Engineering

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 11, 1 September 1911, Page 787

Engineering

By Will Lawson

Our Railways

The First Railways. The Beginning of Railways and a History and Description of the New Zealand Lines. The birthplace of the railway is Great Britain, and though it is less than 1.00 years since the first steam trains ran, it is well over 100 years since passengers travelled in vehicles which ran on iron rails. The motive power, it is true, was a horse to each carriage, so these

early lines may more properly be termed tramways, albeit the more dignified title was given and has clung to them. ■ In the “Railway Magazine” of July, 1908, appeared an account of the oldest railway in the world —the Swansea and Mumbles Railway a short line which connects these two Welsh seaside towns. An interesting special Act of Parliament, dated 29th June, 1804, incorporating the “Oystermonth Railway or Tramway Company” for the purpose of carrying stone and

minerals. A passenger coach also ran. Four other such railways were authorised and built prior to this one, but as they have all been

abandoned or absorbed into larger systems, the

Swansea and Mumbles line, since 1577 a steam line, may be said to justify its claim to the title of the oldest railway in the world. The first public steam railway was, of course, the Stockton-Darlington line, with which George Stephenson was so closely associated, and on which his engines were engaged, notably the "Rocket." On the second public railway, the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, the trains were hauled by the immediate successor of the

“Rocket,” the “Invicta, ” shown here, being No. 12 engine to be built by George Stephenson, the “Rocket” being No. 11. Both engines are preserved as interesting relies of the days when steam railways had to fight for their existence against vested interest and bigoted prejudice. Yet in spite of this opposition and restraint, as we know, railways have flourished apace all over the world. In the space of a century the motive power of each train has grown from the one horse-power of the Oystermouth Railway or Tramway Company to the thousands of horse-power contained in the enormously powerful bulk of the locomotive “Great Bear” of the Great Western Railway. The comparison presents a contrast indeed! Everyone who has read the life story of George Stephenson, the founder of railways and the adapter of the locomotive to commercial use, will know how Parliament, by alternate interference and apathy, made the lot of the railway companies a hard one. Some of these restrictions were frivolous in the extreme. In 1842 no waggon was allowed to weigh, with its load, more than 4 tons, and no locomotive to travel faster than 12 miles an hour. Some towns would nor have railways at any price, and many are now languishing on branch lines or without railways because of th's stupid prejudice. Section 100 of the Great Western Railway Act, .1835, enacts as follows: — “Notwithstanding anything in this Act contained it shall not be lawful for any company or any person whomsoever to form, make or lay down any branch railway or tramroad or other road or way whatever passing or approaching within three miles of the said College of Eton and connecting with the said railway hereby authorised to be made without the consent of the Provost and Fellows for the time being of the said College of Eton, to be s'gnified by same in writing under the corporate seal,” And here is another amusing one:“Every locomotive steam eng.re use-1 within the parishes of Burton wood an! Wiuvick shall be constructed on best pri ■ <_■' pies for enabling it to consume its own smoke and preventing noise in the machinery or motion thereof, and no coal, but only coke or such other fuel as shall be approved by Lord Lilford and the Rector of Winwick shall bo used or consumed on such locomotive ou any pretence whatever.” One can imagine the noble lord and the rector having a sample of coke sent in on a silver salver and solemnly ’discussing it over a bowl of punch. Were they living now and could they see the smoke-cloud made by a Now Zealand engine on a hill, they would feel that their efforts had been in vain. Seriously, however, it would bo a fine thing if such a by-law were in vogue in New Zealand.

New Zealand's Beginning: The Broad Gauge. The first iron railway in New Zealand was laid between Christchurch arid Ferrymead, now called Heathcote, and was the first portion of the Christchureh-Lyttelton railway to be opened for traffic. While Invereargill and Dunedin, and, later on, Wellington and Auckland, planned railways on the 3ft. Gin. gauge, which survives to this day, Canterbury, with truly British conservatism, laid her first railways on the broad gauge of sft. Sin. This fact and the subsequent alteration to the 3ft. Gin. gauge makes the history of the Canterbury system the most interesting to trace. On 10th August, 1859, Mr. G. B. Stephenson made a. report to the Provincial Government on the question of the best route for a railway between Lyttelton and Christchnrch. No less than four routes had been suggested, three of which went by way of Sumner, and thence over and through the hills to the seaport. On one of these the grade was 1 in 19, and the terminus of the second route was planned to be 100 feet above the quay; to bo precise, in Market Street, behind the Wesleyan Chapel. The only

practicable route via Sumner was estimated to cost £327.632, with 3309 yards of tunnelling. Oh the other hand, the direct route, which was subsequently adopted, necessitated only one tunnel 2882 yards long, and the cost was assessed at £245,071. A saving of three miles in distance was also effected, the Sumner route being 10% miles, as against seven miles by the direct route. As a footnote to his report this engineer remarked: "A line of railway from Christchuch to Port Lytteltou must eventually be the key to the whole system of the colony."

With this magnified idea of the importance of the work, the Lyttelton tunnel was begun and the building of the railway on the broad gauge with 701 b. double-headed rails was commenced from Christchurch. In 1803 the line from the capital of the province to Ferrymead at the Hcatheotc River was opened. Merchandise for Christchurch from overseas was discharged at Lyttelton into lighters and small craft, and taken across the Sumner bar and up the river to Ferrymead, where it was loaded on to the railway to be carried to the town. The great Southern Railway was begun in 1865, when Samuel Bealey, Superintendent of the Province, made a contract with George Holmes and Edward Richardson to construct a section of line from Christchurch to the north bank of the Eakaia. This work went on very slowly, due to a great extent to the expense of transporting material by the river and the railway. However, in 1807 the tunnel was completed.

Christchurch now possessed direct railway communication with the wharves. The capital cost was, of course, enormous for such a small community, and it is not, therefore, surprising to find, in 1872, the southern line being opened as far as Selwyn, that a special “tunnel rate” was levied, and a pretty stiff rate it was. For comparison, it is interesting to quote some extracts from a Canterbury ordinance of that

date, bearing on the freights per mile on the southern line and on the Lyttelton line: Lvttelton Line Southern Line Merchandise ... 7d. per ton 4d. per ton Grain ... ... 7d. per ton 3d. per ton Sawn Timber ... 2d. per 100 super Id. per 100 super Wool (4cwt. his) 2d. Id. ~ (over!,, ~ id. per cwt. }d. per cwt. Sheep, Pigs & Goats " 1/- per 100 Gd. per 100 . The same ordinance mentions the passenger fares to be charged. These are remarkable in that the passenger who travelled four miles did so for less fare than he who travelled three miles. The rates were-First-class, fourpence a mile exceeding three miles, under three miles 6d. per mile; second-class, threepence a mile exceeding

three miles, under three miles 4d. per mile. At this time two great railway matters agitated Canterbury, One was the question of abandoning the broad gauge for the narrow gauge; the other was the transfer of the whole system to the General Colonial Government. In 1870 a report was made by Messrs. Bray and Marshmau as to the relative Amines of the gauges. After comparing the costs of construction of lines and of rolling stock (waggons of 2% and 3 % tons weight, and “light” engines of 12 tons as against “heavy” engines of 27 tons weight), these gentlemen reduced the argument as to whether the Northern Railway then being surveyed should be broad or narrow to three heads: (1) to build the line on the broad gauge; (2) build it on the narrow gauge and tranship at Christchurch; or (3) to build it on the narrow gauge and lay a third rail to Lyttelton from Christchurch. The second alternative found most favour in their eyes, and the report continues: “We propose, therefore, to make the narrow gauge terminate at Addington, and make that the station for Christchurch for passengers and goods. ... As to the third rail to Lyttelton, it is more than probable that the necessity for it would not arise. Wo have estimated the cost of transhipment of 20,000 tons (per year) at Christchurch at £2OOO.

Within no time with which we are concerned will the country north of Waipara Plains yield 20,000 tons freight per annum 'unless a line were made to the Hokitika coalfield.' We do not stop to consider what the effect would be of breaking up the existing line from Lyttelton to Christchurch and laying down in its stead a double line in the narrow gauge. We cannot, imagine that a proposal, involving as this would, an immense outlay, the disruption of the business of the country, and the substitution of a system far less efficient and more costly to work, could for a moment be entertained." Despite this dignified argument, in .1873, when the Colonial Government took over the railways, the broad gauge was discarded. All the rolling stock was sold to the South Australian Government, and was shipped in the ship "Hyderabad" to Adelaide. The vessel was wrecked on the. Olaki beach, from which place the railway

material was brought, after salvage, to Wellington, where it lay on the reclaimed land awaiting re-shipmenL Such was the inglorious end of the broad gauge in New Zealand. Its passing was a foregone conclusion, for, though it suited the level lands of Canterbury, in other parts where the railways skirt sea cliffs or pierce mountainous country, the building of the lines on the broad gauge would have been very costly.

ADVENT OF THE NARROW GAUGE. Bluff-Invercargill Railway, At the time of the opening of the broad gauge railway between Christchurch and Ferry mead, the good people of the most southern Now Zealand town began to feel the need for communication by rail between Invercargill and her port, 17 miles aw i.v, and also between Invercargill and Winton, 19 miles inland. In the year 1868 the Southland Provincial Council passed ordinances reserving land for the construction of these lines', which were known, respectively, as the Bluff Tlarbour-Invercargill Kailway and the Oreti Kailway. Messrs. A.

1 Cairns and J. McKenzie, contractors from Duncdin, who had been asked to report, on the ' matter of a route for the Bluff Railway, recom- ' mended, amongst other things, that the line be built strong enough to carry light locomotive 1 engines, but for a beginning and until the i district carried a population of 60,000 souls, that, horse-haulage be utilised. By this means the cost of locomotives at £I7OO each and waggons and carriages would be saved, since the i horse vehicles could be built by local labour. They considered that goods would constitute the principal freight, but suggested that a passenger i car from each end be run at morning and even- , ing, the cost of which was estimated at £lO a ; day, or four trips at £2 10s. each. in 1864 a short piece of the line was opened, but progress appears, to have been slow, while i the contract price for building the line had been much exceeded. So much so that on 22nd

June, ISO."), the Council resolved to appoint a commission of impartial and competent engineers to be selected from some place other than Southland, for the purpose of inquiring and reporting upon the excess of expenditure over the contract prices." There was also trouble with the Oreti lino about this time, and Dr. Menzies asked the Government "What steps it proposes to take to complete the Oreti railway to Winton or put it

into working order, and whether it proposes to complete it with wooden rails only. In reply he was informed that it was intended to obtain estimates to complete the railway with iron rails. in 1806 a contract was made, the first one having been cancelled, with Messrs. Smyth, Hoyt and Co, to complete the Bluff line, the price being 25,000 acres of land. However, the contractors, on the completion of the line in 1867, received also £23,000. which provoked from a councillor the query whether they had paid in full for the completion of the lino, exclusive of the terminus at Bluff, and, if so, whether the work had been passed as completed by the Provincial Engineer, and, further, how it was that the lino was open for goods and not

passengers, "except the friends of the Railway Engineer"? In the report of the proceedings of the Council it is stated that "the Provincial Treasurer replied"! Flow to work the line was-* a troublesome question, and for a long time nn arrangement was under consideration to lease the railways. Bills to authorise this were made law, but it does not appear that anything in this direction was ever done. At any rate, nothing of any permanent nature was arranged, and the Provincial Council set up a Public Works and Railways Department which was eventually taken over by the General Government. As showing the primitive nature of the railways, the following list of salaries, wages and costs of running the partially-finished Bluff line in 1866 is interesting: Locomotive Engineer .. .. £240 per annum Engineman . . . . . . 208 ~ Fireman .. . . . . .. 156 ~

Shedman . . . . .. .. 140 „ Blacksmith 20S ~ Repairer ~ . . .. .. 187 ~ Labourer . . . . . . .. 140 „ Fuel, grease and small stores . . 1000 ~ Traffic Manager . . .. .. 250 „ Station Agents 400 „ Guard and Porters . . . . 655 ~ Books, Tickets, etc 150 „ Incidental . . .. . . .. 100 „

An overpowering expense account for so small a railway system! It will be observed that the engine driver was paid at the rate of 14/- a day, which is approximately what the present drivers are striving for. From these small beginnings grew the present railway system of Southland and Otago. Between Dunedin and Balclutha a line was opened in 1873, which eventually met the Southland line and formed the trunk line between Dunedin and Invercargill. Through an unfortuate accident drawings and photographs of the early Bluff-ivcrcargill line have failed to arrive in time for inclusion in this article. The illustration of the first locomotive to run on the Bal-clutha-Dunedin section will, however, give some idea of the rolling stock used in those days.

FIGHTING THE MOUNTAINS. The Midland Railway. The Southern Alps stretch their great length from the south to the north of the Middle Island, forming a long rampart between the cast and west coasts, and very early in the history of the provinces thus separated, men recognised that sooner or later this rampart would have to be crossed or pierced by road or railway. The project to build a railway across the Alps was a bold one, and, strangely enough, the province of Nelson was as keen as Westland and Canterbury in urging the necessity of the work. Nelson was a busy port then—all the intercolonial steamers called and there were many farms extending over the miles of fair lands of the province. The West Coast then carried a large population (Hokitika held 20,000 souls), the goldmining being at its height, while the coal and timber industries were just beginning. So there was an excellent market offering for the produce of the farms, and coal and timber would make good loading in the return trip. Nelson made the first move by building a railway to Belgrovc, 22 miles inland. To-day the line extends to Kiwi, 48 miles from the port of Nelson, only 20 mdes having been added in all those years. In 1878 the agitation began in Canterbury for railway connection with the West Coast, the lino to continue thence to Nelson, a total distance of 235 miles through country for the most part of a forbidding ••onformation. Two years later the Westland Railway League came into being, representing Westland's share in the agitation. At a meeting of this League a public subscription was made to defray the cost of a flying survey of a route from Christchurch to Greymouth by way of Rccfton, and two surveyors set out to reconnoitre the enemy, the grim old mountains, and make the first survey. Their names were Thornton and Brown. They laid out the line, which was known as the Cannibal Gorge route, lying far to the north of the present line. For engineering reasons it was afterwards abandoned, which seems a pity; tourists would have come from afar to go through a Cannibal Gorge, comfortably seated in a Pullman car. At Lewis Pass, the highest point of this "route, the line would have been 2350 feet above the sea, and there were sixteen tunnels planned, the longest one just over two miles in length. Two

million pounds sterling was to have comfortably covered the cost of construction. The second route to be surveyed was that known as the Hurinui route, further south than Cannibal Gorge, and north of Arthur's Pass. This line was to have 34 tunnels, B'/i> miles in the mountains being alternately viaducts and tunnels. The longest tunnel was to have been at an elevation of 2300 feet above the sea, and to have a length of 3',{> miles. An alternative route avoided some of the tunnels, and provided for haulage on one side by wire cable up grades actually as steep as the roof of a house, and on the other side by Fell locomotive gripping a centre rail, In June 1881 a deputation waited on Premier John Hall to inform him that it was proposed to form a company with a capital of £1,000,000 to build the line over the first-

mentioned Hurunui route if the survey proved satisfactory to the Government, which was to be at liberty to take the line over in sections as completed. Cabinet obtained a report from the Government engineers, who estimated the cost at £1.500,000, and the total length of line at 158 miles. As there was no legislation providing for private companies undertaking public works, a Bill was passed giving the necessary powers. Then the promoters approached the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce with a request that delegates be sent to inspect the

route. The delegates went, and on their return they reported adversely so far as private enterprise was concerned. They suggested, howover, that Government should be urged to build the line at once. Another Railway League was formed, the

Canterbury League, and it amalgamated with the Westland League and succeeded in having a Royal Commission appointed to inquire concerning the feasibility of the proposal to build the Hurinui line. In February. ISB3, the Commission reported that it could not recommend the extension of the main line of railways northwar.l to Hawarden, and thence across to Westland. A few months later another Commission advised that the best way lay almost due west from Christchurch, from Springfield over Arthur's Pass to Brunnerton, but it could not see that the line would pay more than actual working expenses. In the same year an arrangement was made by a syndicate with the British and Foreign Contract Company to construct a line 150 miles long from Springfield to Brunnerton, over Arthur's Pass. But before this was ratified the syndicate was re-arranged in different terms and three delegates were sent Home. As a result of their inquiries, in January, 1885, a contract was entered into between the Governor (for the Queen) and Messrs. W. Chrystall, J. T. Ford, J. T. Matson, T. S. Weston, G. Hart, J. H. Cock, C. Y. Fell, H. D. Jackson. A. Pitt and J. Sclanders to construct a line from Springfield to Belgrove by way of Brunnerton in Westland, a total distance of 235 miles, at a cost of two and a half millions, the syndicate to receive grants of land in proportion to the extent of railway completed. This is known as the "Chrystall Contract," and the gentlemen concerned were leading men in the three interested provinces. But the syndicate had difficulty in raising funds, and while matters were in abeyance from this cause, Messrs Meiggs and Sons, South American contractors, appeared in the arena. They offered to build the line in five years at a cost just under four millions sterling if the Government would guarantee a half-yearly revenue of ninety-seven thousand sovereigns, for a- period of twenty years. By 34 votes to 27 this proposal was rejected, after being reported on by a Select Committee, and Meiggs and Sons disappeared again, leaving behind them as a record to bo filed and preserved with the other records of this battle with the mountains, the boldlyconceived "Meiggs Contract." In 1886 the New Zealand Midland Railway Company was formed in London, the promoters being the original Chrystall synidcate. The capital of the company was haif a million sterling, of which sum one-half was paid up, Lloyd's. Barnett's, and Bosanquet's Bank, of London, receiving applications for £lO shares. The line from Springfield through to Belgrove was estimated to cost 2% millions, and land to the value of 1% millions was given by the Government. Early in the proceedings the company asked that, in the event of the land not

realising that figure, the New Zealand Goveminent would guarantee the amount. But the Government declined, and this was the first of the many differences between the ill-starred Midland Company and the Government. The route laid out was practically that by which

the rails are led across the Alps to-day, except that the tunnel planned at Arthur’s Pass was at an elevation of 2530 feet, and had a length of a little over three miles, whereas the tunnel now being built is 5% miles long, and pierces the range some distance lower down the mountain sides. Yet short as it was, the threemile tunnel was the knotty part of the problem the company had to solve in order to cross the ranges. In 1888 the company decided to avoid the tunnel and cross the Pass by means of the Abt, or Pell system of haulage, whereby specially-designed locomotives, clutching a centre rail or rack, climb very steep ascents. Then it was suggested to have a switchback in conjunction with the Pell line, and again the switchback was discarded in favour of a tunnel three-quarters of a mile long on a grade of 1 in 15, to be worked by Pell engine. The Government engineers would have none of this, however, stating that the smoke would stifle every person on the train in r.he course of the slow ascent. And while the tunnel question was discussed, the line on either side was crossing deep gorges and piercing mountain spurs, creeping slowly towards the mountains like two wings of an army bent on overcoming a powerful adversary and making every preparation for a complete victory. Patterson’s Creek and Staircase Gully have been crossed on the eastern side, and now the line is at the Cass. On the west, Otira, three miles from the tunnel is the rail-head, but the line moves on apace. Even after the Government took the line from the Midland Company, the engineers sought some means of avoiding so long a tunnel. But it was not to be avoided. In 1907 the Government, taking its courage in both hands, like the legendary Indian chief, began the task of hewing a way through the heart of the mountains, and has heeded not the voices and the sounds as of clamorous enemies. And the mountains are yielding to the onslaught and are giving their torrents to provide the power

Snow Plough at Work in Otago Central. to drive the drills that tear their rocks apart. The Devil *'s Punchbowl, which has a fall of over 700 feet, will supply 600 horse power to the work at the Otira end of the tunnel, which is now bored for a distance of 1 % miles on its up-hill progress towards the Bealey. At the Bealey end electric energy will be provided by Holt’s Creek. Not only are the forces of the mountains being pressed into service to bore the tunnel, but when it is completed in some five

years’ time, electric locomotives, driven by the same forces, will draw the trains np and down the rather steep grade which -will occur in the tunnel. It is interesting to note, in mentioning this employment of the water power, that an alternative route over Arthur’s Pass, surveyed in 1884, provided for rope haulage over grades varying from 1 in 7 to 1 in 50, the power to be derived from the waterfalls in the neighbourhood. More than three hundred men are employed in boring this long tunnel, and its cost will be £600,000. It was before such figures as these that the early builders quailed, yet in all the years of vacillation, there was not an engineer but knew that, after all, there was no other reasonable way save through the mountains. The question of what may be met with in the course of the exploration underground fills the imagination with wonder. When the Lyttelton-Christchurch tunnel was being made, a large cave was broken into, and it saved the contractors some distance of drilling. And in Otira Tunnel the interesting question of the heat grad : ent of the earth is to be tested by a Tunnel Committee of the Canterbury Philosophical Institute. To do this bores are to be made in the walls of the tunnel, running in about six feet at intervals of 200 yards, from end to end. And out on the snowclad slopes, and across the ridges along the lino of the tunnel, thermometer readings will be taken. By comparing the inside and outside readings the earth’s heat gradient will be ascertained. When the line is through, it will mark the realisation of the dreams dreamed thirty years ago in so far as the railway connection with Christchurch and Westland is concerned. There will yet remain the line from Reef ton to Kiwi to connect Nelson. Nelson, to-day. however, is not the busy place in proportion to her sister cities of thirty years ago, and from the lethargy of perpetual summer it is difficult to arouse the Garden City. So it may be years ere the remaining link of the bold railway scheme, which the gentlemen of the Midland Railway Company conceived, is completed. Yet the East -will have been linked with the West, the snow-clad Alps pierced, and Man, the inquisitive, restless, rock-tapping, earth-boring animal, will be triumphant over his tunnel, the longest in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the long ones of the world, and maybe the gods, seeing the tourist trains disappear beneath the range and emerge, will laugh at the quaint sight, and perhaps they will be able to see the hole. THE SNOW PLOUGH IN NEW ZEALAND. The Otago Central Railway has, with a certain amount of injustice, been styled the “white elephant’’ of the New Zealand system. It extends for 148 miles from Dunedin in a northwesterly direction, and for the most part traverses high and barren-looking land, though it is claimed that under irrigation the land will grow anything. The logical conclusion of this much-discussed and, at present, unprofitable l.ne is at Lake Hawea, where splendid wheat lauds lie. Such an extension and a scheme of irrigation by which the splendid water supply of the adjoining rivers would be spread over the land, would make the Central Otago line one of the best-paying in New Zealand. In the course of its wanderings the lino, after passing through several rocky gorges, attains a considerable altitude, its highest point, at Wedderburn, being 1770 feet above the sea. This place is reached after climbing for ivnetyfour miles from Dunedin, Here the country consists of high table-lands, exposed to storms in winter and blazing sunshine in summer. In July, 1908, a snow storm set in, covering the high lands in a mantle of snow and effectually blocking the railway. One train was cut off completely from communication with Dunedin, and the locomotive of this train set about the work of clearing the line of snow. She was a 65-ton engine, No. 332. An ingenious plough was rigged on this engine. A stout beam was fastened from the point of the cow-catcher to the top of the funnel, resting also against the smoke-box. Then, all round were arranged timbers, sound v.ntn iron, tno lower extremities being attached to the frame of the cow-catcher, while the upper ends centred round the funnel. The engine during the continuance of the storm, patrolled and repeatedly cleared the line, but her efforts were frustrated by the falling and drifting snow. Meanwhile a snow-plough had been built at Dunedin to be fitted to a waggon. Another engine, No. 337, took it, together with

a special train, up to the scene of action, the district engineer being in charge. This official, after inspecting the improvised plough arranged a battering ram which consisted of engine No. 332 in the lead, a heavy doublebogie waggon and No. 337. The new plough was carried in the waggon ready for fitting up, should the other prove ineffectual. Then the giants steamed out to make war on the snow. At first the fall was two feet deep and was easily scattered. Gradually the depth increased and the plough made a fine stir among the snow as it tore it aside, rolling it out in glistening waves which trailed away behind at about the level of the foot-plate. Sometimes a huge snowball would form, to be rolled aside, and perhaps it would tumble back against the side-rods. Then the ball vanished in a whirl of whiteness. Soon , the drifts increased in height till they banked up as high as the smokebox crown, and the engine at last stuck, her

Fell Locomotive used on Rimutaka incline wheels racing on the ice-caked rails. After an effort she was freed and the machines retreated to gather impetus to charge the obstruction. They went at it, 140 tons of dead weight,' and when they struck the snow-bank there was a perceptible shock, the snow rising and writhing for some distance ahead like the jumble of a cross sea. Again and again this was repeated, until the front engme was derailed. Placing her on the metals was a difficult task, as the snow was a solid mass all around her, even between the spokes, of her wheels. But by using powerful jacks, it was accomplished just after dark. In the gathering darkness a strange scene was presented in the red flare of kerosene torches; and all around lay the desolate wastes of snow. Next day, No. 332 was despatched again to the drifts, while the new plough was fitted to the waggon which had been loaded with rails to keep it on the track. In two hours’ time 382 returned for water, having gained a chain and a half. No. 337 then pushed out the new plough which accomplished more than the first plough did as it was made with a greater angle for lifting the snow. It tossed the snow up in gleaming clouds. A clear path was won to the summit of the line, the whistle blowing a cockcrow when this was attained. Running down hill she raised the snow in a stinging cloud. Then word was received that No. 332 which was to follow to assist if necessary, was stuck in the snow. So 337 took water and returned with the object of assisting her. It was freezing so hard that icicles were forming on the sides pf the engine. At a station, a ballast engine, standing on a siding had a fire burning under her tender to prevent the water-pipes from freezing. The relief engine soon found herself in difficulties, owing to ice on the rail and the attempt was abandoned for the night. A message was sent afoot, instructing No. 332’s driver to come in till morning, and leave his engine, but he said he would stay where he was. He covered the cab and tender with a waggon tarpaulin and spent a fairly comfortable night. In the morning the engine’s tanks had to be filled by means of buckets, an operation occupying one and a half hours.

After three days’ arduous work the line was finally cleared and traffic, which had been interrupted for a fortnight, was resumed. Such snow blockades are unusual in New Zealand, but now that the railways, which have for too long been hugging the level coast line, are being extended into the highlands, these

RAILWAY SNAPS' 1 _ —Main Trunk Train outside Auckland. ‘2. —Alt. Ruapehu from Waiouru Station. 3. —Dunedin Express leaving Oamaru. 4.Hapuawhenua Viaduct, o. —Leaving Thorndon Station, (i. —Paekakariki Station. 7.Train leaving No. 1 Tunnel. 8. —Manawatu Line near Ngaio. 9.Train emerging from Cutting, 10. —Trains at Thorndon Station. 11. —Train leaving Thorndon Station, 12. —Auckland Engine Sheds. 13. Ballast Train, Midland Line at Slovens Creek 14.—Engine on turntable. 15.—Engine “Ud.” Class. 16.—Train leaving Ngaio. Engine “WJ.” Class. Photos Nos. 2,1, 0, 10, 1, 13, 15, 16 and 17 by P. Fat tic. Photos Nos, 1,3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 by P. G. Payton. Photos Nos. S and 13 by J. N. Taylor,

conditions are always possible. It would bo a sight indeed to sec a huge X engine rooting the snow from her path. AUCKLAND TO INVERCARGILL. The North Island Main Trunk Line. The mail train for Wellington leaves Auckland at 15 p.m., and makes no stop till Mercer is reached. -til miles distant. In the interval of traversing th's stretch of line, through passengers usually dispose themselves comfortably for the night, the fortunate ones in berths in the sleepers, others in the Pullman seats with which both first and second-class cars are fitted. All the cars are heated by steam. Excluding the men on the engine, whose efforts and vigilance carry the train safely over the night-shrouded road, the busiest men on the train are the mail sorters. There are two mail-vans on the south-bound mail train, one for letters and one for newspapers and half a dozen men are at work in each. The mail bags have been opened, and in the letter van, the mails from Great Britain are sorted through to separate the post cards from the letters. The interior of a postal van gives little idea of the amount of work transacted in it, so far as equipment is concerned. The appliances are of the simplest and the celerity of the sorting depends on the skill of the men. The new vans are fifty feet long. At one side is a bench on which stands a hand-driven variety of the stamping machine used in the Central Post Offices. Near to it is a lavatory situated in the centre of the van next to the big sliding side door. Further along are racks for the sorting of letters. On the other side of the van there is a sofa, set in a little alcove. Also a horizontal iron frame supported by uprights, and consisting of a number of squares. To each of these the mouth of an empty mail bag is hooked, being held open by the square of iron. This appliance is called the hoppers. The sorting is done into these, fresh bags being substituted as they arc tilled. And here and there and everywhere are bags and bags of letters, cards and registered packages. To the outsider chaos seems to reign in the gas-lit van when first the bags are opened. Haste is the watchword. The skilled and quick brains send the letters swiftly to their appointed places. There is no labelling of the hoppers. The mind has learned just where the Hamilton or Palmerston North bag .is, the hand has caught the trick of giving the correct fling which will land the missives, which for the moment have become missiles, into the correct bag. The eye is rarely raised from the bundle of letters in the operator’s hand. There is here an accuracy of a very high order, mistakes being rare. To the unbeliever let it bo told that the sorter is fined for every mistake ho makes. The letters for the nearest district post office are being selected from the mass. Then they are whirled through the stamping machine at a giddy pace. Any that are too unshapely for its elastic maw are hand-stamped, as are the packets among the registered matter. Then the ordinary letters and cards go into a plain bag or bags, the registered letters go into a pinktipped bag while the registered packages are packed into a strong basket. In the van ahead the newspapers and large packets have been sorted in the same speedy manner, expert hands shying them into distant hoppers with a skill which would break the heart of a keeper of Aunt Sally at a country show. They hit the bull’s eye every time. When the great express engine whose steady beat has marked time to the swift movements of the sorters, blows a warning signal at the approaching station of Franklin Junction, the bags and baskets for that centre are all ready and the sorters take short respite, snatching a few puffs at cigarettes and pipes. The whistle calls through the starlit night, the steam thrashes, and as the wheels rumble once more, the mail-sorters turn to their tasks again. On a busy night, with Brindisi, Australian, and local mails on, the demand for speed is great, and the men rise to the demand. The spirit of competition, which will stir a man’s blood in any kind of work, is here. But instead of a human competitor, they arc fighting man’s old adversary. Time. The big engine in front is fighting Time too. She must be at her destination at a certain time and the men of the postal staff must have their mails ready when she gets there. So the wheels spin and the hands

fly that the King's Mail may pass over the land and cross the Straits to the land beyond, on time. The wheels hammer and roar below, the long vans sway and the letters arc marshalled and dismissed, recalled and inspected, scattered here and there, battalions of them. A man will shout a jest to a comrade at the other end of the van, or someone, opening the door to pass into the next van, raises, a storm of protest as a cloud of bitter engine smoke blows in. In the tunnels this smoke is a trial, as the ventilators and side-doors are always kept open (the doors slightly), for the vans get very hot with the heat of toiling men. No railway men disturb them, being next to the engine, they are not in the thoroughfare of the train, and are spared the discomfort of the passage of guards and ticket clerks. After the first few hours' rush and the disposal of immediate mails, there is a chance of a few minutes' rest for one or other of the men. It is taken, perhaps on the little sofa, at full stretch. But it is of short duration. Towards dawn, if the work of the gang is finished, they may take it easy. But there is a spirit of fellowship among them, and they may give the work of the next shift of men a start if it promises to be heavy. Presently, at the head of the Wanganui the train stops and the engine, which has run all night, goes coughing away to the sheds. And there comes out of the mists of the engine-yards one of the biggest type of locomotives in New Zealand, to take the King's Mail across, the mountains. One of the tired sorters watching them coupling her to the tra : n shouts to her driver: 'Morning, Sam. We're right on time. Mind you don't lose any on the hill." The answer is re-assuring. "Not. this one; she'll pull the labels off the luggage." The morning mists arc clinging to Taumaranui, the village that is the meeting place of the Wanganui River service and the railway, the village that stays awake all night to receive and despatch travellers by train and steamer, and sleeps all through the idle days. As the powerful engine slogs heavily up the straight grade that, presently crosses and for a long way skirts the head waters of the beautiful Wanganui, the sleepers arouse themselves from comfortable beds to watch the landscape passing, river glimpses and dew-drenched bush pictures, just warming in the morning glow, with here and there a peep of distant snow peaks. And the men on the engine that pulls so easily up, up by cutting and sweop'ng curve,- with no eyes for the morning picture, centre all their attention to the work that will claim them till the ninety miles that lie between Taumaranui and Taihape are left behind. Past Kakahi and Owhongo to Oiosurely the shortest railway name in the world —and then the grades begin in earnest. The furnace yawns for coal, the fireman mops his brow. Presently her whistle cries in shrill notes that ill become her leviathan dimensions, warning passengers that Raurimu station is at hand, and telling the station folk that she is here on time to the second, and the labels still on the luggage. Under way again.. and now well warmed up to her work, the locomotive makes haste to gather speed on the level stretch below the spiral. It is a brave effort, and when she meets the rise she has attained some pace. Looking back, one may see where the ascent begins. Some of the cars are on the level. One by one they lift to the 1 in 50 grade until the whole train is hanging heavily on the engine's draw bar. Round to the left she sweeps and faintly can be heard the flange of a carriage wheel crying at the curve. Round and upwards for a mile, then 100 feet below lies Raurimu station. One mile to gain 100 feetthat is approximately the achievement of the spiral. It is the connecting line between the valley that dips away to Taumaranui and the plateau of Waimarino, which terminates abruptly at this point. It is as though a man was on a high platform with a stout post at the end. To reach the ground he must either jump or clamber down the post. The Spiral clambers up and down the post, which is a round hill with wide spurs. There is never a slip from the eight driving wheels, though the morning is frosty and the rails wet. Judicious driving and sanding save the situation. A blow on her wh'stle and she is in the long 35 chain tunnel, the exhaust flogging the brick arch and searching smoke everywhere. Out again, and round and upwards the big X roars, steaming well. At last the spiral motion ceases, and she rushes out upon

a spur that carries the train over the long tunnel she has .just passed through, 85 feet below, and then the line is straight in a 1 in 70 grade to Waimarino. After passing through magnificent forest scenery, and crossing ,the tall viaducts of Makatoke, Taonui and Ilupawhenua at 7.30 the train reaches Ohakune, half-way between Auckland and Wellington, where a welcome addition is made to the "personnel" of the train, in the form of a bulky 50-foot dining car that reeks of breakfast odours. Thereafter, as they career over (lie Karioi Plain, the passengers may sit at the cheerful tables' and enjoy the glories of Mount Ruapehu, glowing and glittering in the morning sunlight. From Waiouru, the highest railway station in New Zealand, 2660 feet above sea level, the view of the mountain is -superb, but e : ght miles further on, with surprising suddenness, the snow-clad vision disappears as the line dips and sweeps in a wide horseshoe to follow the valley of the Hautapu River to Taihape. At 9.33 the X engine, having g'ven place to another of the A class, the train pulls out of Taihape. The way now lies towards the. Rangitikei River, in which the Hautapu merges. Over the Mangaweka Viaduct and Makohine Viaduct—which took ten years to build —the wayfarers pass through scenery of dense white pine forests and high papa river banks, which mark where the Rangitikei rushes seaward. The whole effect is of a grey-green picture set in a frame of deepest blue, the blue of the summer morning skies. At Marten the i'uie joins that from New Plymouth, and continues over undulating country to Palmerston North the great junction of the Wellington district railways. From this point radiate the lines to the Wairarapa. Napier, Foxton and Wellington. Soon after midday, the Express, still hauled by the engine which was coupled on at Taihape, and which will cover the whole 161 miles between that, place and Wellington, speeds away past Longburn Junction, where the old Manawatu Railway Company's line began. There is only one pause between Palmerston and Wellington, and the last 27 miles arc heavy work for the men and the machine. With by little variation from the schedule time the Auckland express reaches Wellington, where through passengers and mails have several hours' wait, ere the night ferry leaves for Lyttelton. When Maui, the Maori demigod, hauled the North Island from the ocean depths he would have conferred a boon on succeeding generations of white men if, instead of allowing his catch to settle and take root where it now is. he had played his fish and swung it round till it lay at right angles to the South Island, so that the two islands formed the letter T. Then the chief centres of population would have been within thirty-six hours' steam, at most, of one another. All unwittingly, Maui has caused the building of eight hundred miles of railway to connect Auckland in the north with lnvcrcargill in the extreme south, and made it necessary that engines of speed and power should be built to carry the King's Mail careering over the railway as fast as steam and steel can drive it. The idea of making this thousand-mile link, of which 175 miles are by water, has long occupied the minds of progressive New Zealanders. Twenty years ago they dreamed of it. Twenty years ago our trains ran but slowly, our steamers took fifteen hours and more to cross the strip of blue. in 1898 the Government seriously contemplated the building of two fast steamers of three thousand tons to link the railway systems of the North and South. A committee was set up to take evidence from railway and shipping experts, relative to the establishment of a line of Government-owned steamers. Their evidence appears to have convinced the Government that such a service was in advance of the country's requirements. It is interesting to note, however, that Mr. T. Ronayne proposed a railway service which in practically every detail has been in operation for some years. His suggestion was that an express train leaving Dunedin at 8.30 a.m. should reach Lyttelton at 7.10 p.m. A steamer leaving Lyttelton at 7.45 would reach Wellington at 6.45 a.m., an eleven-hour trip, and connect with the S o'clock New Plymouth train. This is what is being done now. except that the journey from Dunedin occupies two hours less time, and the ferry steamer Maori often makes the run across the Straits in ten hours. Some time in the future, the route will be across the Straits to Picton, and thence by rail to Ghristchurch, Dunedin and Invcrcargill. With this end in view, in this article it is proposed to follow the suggested line.

The South Island Main Trunk Line. In the early seventies there was much railway building and extension going on in Canterbury. The line to Dunedin was being built. Other suggested lines which loomed large were those with which it was hoped at an early date to connect Christchurch with Greymouth, Nelson and Blenheim. In another chapter the story of the West Coast line is told. Concerning the

other it will not be out of place to quote from the report in the proposed Christchurch-Blenheim line made by the late Mr. W. N". Blair, Government Civil Engineer in charge of South Island in 1875. He wrote: "As this will be the main line connecting the two islands by means of a ferry from Picton to Wellington, I think considerable expense should be incurred to make the gradients such that a fair rate of speed may be maintained, otherwise there will be no inducement for through passengers or goods to take the rail instead of the sea from Lyttelton to Wellington." The railway was then being built from Amberley to Red Post —now Culverden — it is noteworthy that one proposed route for the West Coast line was to branch off here and go by way' of Cannibal Gorge to Reef ton. Many people still assert that this is the easiest route across. Had it been decided to build on this route, no doubt the railway to Blenheim would have had an impetus given to it by the neighbouring activities which by the adoption of the Arthur's Pass route are now proceeding at Otira Tunnel. The way of the Blenheim line as first proposed was from Amberley to Jollie's Pass and on to Tollhouse, where lines would branch off to Nelson and Blenheim. This inland mountainous route has now been abandoned in favour of the coastal route. The sentiments in Mr. Blair's report, however, apply equally well to the seaward lying line. Since the inland route has from time to time been mentioned as the best route for a trunk line it may be stated that it attains, a maximum elevation of 3300 feet as against 500 feet on the coastal line, and it is 30 miles longer than the latter route. What this elevation means in winter may be gauged by a comparison with the highest point in the North Island Main Trunk line at Waiuru, where the altitude is 2660 feet. The South Island line is 400 miles further south and 640 feet higher. It does not require the word of a traveller who has crossed the route in winter to prove how bitterly cold the temperature is. After a survey of this route, two lines were planned to go via the coast, one starting from Waiau township along what is now the coach road to Kaikoura, another from Waipara through the country where Cheviot now is and across the Waiau River. Thence by the line of the present coast road to Kaikoura. North of Kaikoura there was no doubt as to the route, as the only one available is that along the coast. The present position of the railway at the north end as regards the

portions authorised for construction and those that are merely suggested is as follows:Prom

Picton to Ward, 50 miles, the line is completed and open for traffic; from Ward to Mirza 3% miles, construction is authorised, and money for

a further 3% miles to carry the line through the Tar-barrel Hill and a mile beyond the "Die River is to be placed on the Estimates this year. From Christchurch to the Bluff, and from Wellington to Auckland, the best that the coun-

try possesses in permanent way and rollingstock carry the travellers to and fro, and there is a 175-mile sea-ferry journey to link the islands. On the Blenheim-Christchurch overland route there are 156 miles of travel that is oldfashioned in the extreme. Were the rails laid it would mean that the sea-ferry would have only a 50-milc journeyonly two hours in open water. If the last link was built it would be possible for a ferry steamer, such as the Maori, to leave Wellington at six o'clock p.m., two hours after the arrival of the Auckland train. She would reach Picton at nine and passengers boarding the train at once would reach Christchurch at seven the next morning. While the up train

leaving Christchurch at eight would be in Picton at six in the morning. The returning ferry would reach Wellington at ten, giving two hours to through passengers who wished to do business in the capital. One fast steamer could do all the ferry work, and such a route will be a boon to travellers.

The completed portion of the South Island Trunk Line, which has connected Christchurch

and Invercargill for more than 30 years, was at first known in Canterbury at the Great Southern Railway. When the Christchurch - Dunedin section was first opened in 1878, the trains were, of course, small and primitive in equipment. But very soon the traffic became considerablc, and rapid improvement had to be made to carry it promptly and economically.

xii 111 C <l l l/l v_-l LlUclilllg VV Jill tsA.pi cbo I UlOlllO LI V (?S in New Zealand, it will bo seen'how the locomotive power and speed increased on this section. Up till six years ago only one passenger train ran each way between the cities of Christchurch and Dunedin, and there was no “right-through” service to Invercargill. Since that time, however, there have been two expresses each way, one of which traverses the distance between Christchurch and Invercargill, and connects with the Wellington Ferry, going and coining. Leaving Christchurch at 8 am., the passengers, which have reached Lyttelton in the steamer “Maori,” travel right through to Invercargill, arriving there at 9.30 p.m, wlrlo the north-bound passenger leaves Invercargill at 6.15 a.m , and boards the ferry at Lyttelton at 8 o’clock in the evening. This service between the extremities of our Dominion is a very good one, and there are few countries in the world of the natural conformation of New Zealand in which a better service of 1000 miles length can be found. THE WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY. There are still living in Wellington men who travelled by coach between Wellington and Palmerston North, before the days of the railway, and there are in this country a few old pioneers who walked the distance, and even greater distances, when there were no roads. Which goes to show how recent is the advent and how great the development of the railways in the short space of time. Originally the line called the Wellington-Manawatu line was surveyed and partly constructed by the Government, but the Government was very hard no,

and, having already on its hands the building of the Wairarapa Railway, began to consider the advisability of carrying the latter line through the Manawatu Gorge to Palmerston and thus make one line instead of two. With this idea

a Royal Commission was appointed to report on the prospects and actual necessity for the building of the Manawatu railway. And the Commission killed the project dead. They recommended that in their opinion the best route to Palmerston lay over the Eimutakas and through the Manawatu Gorge. These gentlemen were all

friends of the Government, upon which fell the task of building the line and opponents of the former Ministry which had surveyed and begun the railway. It must, therefore, be concluded that their verdict was an inspired one. When it seemed likely that for a long time nothing would be done to bring the splendid timber and

grazing country of the Manawatu into closer touch with Wellington, leading citizens called a public, meeting to consider the advisability of forming a company to build the railway. In 1880 the Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company was formed, with a capital of £500,000, divided into 100,000 shares of £5 each. The provisional directors and officers were: —Sir W. Pox. Messrs. S. Brown, J. Bull, If. Bunny, .1. Chew, H. Diver, J. Gear, E. Greenfield, A. W. P. Halcombc, W. Hutchison, C. B. Izard, W. H. Levin, J. L’nton, J. Lockie, H. L. Logan, J. McKenzie, W. S. Moorhouse, J. E. Nathan, A. K. Newman, J. Plimmer, G. Y. Shannon, B. Smith, J. S. M. Thompson, W. T. L. Travers, W. Turnbull, W. Whittan, 11, C. Wilson, J. Wallace and A. Young; secretary, J. 11. Wallace; treasurer, J. Woodward. The following year saw the Company successfully floated, and early in 1886 the line was opened from Wellington to Paekakariki. Later in that year. 36 miles from Longburn to Manakau were opened and the coach connection reduced to a run of 20 miles, and on 3rd Nov., 1886, the through rail service was opened. Only five locomotives were used to work the line. This the chairman attributed to the easy curves and grades ruling on the greater portion of the line, since he had been informed by English authorities that eighteen engines would be necessary to operate the 80 odd miles of line. Looking back, one cannot but suggest that the five locomotives must have been worked to death in struggling to maintain a very indifferent service. However, in 1888, two large American engines of the consolidation typo, wore imported to work between Wellington and Paekakariki. For purposes of economy, it was decided to burn wood instead of coal on the Longburn-Paekakariki section, and later this fuel AAas used on the hill section, with, however, very unhappy results when the load was heavy or the rails greasy. In the dry weather wood burning was discontinued for fear of setting the forests aflame. The line then ran through forests for a great distance, tall, A'irg'n forests whose colonnades echoed and re-echoed the deep-toned, bell-like notes of the engine whistles. Each year brought increased returns and further additions to the rolling stock of the company till with the dawning of the nineties the line . had grown to be on level terms in point of speed and efficiency with the Christ-church-Dunedin express route. Up to this time the trains had been hauled for the most part by tank engines or light tender engines. The new locomotives were chiefly of American build, and one of these. No. 10 in the Company’s numeration, a six-coupled 57-ton compound tender engine, with 4ft. lin. wheels, has the reputation of having run at the highest speed yet attained on the railways of New Zealand. In the “Engineering News” of 26th January, 1893, the late Mr. Rous Martin tells of the trip, which was a trial one, He wrote: “For some little time it had appeared likely to become necessary, for special reasons, to run trains as rapidly as possible over the line, and an experiment was decided upon to decide what could actually be done in this way. The fastest train previously run had covered the S3V> miles in 2 hours 58 minutes running time, that is at 28 miles an hour, with a train of 150 tons. In this case it was resolved to try with only two cars, 25 tons in all, and to run at the highest velocity practicable. A good start was made from Wellington and a speed of 30 to 33 miles was made up the steep bank of 1 in 36 to 1 in 40 for five miles.

Mr. Eons Martin gave a timetable of the run from Otaki to Longburn, between which places the fastest running was made. To train-wearied travellers these figures will be refreshing, even though one realises that this was a “freak” performance. Here is the table: —

The driver of this engine was J. Fryer, and the fireman J. Taylor, now locomotive foreman at Paekakariki. On the engine were also Mr. J. ’ E. Fulton, Mr. J. Marchbanks (now of Wellington Harbour Board), and Mr. Rous Mar-

tin. The above figures can therefore be taken as absolutely correct, and the performance was undoubtedly a marvellous one for the 3ft. 6 : n. gauge and 561 b. rails.

The W. & M. Company imported the first compound engines into New Zealand, their numbers 13 and 14, being Yauclain compounds. Number 13 was eight-coupled and worked between Wellington and Paekakariki, while No. 14 was six-coupled and ran on the level line to the northward. This engine on the 25th February 1896, hauled from Longburn to Paekakariki a train estimated to weight 432 Va tons, the ruling grade being 1 in 100 on the straight. No. 17 an American compound consolidation, hauled, single-handed, 160 tons 16cwt. from Wellington to Johnsonville over a 1 in 36 grade, and No. 16, a somewhat similar type, brought a train of 320 tons from Paekakariki to Wellington. All these are Baldwin engines. When the Government Railways took the line over tlie Company had 20 locomotives, all of which were admirably adapted to the particular work allotted to them. Here arc particulars of the Company’s locomotives: —

Ho. 3 is accounted the most powerful tank engine, and No. 29 and 20 have the largest driving wheels in New Zealand, while Ho. 17 is a very fine consol, of 70 tons weight, and with an unusually wide fire-box. All the Company’s rolling stock were, of course, taken over by the Government, and the locomotives re-

numbered, being included in the official list of engines.

A remarkable point in connection with the Wellington-Manawatu line is that, although it was abandoned by the Government because the line via the Gorge was preferable, the latter line was not completed and opened until ten years later, though Napier and Palmerston were linked up by rail in 1891. Palmerston enjoyed railway connection with Foxton and with Wanganui and New Plymouth before the Wellington-Manawatu Company was formed. In 1890 Mr. A. W. R. Pulton/for many years manager of the line, died, and was succeeded by his brother. Mr J. E. Pulton, who resigned in 1897. When Mr. J. 11. Wallace, general manager of the line since its beginning, retired in 1894, Mr. J. 11. Haimay succeeded him, and Mr. James Marchbanks became engineer to the Company in 1897. On 7th December, 1908, the WellingtonManawatu was taken over by the Government, the price paid for this important link in the North Island Main Trunk L'ne being £1.000,000. The unhappy Midland Company and this Company were the only private railway companies, of any importance in New Zealand, and while the former essayed an impossible task, the latter affords an interesting example of what private enterprise can accomplish under Government supervision and in face of Government competition. In its length the Company's line traversed country of varying conformation, making it necessary to adopt special means for the economical working of the line. But for the knowledge that sooner or later the State would acquire the line, much greater development would have been made and increased services would have been run. As it was, the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company served a useful purpose. We subjoin a short financial history of the line, for which we are indebted to the "New Zealand Times": — PROFITS AND DIVIDENDS. It was not with a hope of securing prompt dividends that the Wellington and Manawatu

line was promoted by the business men of Wellington. They were content first to benefit from the improvement in settlement and commerce which followed its opening, but in 1891 it commenced to pay, and the shares, which could have been bought at five shillings discount. went up to par. In 1901 the price of £1 shares had risen to 305., at which figure the late Mr. Ssddon wished to acquire the shareholders’ interests. A steady run of seven per cent, dividends has considerably hardened the price, and original investors were able, before the Government acquired the line, to get in the open market about £2 os. for their well-placed soa ereign. 1 lie following table indicates the net profits of the Company and their main sources since its inception.—

THE WELLINGTON-WAIRAfiAPA LINE. The Riiuutaka Hill. there bo anything in omens, then this section of railway was fore-doomed to the reputation it has for causing controversy regarding the route it follows and the one it should have followed and should be diverted to. For on the day of the turning of the first sod at Pipitea foiut there was such an engagement of fisticuffs as has never been witnessed since in Wellington, the army of navvies whom the contractors, J>rog'lon and Sons, imported for the work, and the blue-jackets from a niau-o ’-•wav were gathered at the ceremony, and immediately afterwards engaged in a terrific battle on the beach and flat laud about the Point. It raged all the afternoon and into the evening, and many a sole head and bruised skin and aching body were given and got. That was forty years ago. Men have been wrangling about the Riiuutaka Incline ever since.

The Rimutaka Incline, a short part of the line scarce three miles long, is the only remaining incline in the world worked on the Fell system by Poll locomotives. When the line was built it was confidently but quite erroneously supposed by its promoters that it would be the main thoroughfare between the capital and Palmerston North, Napier New Plymouth, and other northern towns. But the Manawatu Railway reached Palmerston long before the Wairarapa line did, and the Napier and New Plymouth expresses travelled by that shorter and easier route, as they do to-day. Because of the rivalry of the Company and the Government, when the Wairarapa line reached Woodville, the Napier express was made to run via the Wairarapa, us were many goods trains, and this threw some heavy work upon the locomotives which operate the incline, for it requires two or three engines to bring a train up the hill, and in busy times the line was frequently working day and night; as it was impossible to procure any more Fell engines the railway engineers built a compound Mallet engine, which assisted the Fell engines, though even then the task was almost beyond their power. The average grade is 1 in .15, and some of the curves arc of great severity. A third steel rail is laid between the usual rails, and upon this the special grip-wheels of the Fell engines work. These wheels have level edges and are pressed by screws and levers on the sides of the steel rail. When caused to revolve by _ powerful machinery the wheels haul the train up the hill, being assisted by the ordinary driving wheels. The effort made by the engines is tremendous, the noise terrific,- two distinct exhausts from separate engines exploding into the one funnel, and bellowing and roaring

into the quiet atmosphere. At. night the sight is weird, and in the tunnels at any time the smoke is dreadful. As an experience, the trip is well worth the making. But it seems strange that men could ever have approved this as a main line route to the north when others offered. Now that the Government has taken over the Manawatu line, all expresses and most goods traffic go by that route; only the South Wairarapa traffic crosses the “Hill of Purgatory,” the existence of which is. without doubt, a serious bar to the progress and development of the Wairarapa Valley. There are at least two other routes by which the ranges could be crossed, but, of course, the construction of such a deviation would be costly. It is, however, bound to come, for the bmit of what the Manawatu line can carry on a single track will soon be reached. It will probably then be advisable to build the deviation. With the “ Auckland-Wellington via East Coast” route an accomplished fact the Wa ! - rarapa will doubtless be given a well-graded line to Wellington, for there will be a great trade some day between the capital and all the East Coast. EXPRESS ENGINES OF NEW ZEALAND. The impression many travellers receive of slowness in New Zealand trains is caused by the long waits at stations the Main Trunk express is delayed so. In actual running, 45 and 50 miles an hour are speeds that are the rule, not the exception, on favourable roads. It would be madness to race on tortuous mountain roads. Safety and commonsense forbid it. But our express engines could do it —with reasonable loads, that is, say, six

modern carriages. In England and America, where the speed records are made, very few expresses -exceed that length. New Zealand about holds the record for length of passenger trains. The history of express engine running in New Zealand is not a tedious one. It is very short, speed on our railways being of such recent dates. In 1878 the line between Christchurch and Dunedin was opened and very soon a large traffic grew on this route. Here the most rapid advance in locomotive power was made. The first tender engines—the J —-were of English make, but resembled the American design in having a Mogul wheel base. They were six-coupled with 3ft. Gin. driving wheels. When it was found necessary to mo expresses between Christchurch and Dunedin, eight locomotives were brought from the Rogers Locomotive Works in America. These constituted class K on the New Zealand nrlways, and were fast with light loads of 70 tons or so, a speed of 30 miles an hour being consistently achieved. They had four-coupled driving wheels of 4ft. diameter, and cylinders .12in. x SOin. The late Mr. Rous Mart/in, a railway writer of note who graduated in New Zealand, stated that with larger boilers and cylinders the K engines would have done much better with heavier loads. These engines are still running on light suburban and branch line trains, and railway men regard them as speedy, all things considered. When the loads were increased it was found necessary to "double-head," that is, attach two K engines to a train of 12 cars from Christchurch to Oamaru, and to reduce their load to 8 cars on the hills between

Oamaru and Dunedin, where the grades are 1 in 50. This proved too expensive, so designs were prepared for ten express engines with sixcoupled 4ft. driving wheels, loin, cylinders, and bigger boilers. These were the first of the V class. The order was sent to England, and after a long delay 2 engines were delivered and advice sent to say that in order to carry out the requirements ten tons weight had been added. This was a serious matter, as the railway and its bridges were not competent to carry the extra weight. Much correspondence ensued, and the builders finally allowed a sum

to help cover the cost of strengthening the bridges. Then an order was sent to the Bald-

win Locomotive Works for six express engines and six "consolidation" freight engines. The difference between English and American methods was manifest. The 12 engines were shipped within 5 months from the date of the order leaving New Zealand; they were of the specified weight. and proved satisfactory. These were the class N (express engines) and

O (freight). Mr. Rous Martin, who strongly favoured the American engine for our railways, made the following comparison to show the cost of running these engines and the English V and P types (details of oil, tallow, waste, etc.,

The comparison is not quite a fair one, as the English engines worked on the Oamaru-Dun-edin grades at a speed of 20 to 25 miles an hour, while the Americans ran between Oamaru and Christchurch at a speed of 35 miles an hour. It is, however, noteworthy that the American's repair bills were far less than those of the English machines. The next step in the advance was the U engine; a good deal heavier than previous express engines. This type is six-coupled. Ten of them were built in America, six in England, while eight were built in New Zealand. The imported engines had 4ft. lin. driving wheels, and the locally built one 4ft. Gin. wheels. There are now 49 U locomotives on the New Zealand railways, 47 of which run on the Huru-nui-Bluff section, while 2 are employed on the •Wellington-Palmerston North line. In 1901 a good deal of discussion was raised as to the relative merits of the English and American locomotives, and extended tests were carried out with a view to coming to some conclusion concerning which it would be most advisable to import. The balance swung in favour of the American, and in the following year 13 Q engines were imported, ten being for use in the Hurunui-Bluff and 3 for the Auckland sections. The Q is a six-coupled engine of G 5 tons weight, with driving wheels 4ft. lin. in diameter. They were able to cope more successfully with the heavy 12-car trains than the U engines, and are still employed on express work. At holiday time, when the trains stretched out to from 16 to 20 cars, the Q made good time, single-handed, from Christchurch to Oamaru, and double-headed from there to Dunedin.

In 1904 the New Zealand Government decided to import no more engines for the railways. In future they were to be built, and the design which Mr. A. L. Beattie, Chief Mechanical Engineer, chose for his express engines was the balanced compound, an adaptation of the French pattern. The result is the A engine, of 72 tons weight, six-coupled, 4ft. 6in. drivers and a tractive force of 17,4001b5. The high pressure cylinders work on the inside cranks, and the low pressure on the outside. The pioneer of this type (No. 71) ran on the Christchurch-Oamaru line, and at first there was a storm of criticism levelled at her. But the engine, and others of her kind, have outlived the storm, and are doing good work on the expresses. From the enginemen's point of view, they are not so easy to understand as other types, but once mastered they are as easy to run. At present there are about 30 in use, and more are being built. By courtesy of Mr. A. L. Beattie, the writer on one occasion travelled on No. 71 from Christchurch to Ashburton; the speed reached 51 miles an hour, and never fell below 40 when clear of stations. The A is undoubtedly a fine engine, and has become, the standard express engine of our railways. The last addition to the engine list is the X locomotive. Six of these engines, which are of 92 tons weight, with S-coup'ied 3ft. 9in. driving wheels, are in use on the 90-mile stretch between Taihape and Taumaranui. The tractive force of the X class is 30,000 that is the pull she exerts on the drawbar of the train. She is able to manage, single-handed, the ordinary train of nine carsabout 250 —on the 1 in 50 grades, but with holiday traffic or in greasy weather, sometimes two are employed. It may appear to some observers that in New Zealand we are approaching the limit of weight and size of engine and vehicle which can be carned on a narrow gauge system. But this is not so. One has only to turn to the South African railways, which are of the same gauge as our own, to see what can be carried.

There the express type is the tenth class engine, of 107 tons weight, and 24,7301b5. tractive force, freight trains are hauled by the eleventh class of 113 tons weight and 34,6671b5. tractive force. These are English built engines. In 1909 an American-built Pacific type engine was added to the tenth class. She is of 113 tons weight. And another experiment is an Ameri-can-built Mallet compound of 157 tons weight. (Note that these weights are English tons.) This locomotive has hauled 1000 tons dead weight on the level at a considerable speed. It

must be mentioned that on these large engines the white driver and firemen are assisted by a native fireman, the task of shovelling coal into the monster fires being too great for one man. It is not suggested that our engines arc too small. The African examples are quoted to show what may be done when our bridges and

tracks are strengthened, tunnels enlarged and station clearances increased. The South African systems also set an example in "scrapping" obsolete and obsolescent engines. In one year about 70 engines were scrapped in the Central System. The Now Zealand engine list is loaded with a lot of old-fashioned machines which use the same amount of coal, etc.. as a modern engine would use. This, however, is a matter of railway policy and management on which only experts can express an opinion. The vital point remains that a great many more modern engines are required.

GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF RAILWAYS. And an Offer from Private Enterprise. Although at the present time practically all the railways in New Zealand are operated by the Government, in the early days private enterprise was not slow to offer to build and run our railways. Up to the year 1871, all railway surveys and constructions were carried out by the Provincial Governments. But in that year a movement was

made by the General Government to take over existing lines and survey and build new ones. Only the Canterbury and Southland systems were in working order then; the Bluff-Invercargill, and a short line to the westward, and the Christchurch-Lyttelton, Christclmrch-Selwyn and Christchurch-Rangiora lines.

At Wellington and Auckland, preparations were being made to build railways to Masterton and the Waikato respectively. Napier was planning a line to connect her with Palmerston, and from that town to Foxton in one direction, and to New Plymouth in the other, a railway was surveyed. The Foxton-Palmerston North line was, in fact, the first line in the North Island to be opened, and it was laid with wooden rails. In the midst of all this railway activity, the General Government received a unique offer from one Captain Audley Coote, representing English capitalists who were interested in railway construction in England and were looking for colonial investments of a like nature. It was proposed to form a company to be called the Grand Trunk Railway Company of New Zealand, with a capital of from £2,000,000 to £2,500,000, for the purpose of building railways in New Zealand. The idea was for the Government to guarantee 5% per cent, on all the capital the company invested in railway construction in New Zealand. When the lines were finished the company was to have the running of them for a period of 35 years and during that time all profits "over 7 per cent." were to be divided between the Government and the Company. What was to happen at the end of the period does not seem to have been gone into; the Government did not entertain the proposal for long, preferring to build its own lines with borrowed capital. The capitalists mentioned secured similar rights in Tasmania and doubtless found their enterprise, if not profitable, at least, safe. ■ . : • !Ii j -■ Having made its decision, the Government set about the work of building and of taking over the existing lines. This latter appears to have been finally accomplished in 1873, yet as far as Wellington was concerned, when the WellingtonHutt line was nearing completion, the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. E. Richardson, early in 1873 wrote to the Superintendent of the Province advising him that the line would be ready by Ist February. 1874, and asking for information as to whether the Superintendent had arranged for a railway staff. Later in the year the Minister wrote again, reminding the Province that he had heard nothing as to the organisation of the staff and desiring information as he had numerous applications for appointment and did not know how to treat them. However, the line was not ready by the time stated by the contractors, Messrs. Brogden & Sons. And it never appears to have been controlled by the Provincial Government. It may, therefore, be taken with accuracy that after 1874 all railway systems in New Zealand were controlled by the Minister of Public Works under the General Government. Then came the Railway Commissioners era, which was followed by the present administration through the Railway Department. It has been argued that it would have been better to have altered all the existing lines to the standard gauge of 4ft. B%in. when the General Government took them over. Doubtless it would have been. Yet the present gauge is capable of much greater things than have been attempted in New Zealand, and had the early administrators of the narrow gauge system been more generous in their ideas, much of the

present trouble due to clearance limitations j would have been avoided. Tunnels were made ; so small, in many cases, that a long 50-foot car cannot negotiate a curve in them without becoming jammed against the brickwork of the tunnel. Similarly, station platforms have been built with so little clearance that the large express train- carriages now running actually overhang the platforms. In the case of locomotives, they have to be built to such measurements, as will clear the station platforms and also the overhanging station roofs. To alter all these will be costly, but some day it will have to be done, for the growth of traffic and the correspondent enlargement of all rolling stock must go on. It is only necessary to look at the South African railways to see what size of trains and weight of loads can be carried on a 3ft. 6in. road. This gauge will serve New Zealand for all —with heavier rails, a greater number of fast and powerful locomotives and double tracks where the trade demands it, a first-class service can be run. Another step in the right direction is the reduction of excessive grades now being undertaken. Meanwhile it is well to remember that most of the disabilities under which our railways labour are the result of the reaction against the broad gauge of Canterbury which found expression in the narrowing of the whole scheme of railways in New Zealand to an extent that made them little more than toys. From the New Zealand Railways Statement for 1910, the latest published, it appears that there are now 2717 miles of road open for traffic. The net revenue (£1.080,316) exceeded that of the previous year by 265,605, and was equal to a return of 3.58 on the total capital (£30,321,191) invested in opened and unopened lines. In the General Traffic Maintenance and Locomotive Departments a total number of over 12,000 men and boys are employed, and the rolling stock consists of some 500 locomotives, 1200 carnages, including S sleeping cars, 400 vans and mail vans, and 16,000 waggons. On all main lines and many branches the tablet system of train control is in vogue, interlocking points and signals are fitted at important stations, and the Westinghouse air

"brake was fitted to the major portion of the rolling stock some years ago at a cost of £250,000. Taken all in all, it may be said that the New Zealand Railways are advancing in point of equipment and quality of service. A Smokc(d) Theorist. It was on the Mihiwaka Hill, just above Port Chalmers, where the main line passes through several tunnels. The occupants of a certain compartment of a “bird-cage” carriage were an English tourist and his wife, a young New Zealander and Ids girl, and myself. When the gasping, smok'ng engines yelped a warning I rose to close the" window, but the Englishman interposed. “Excuse me,” he said! “if we leave the window open on one side and the door on the other, the atmospheric pressure will be bal-

auced. No smoke or steam will enter, and we shall be spared the suffocating effect of closed windows and doors. 1 have tried it many times.” The idea sounded feasible, and was undoubtedty a brave one—in Milmvaka Tunnel — so we acquiesced. Into the tunnel the engines roared, Presently a cloud of steam enveloped the train,

and for an instant none entered the compartment. "There you are," exclaimed the smoke theorist in triumph. But it was only for an instant. The —thank heaven there was no —-rushed down the corridor and in through the door. "All right," cried the theorist reassuringly, "it will all go out of the window." And as people do when a born leader appears, we acquiesced.

About this time we lost sight of one another. The New Zealander’s girl began to cough and the tourist’s wife said, “Is it safe, Harry?’’ What reply he would have dared to make we never knew, for the fireman began to coal up, and beautiful black smoke began to oust the steam. As one man, the other New Zealander and myself slammed the door and the window and sank back in our seats with perhaps a shade of shame in our hearts in thus surrendering before the Englishman. In righteous indignation he made our cowardice clear. “By heaven, gentlemen,” he said, “what have you done! Why, you’ve shut it all in!” An Eccentric Incident. Number Eleven was bringing the southbound New Plymouth-Wellingtou express from Paekakariki to Wellington on a certain Saturday evening many summers ago. It was ■ a heavy

train, every car filled with people, many of w h o m were to catch the South boat which sailed at eight o'clock. About a mile south „ _ . ® , , „ , . n of n Ponrua tlie s P ee <i of tlie tram decreased, and after a few spasmodic jerks we came to a standstill. No. 11 had disgraced herself. She had slipped an eccentric. Her driver was

down among her "internals" and presently reappeared. "No good, have to get to Tawa Flat somehow." The powerful engine, crippled as she was, started the train jerkily, only one side of her machinery being of use. By dint of patient and careful driving she made Tawa Flat. When she came to a standstill a dozen passengers crowded round to hear what was wrong. But there was no one to answer questions till the fireman came to the surface to get a spanner or something. "An eccentric's gone," he said briefly. "We're going to leave half of the train here." "Which half?" eager voices asked, every man ready to run with his bags to the favoured half. The fireman was too hot and busy, and he was under the engine again. The guard came out of the telephone room of the flag station and said, "No need to worry. We'll only be half an hour late, gentlemen." "What about the South boat?" "They're telephoning to keep her back. Now wo 're going to drop the dining car and the three cars in front of it, so kindly take your bags out of these cars." For a quarter of an hour there was hustle. Then, haltingly, like a lame giant, No. 11 pushed the four cars into the siding, and came slowly back to the train. "Good 'orse," said a sporting man; "Give 'er some oats. '' 81-r-r-r-r!! Her whistle rang out, the train moved, nearly stopped while the enginemen's prayers shoved her over the dead centres, where /the steam could not help her. On. on, on, in funny jumps that made the strap-hangers in the crowded cars tumble against one another. Quicker, quicker, her throttle was opening now, and she left the level and took the long grade to Johnsonville at a ten-mile speed. Only a splendid machine splendidly handled could perform such a task. Johusonville was reached 35 minutes belrnd schedule time. The rest was easy, and live minutes were picked up on the downhill run to Wellington. With a few minutes to spare the Southern passengers took cabs and raced for the wharf, where was enacted the last sad act in the eccentric incident. Somehow or other the message to delay the vessel has miscarried. The ; ' Rotomahana'' was backing away. Twenty feet of water, w'den'mg every minute, separated the travellers from their snug berths. They shouted, almost cried, to the Captain to come back. He could not hear, did not know there was aught amiss. The last note was struck by a large man who cried, "Hi! Captain, it's me, Bill Smith. Come back!" The " Rotomahana V telegraph rang "Full Speed! . . .!

Distance miles Station. Time. Speed. (miles per hour) — Otaki (leave) 10"404 a.in. 5-60 Manakau (pass) 10-50“ „ 36-6 9'15 Ohan (pass) 10-55 „ 43-G 14-11 Levin (pass) 110* „ 54"5 17-98 Kereru (slack pass) 11-5S „ 43-2 22-42 Shannon (pass) 11-103 „ 53-4 25‘79 Makerua (pass) 11-14 „ 60-3 29-82 Tokomaru 11-18 „ 00-5 33-86 Linton (slow over bridge) 11'211- „ 11-2U „ 60-6 C0-G 37-07 Longburn (arrive) 11-264 „ 45-3

1 1 ll h I--S 1 Cj n Il k s 1| y. a "S is II n H O o 5S i-— ; s o.S r-S 5s o.S o~. E o C3 ... 8 Coupled Tank 17x20 17 x 20 43in. ■13in. 6 G 931 681 59 5 9 *21,700 *21,700 1 ... 6 „ „ 12 x 18 ,, ,, 37in. 12 x 18 4 37in. 271 4 3'8 27'7 8,336 3’8 8,336 2 ... 9 ,, 37in. ,, 4 37in. 39o 4 3'5 39’5 8,336 3'5 8,336 4 ... 6 ,, 37iu. 37iu. 4 4 31’8 31'8 31 31 8.336 8.336 (i ... (j Coupled Simple 15 x 20 15 x 20 I'liu. min. 4 4 481 481 41 41 10,928 10,928 7 ... (I ‘.lender i endc 49iu. ,, 4 ■join. 49’2 4 41 49'2 10,9-28 41 10,928 8 ... 9 „ ” ,, ,, 49in. „ 4 min. 51‘0 4 4‘9 51'0 10,928 4'9 10,928 9 ... 9 „ 49in. min. 4 4 47'3 47'3 3'5 3*5 10,928 10,928 10 ... G „ ,, 40in. ,, 4 min. 48’2 4 3'8 48'2 10,928 3'8 10,928 19 ... 6 „ „ 16j x 22 ,, ,, 5Sin. 1CJ 4 x 22 541 5Sin. 4’5 4 14,490 541 4T> 14,490 20 ... 9 s „ Itis x 22 s 58in. ItiS 1 x 22 551 58in. 41 4 14,490 551. 41 14,490 5 ... G Coupled Com- 10 ! ,,, Coupled Com- ° pound Tender 17 , * 10! 19in. 4 40'S 4'8 17 > 12,574 x 20 49in. 4 -IG'S 4'8 12,574 18 ... 0 „ ,, •19in. ,, 4 •19in. 46’9 4 51 46’9 12,574 51 1-2,574 14 ... 9 ,, 49in. 49in. 4 4 4S'2 48'2 4'3 4'3 11.538 11.538 15 ... G 19in. 4 4)1 4*8 13,636 11 ... 8 Coupled Simpio Id x 20 49in. 4 4)1 41 13,636 11 ...y Coupled Simple 1G x 20 43in. 13in. 2 2 64'0 64'0 41 41 16,670 16,670 12 ... g Tender lender 42in. „ 2 42in. (0 9 2 41 (09 14,170 41 14,170 13 ... S Coupled 11 1 Cou pled ° Compound jy / X - u 11 ' J3in. 2 60'2 51 18 1 15,177 x *20 43iu. ._> G0'2 51 15,177 16 ... 8 M •13in. 2 6)1 50 16,240 17 ... 8 „ .. x20 43iu. 2 6)1 5‘0 16,210 17 ... 8 ii i 1 43in. 1 601 6'6 ” ” 18 i 17,677 x 20 ■13in. 4 60'7 5'6 17,677 Coal and oil, average over S years. ■‘Estimated

Year. Land. Railway Dividend £ Dividend Per cent . 1890 ... .Balance ... Balance10,000 10,0002,130 2,130nil. nil. 1891 ... Profit. ... Profit.3,177 3,1774,101 4,10131 34 1891 ... ... ,, 3,270 3.2707,967 7,907 1893 ... ... , , 3,072 3,0727,258 7,2585 189-1 ... 3,420 8,497 (5 1895 ... ... , , 1,902 1,9028,304 8,3040 0 1806 ... ... , , 2,115 2,1158,910 8,9100 0 1897 ... , , 1,754 1,7548,954 8,9540 0 1898 ... 1,940 8,339 1899 ... 1,964 0,544 5 1900 ... ... ,, 2,499 2,4998,000 8.6005 5 1901 ... ... , , 2,570 2,5709.791 9.7910 0 1902 ... ... . , 2,710 2,7109,072 9,072 0 1903 ... ... ,, 4,308 4,30810,301 10,3010 & 2s. bonus 0 & 2s. bonus 190-1 ... ... , , 5,177 5.17711,005 11,0057 1905 ... ,, 5,481 5,48410,389 10,389 7 1900 ... ... , , 5,700 5,70011,204 11,204 1907 ... ... , , 0,082 0,08211,440 11,4407 7 Land account ind account£74,392 £74,392 Kailway account 153,004 Total net profit £227,456

are not shown): — EXPRESS ENGINES. Class. Miles run. Fuel in Repairs. Total cost pence. per mile. American N 21600 3'13 29 8'22 English V 19406 2’62 3'44 8'DO FREIGHT ENGINES. American 0 16600 3-10 2'Sl 9-65 English P 13300 3'39 3'28 10-28