon afterwards by a ballast train.