Paeroa-Grahamstown Railway.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2087, 22 March 1898, Page 2

Paeroa-Grahamstown Railway.

During the present long spell of fine weather, active progress ha 3 been made with the works on this lino, under the supervision of Messrs Stew: artjeugiueer), andT. E. Shaw (superintendent). The bridge builders are engaged erecting a bridge over the Puriri creek. This, is a rather large bridge and contains three 40ft spans, and two 20 ft, spans. Each of the larger spans are to be trussed. It is expected that the bridge will be ready for the engine to cross within a month as the piles are already down and the headstocks in position. The piledriver is at work a little further ahead ■ driving the plea for another small bridge. The erection of these two bridges is being pushed ahead rapidly as the work of filling up the formation and laying the permanent way cannot be proceeded with, until they ,are finished. In the meantime, the plate- , layers being upable to push further ! ahead, are laying a siding at the ballast pit. The rfi-ils used for the quarry and station sidings are rather lighter than the main line rails. They were recently taken up from the KopuThames section, where they were laid some 17 years ago, and found to.be in ; first-class order. At the ballast pit men are engaged blasting, quarrying and filling trucks of stone for ballast- , ing purposes, and the work is being so rapidly pushed ahead that about three miles of line from the Puriri creek has. been given its first lift. At , the Puriri station ground, a gang of carpenteis are employed building a house, wbichr wiil be used by Stewart, the engineer, until the line is completed. In all about 95. men are engaged on the works, At the present rate of progress, it is anticipated that the.ballast engine s whistle will be heard at the Thames before many months have passed, as the distance from the Puriri bridge to Grahams- : town is only 8 miles 64 chains. The timber for all the bridges except the the one over the Kauaeranga, is now on the ground' ready for use. The line should be ready to be taken over by the Government within twelve months.