MAIN TRUNK LINE CELEBRATES 75th ANNIVERSARY NEXT WEEKEND

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 22, 1 November 1983, Page 1

MAIN TRUNK LINE CELEBRATES 75th ANNIVERSARY NEXT WEEKEND

At 9.03am on 6 November, 1908, the then Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, raised a hammer of polished steel and drove horne the last spike in the North Island Main Trunk Railway. Reports at the time state that the driving of the last, silver-plated spike "was accompanied by loud applause and cheering from the 300-400 onlookers." Sir Joseph Ward was then presented with an inscribed solid silver spike as a momento of the occasion. A ceiebration of the driving of the last spike which signified the joining of Auckland and Wellington over land and the opening up of the KingCountry will be held in Ohakune next weekend. The opening ceremony 75 years ago took place beside the Mangonui-o-te-ad River. A 'train from Auckland arrived at 7.50am and a train from Wellington at 8.20am bringing dignitaries and onlookers to the historic event. The day was overcast and southerly with icy showers before the ceremony. Six people present at . the ceremony had been at the turning of the first sod of the railway line 25 years before. The completion of the line had been hampered by inter provincial rivalries, indeci-

sion over the route and depression. Around 2,000 men were employed on the railway at the peak of construction in 1906. The final cost listed in 1909 was £2,669,165, two and a half times the original cost ' estimate -25 years previously. Townships sprang up along the railway track as it advanced through the centre of the North Island. The construction of the main trunk line was an impressive feat of engineering. The Makatote Viaduct is a good example. It was designed by a brilliant engineer, Mr P. S. Hay, and erected by a Christchurch firm for £53,369. It was 860 feet long

and 258 feet high. Formal services did not start on the line until February 1 909 when the line was transferred over to the Railways Department. Trains from Auckland and Wellington will again bring crowds to the ceremony. This time they will carry enthusiasts and railway employees who are coming to Ohakune for the 75th anniversary of the driving of the last spike. The trains will pull into Ohakune at about 5pm next Saturday 5 November with nearly 700 passengers who will then receive a civic welcome.

Pam

Graham