CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1931, 5 March 1885, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

LOCAL RAILWAY TRAFFIC. (To the Editor.) Sir,—On Friday last a cheap excursion train left Wellington for tho Wairarapa, arriving in Featlierston at noon, where it had to wait until the luggage train came in from Mastertmi. This said luggage train left Carterton with 49 vans or vehicles attached, and on arriving at Dale- I field it was found the engine. had not the power to drag the train up the incline i there, and one half the carriages wero ' detached, the others proceeding toWoodside, where the carriages wereshunteeVoiFand the engine sent back for the remainder. From Woodside the single engine proceeded with ihe...49 vehicles toFeatherston, where it arrived at quarter to ono o'clock. ' She, 'with the whole of the vans, was shunted on to the siding* ■ and the excursionists, after being delayed for three' - quarters-"'bf' an hour, were . enabled to proceed on their journey. J The luggage train, winch is the longest ■ train that has ever Fea- 6j therston drawn by a then fl continued its journey to thesiding of the B incline near 'Pigeon .-Bush,''which it B reached in: safety;.-"Here two engines S conveyed half fhe'trahi.to Cross' Creek, fl and made a with the M other half. At Cross 5 "Creek three Fell B eugin'es had to rnake'.ffiree journies be- Aj fore the whole dfrth'6 train was; landed at fl the summit, %hich% equal to sis drivers, « six firemen, and nihe'Fi.ll engines to take jfjflj that train up the summit (query at what BB cost). A tunnel about three miles Si. WJ length cut through "at avlower, level would Bj do away with, %.neM ",of jusihg the in- Bj cline, also-the-four-epgines (which cost fl over £1Wj000); : and'the- monster cstab- 1 lishment employing ..about forty men to ' repair these engines arid work the incline. Importation, tobandexportation are from the Wairarapa-on;, the increase, and the means are even :now inadequate to convoy what, is exported t and meet the requirements of the passenger trafficv With every prospect .of the Wairarapa trade being doubled in two or three years through oxports of timbor, dairy produce, and supplies for the frozeu/iiieat trade, • stops will have to be taken by the Govern, meat to meet it. can be done by the abolition of tho incline and the substk tution of a lower level at this part ef the j lino that will allow of tho ordinary engino J from Wellington running rnjht through, I The line pays per mile hotter than any 1 other, except the short Greymouth eoal 1 line, even with its present impediment* I to success, and the interest on cost of eon* struoting a tunnel would be less than the annual expenditure in repairing tho Fell engines—which are. continually in tho workshop—and working the incline. j ' Yours, &c, A Teaveueh,