THE DUNEDIN AND PORT CHALMERS RAILWAY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 241, 12 September 1872, Page 6

THE DUNEDIN AND PORT CHALMERS RAILWAY.

[From the Evening Star, Sept. 2.) The bad weather that has so long pre-va-led, has prevented our visiting the works in progress on the Dunedin aud Port Chalmers railway ; but as Saturday was comparitively fine we took the opportunity of doing so, and were courteously accompanied by the promoters, » essrs Proudfoot and Oliver, who gave us every facility for inspecting them. We were both pleased and surprised at the change that has taken place iv a few months, aud believe we are justified in saying that had there not been unexpected delay in England in forwarding the railway plant, the lii,e would have been ready for the running of trains by tbis time. Our readers are no doubt aware that at the Port Chalmers end of the line two tunnels were necessary j one at Port Chalmers aud another at Blanket Bay. Both these are nearly completed. 1 hat at Port Chalmers is through a dense bluestone rock of very firm texture, 'lhe entrance to it at the Port is a very neat bluestone arch built of ;faced rublile. The tunnel at Blanket Bay is being Lued with bricks, which have been made from good clay found in one of the cuttings. The permanent way is laid for a considerable distance from Port Chalmers, and only needs ball j sting to be completed. This-.would no doubt have been done some time since had no delay taken place in forwarding the engines. As far as was possible the promoters grappled with this difficulty by improvising a locomotive in a novel and ingenious manner. They placed the boiler and machinery of a steam crane upon an ordinary waggon, to which they added a few toothed wheels to give motion to one pair of wheelswhieh were thus converted into driving wheels ; and with this novel locomotive, which would have pleased George Stephenson himself in the early days of railway construction, they have contrived to do an amount of w- rk that would otherwise have involved a heavy cost or most vexatious delay. It has often been our fortune to travel on an engine in the Home country ; and many an enjoyable trip we have had in company with an engine driver and stoker j but we do not know that we ever felt more pleasure in witnessing the working of the best engines in Great Britain than in the short journey, at the rate of nine or ten miles an hour, through the tunnels on this first Port Chalmers locomotive. We trust it is an earnest of the success of the line. That it is, we have some reason to think ; for notwithstanding the unfinished state of the line, the motion was smooth and steady, which could not have been the case had not the rails been laid down carefully and secured firmly. Several circumstances favor this smoothness of motion. The rails are admirably made, in long lengths ; they are attached to each other at the joinings by a fish that renders unnecessary the shoixldei a of the chairs that used to cause a slight jolt in passing over thnm in the early railways, and they are laid upon strong and heavy sleepers, which are so near to each other that deflection to any extent is impossible with the weight that will at any time be concentrated in one spot. We have seen thousands of miles of railway at Home, but have never seen one where the sleepers were not longitudinal that had them laid so closely together. The short bearing between each gives the lino the character of a continuous rail.

Returning to the Port our attention was next directed to the landing pier now in course of construction. This, when finished, will be a most substantial as well as extensive work. Some idea may be formed of its magnitude from the fact that it is to be upwards of one thousand feet in length hy thirty-seven feet wide in the clear. Already five hundred and ten feet of piling have been driven ; and the steam pile driving machine is constantly at work sending pile after pile into what will in all probability be their resting place so long as they eudure. The permanent character of the work i 3 evident in the care that has been taken to select wood of the most lasting nature. But few sorts of timber can resist the attacks of the Teredo Navalis. From what cause we know not, but the Jarra timber, a product of Western Australia, has beea found either to withstand their efforts at boring or to be distasteful them. All the piles of this jetty are of Jarra, and the length of them may be judged of, when it is considered that each must be driven so deep that it must scarcely move downwards, although struck by a pile-driving hammer of 25 cwt. falling through a space of ten or twelve feet. After being driven thus deep into the ground, the depth of water at the shallowest part of the jetty will be 19 feet 6 inches at low water, and 25 feet 6 inches at high water, while in the deepest part the depth will be 22 feet at low and 28 feet at hi^h M-ater. It is necessary, therefore, to have these piles long enough above the water to admit of the floor of the jetty being raised to the level of the railway, and this has been determined on with a view to unloading those tine large iron ships that now frequent our port at the least possible expenditure of labor. Of necessity these jarrah piles are of large diameter- about an average of 2 feet through — although, as they lie on the ground, the eye does not realise their size until they are carefully examined. They are driven in rows of eight each, and upon them are placed longitudinal beams of fine Oregon timber. Splendid trees these Oregon pine trees must have been. Some of them must have been over three hundred feet high, for the beams are over ninety-seven feet long and more than two feet square throughout. They are cut down to 12 x 16, and upon them will be laid a strong floor of 4 inch black pine planking. Three lines of rails will lie upon this jetty alongside which four of the largest vessels that enter Port Chalmers Harbor may be discharging at the same time ; to effect which £he necessary steam cranes and apparatus are provided. The Wave Queen, a splendid iron ship, moored to the jetty, is now alongside with railway plant,' which, because Qf the non-arrival of the locomotives, it has been necessary to dispatch in lighters to different parts on the line. Two of these' built by the promoters, deeply laden with rails, were taken in tow on Saturday afternoon by the Young Nebraska, a small steam vessel after an American model, purchased by the promoters for this purpose. We were introduced to Captain Sinclair of the Wave Queen, who politely allowed us to inspect the vessel and to examine the manner of stowage of ■ the rails, and other railway gear on board.

In a galvanised iron shei on the right of the railway looking towards the water, are passenger carriages. As a matter of course, we were prepared to see some improvement on the early forms of first and second-class carriages ; but we did not expect to see such elegrant vehicles as they are. They are of three forms— first-class, second-class, and what are termed " composite :" that is the centre compartment for first-class passengers, and each end for second-class. They are all built with mahogany panels and teak framing. The seats of both classes are staffed ; but those of the first-class are luxurious cushions, so padded and stuffed that no jolt can cause inconvenience. The floors are carpeted, and so much attention has been given to elegance that the panels of the doors have an illuminated circle upon them in, imitation of armorial bearings, on which appears the letters D. and P. C. R. In elegant form also, these letters are worked or stamped upon the colored, leather belts, that

raise or lower the windows of the first class carriages. Both classes have racks for bats, umbrellas, or small parcels, and thus every preparation has been made for comfort in travelling. Ou examining the structure of the passenger carriages we observed that all the longitudinal gear was of wrought aag c iron ; the springs appear to be most carefully manufactured, and from their form and length we should judge the motion of the carriages will be very smooth and even. We believe there are one first-class carriage, with three compartments, four composite, and seven second-class carriages. Each of them is capable of seating thirty passengers. Iv fact, in each of them there v as much room, and even more, than used to be allotted to the same number of passengers on lines of 4 feet 8 inches guage in the early days of railway travelling. The preparation fer goods traffic ii equally complete. We understand seventy waggons adapted to the carriage of every description of merchandise have arrived. Each of thejai is calculated to carry six tons w«gh*t. Some are adapted for carriage of timber, some for coal, and some are covered iv for transport of merchandise. Great improvements have been made in the mode of coupling waggons. It used to be necessary for a man to be ready with the coupling-chains in order to attach a loaded carriage to a train. He had, therefore, to stand between the railß, often between the waggon at rest and a train in motion. In such cases a mistake of position or a slip of the foot was fatal to him, and many lives have been lost through accident or miscalculation on the part of the engine-driver of the momentum of the train. This danger is avoided in the goods carriages of the Port Chalmers line. By the adoption ©f a simple contrivance worked at the side of the waggons, the couplings are thrown in or out of gear in an instant, so that there is no necessity to risk human life in such necessary oftentimes. By means also of a radial War, instead of the straight coupling irons that used to be screwed up tight, the straining and joltings of the waggons in going round curves is avoided. This must tend much to the saving of wear and tear of en gines, cariiages, and rails.

Two double bogie engines are in course of being put together in temporary sheds on the jetty. The mere examination of the separate parts does not enable us to say what will hi their appearance when each is fitted to its place. All that can be said is that the workmanship of every piece seems most admirable. The boilers are long and coated with wood, probably over some other non-condnctor, to prevent waste of fuel through radiation of heat. They are colored green, and so accurate is the workmanship that not a joint is perceptible They have a smooth enamelled surface. The wheels, of which there will be four to each bogie carriage, will be coupled so that each will be a driving-wheel. They are -beautifutly made ■with, thick, strong, steel tires. We believe Mr Fairlie considers fjthe engines to be the best of the elacs he bas ever sent out, and we should think this probable, because, as they are the first that have reached these Colonies, they will be calculated to recommend the system, which, notwithstanding its proved efficiency in every country where it has been tried, has encountered such unaccountable opposition on the part of engineers at Home. As soon as one of these powerful engines is available, the work of ballasting and laying the permanent way will proceed rapidly, so that in all probability by the midd c or latter end of next month the railway will be open for traffic.