HISTORIC MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY (1972)

During the early 1860s, bullock wagons, river barges, and tiny coastal vessels provided the only means of transport between the small settlements in the infant colony of New Zealand. Pioneer settlers dreamed even then of the day when Auckland and Wellington would be linked by a railway, but many years were to elapse before their dreams materialised.

Construction of a 22-mile railway from Auckland to Drury was started in 1865, but little was achieved until contracts were let in 1872 for construction of a line from Auckland to Mercer, on the Waikato River. This was completed in 1875 and subsequent extensions brought the railhead to Hamilton in 1877, and to Te Awamutu, 100 miles, in 1880. Here it was close to the northern boundary of the hostile Rohepotae, or King Country, wherein few white men had ventured.

Following negotiations with the Maori chiefs, an intrepid surveyor named John Rochfort was set the task of seeking a route for the Main Trunk Railway between Te Awamutu and Marton. His exploration of the King Country was an epic of courage and endurance. Working northward from Marton in 1883, he was on several occasions arrested by the Maoris, turned back, or threatened with death. Only after further delicate negotiations could he continue with his arduous task.

By the end of 1884 the 212-mile survey had been completed. Alternative routes via Taranaki and Hawke's Bay had been surveyed by other parties, but the parliamentary committee which inquired into the relative merits of the various lines decided that Rochfort's central route would be the easiest to construct, and more detailed surveys were undertaken along the trail he had blazed.

Construction soon began southward from Te Awamutu and northward from Marton, slowly and some-what fitfully at first, but with an increasing pace and determination from about 1904. The railheads finally met near Pokaka, north of Ohakune, on 3 August 1908, and four days later a special passenger train ran through from Wellington to Auckland. The 426-mile line was declared completed on 6 November 1908, when the last spike was ceremonially driven by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward. A month later the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company's private 83-mile line was purchased, and regular Wellington-Auckland express trains began running on 15 February 1909.

Back in those horse and buggy days, express trains needed more than 19 hours to cover the 426 miles between Auckland and Wellington, including 15 or more intermediate stops. The maximum speed then allowed was 40 m.p.h., and average speeds between stops seldom exceeded 30 m.p.h. Consisting of gas-lit, steam-heated wooden cars with horsehair padded seats, and the first sleeping cars in this country, these 200-ton trains were hauled by the latest steam locomotives of the 4-cylinder compound type. Step by step since that time, as track has been improved and speed limits eased, the journey time has been reduced and better equipment and amenities provided on the trains.

Today (1972), the daytime express diesel railcars complete the run in less than 11 hours, and the heavy air-conditioned "Silver Star" sleeping-car expresses cover the journey overnight in a convenient 12 1/2 hours. Ordinary overnight express trains, with reclining-seat coaches and sleeping cars to serve numerous on-line communities, take about 14 1/2 hours.

ENGINEERING FEATS

Faced with towering mountains, steep hillsides, and deep ravines near the high plateau in the centre of the North Island, the builders of the Main Trunk Railway displayed remarkable skill in overcoming the many difficulties. Southbound trains from Taumarunui climb 2,086 feet in only 32 miles to National Park, the steepest gradient being 1 in 50, as on the last seven miles where the famous Raurimu Spiral is located. This feature overcomes an abrupt rise into National Park by extending the railway track through a complete circle, three horseshoe curves, and two tunnels (see aerial map view).

From the southern end the railway rises 2,208 feet in the 68 miles from Marton to Waiouru, 2,670 feet above sea level, and the highest station on the line. The railway then falls to 2,029 feet at Ohakune, but rises again to a maximum altitude of 2,671 feet between Ohakune and National Park.

In surmounting the many high summits and negotiating the valleys of rivers and streams, the Main Trunk Railway necessarily follows a somewhat tortuous course, and over long stretches of line speed has to be reduced to between 25 and 40 m.p.h. The entire line, however, is now laid with heavy rail, and automatic signals are installed throughout. Train movements on all the single-line sections are safeguarded by automatic train control.

TUNNELS

It is not surprising that the North Island Main Truilk Railway passes through 26 tunnels with an aggregate length of 7 miles 1,363 yards between Wellington and Auckland. The longest of these is the second tunnel out of Wellington (Tawa No.2) at 2 miles 1,209 yards, and the shortest is a mere 64-yard bore at the foot of the steep descent from Pukerus Bay to the sea coast near Paekakariki. Most of the tunnels are located between Marton and Te Kuiti.

BRIDGES

Twenty-three major bridges and viaducts carry the Main Trunk Railway over deep gorges and swirling rivers. The longest bridges are near Longburn (1,200 feet) and Otaki (960 feet), spanning the Manawatu and Otaki Rivers respectively. The Waikato River is crossed at Ngaruawahia, the Waipa at Otorohanga, the Wanganui just south of Taumarunui, and the Rangitikei south of Marton.

Eight viaducts on this line carry the rails more than 100 feet above the beds of the streams they cross, the highest being Makatote, at 258 feet, a few miles south of National Park. From this structure on a clear day, Mt Ruapehu can be seen to the east and Mt Egmont far away to the west. The seven highest viaducts in order from the north are: