Mokai Tramway
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Taupo Totara Timber Company Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Taupo Totara Timber Company Railway was a bush tramway constructed by the Taupo Totara Timber Company (TTT) to link their milling centre at Mokai with the New Zealand Government Railways line (NZR) at Putāruru in the Waikato region on the North Island of New Zealand. The more than 82 kilometres (51 mi) long light railway line was operated from 1903 to 1944 by the Taupo Totara Timber Company. It was handed over to NZR on 12 June 1950, and the section from Putāruru to Kinleith Mill south of Tokoroa is still being used for goods transport as of 2018.
History[edit]
The 82 kilometres (51 mi) line was built for the TTT between 1903 and 1905 by John McLean & Sons[2] to carry sawn timber from forests near Mokai (24 kilometres (15 mi) northwest of Taupō) to the government railway at Putaruru. It was designed as a contour[3] railway by former Wellington and Manawatu Railway engineer and TTT director James Fulton [[1]],[3][4] who in 1903 temporarily resigned his position on the TTT board to supervise construction of the railway and sawmills.
The 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northern section between Putaruru and Lichfield was built on the formation of the former Lichfield Branch line, which was originally built by the New Zealand Thames Valley Land Company(NZTVLC) to be part of the line to Rotorua. The permanent way (rails and sleepers) was removed in 1897 after the failure of the NZTVLC's Lichfield town development (known as the "Selwyn Estate")[5], leaving only the earthworks[4].
The TTT line continued south of Lichfield through what is now Tokoroa and Kinleith. From there it crossed the Mangaiti range and descended 305 metres (1,001 ft) to Ongaroto, where it crossed the Waikato River, continuing south and uphill to the sawmill village at Mokai.[6] Several tram lines, some temporary, brought logs from the forests to the Mokai sawmill.
At Ongaroto the company built a large timber bridge of locally sourced totara, designed by James Fulton [[2]].[4]
In the late 1920s this timber bridge deteriorated, and consulting engineer Stanley Jones recommended replacement.[7] The company was already struggling financially due to the combined pressures of intense competition from imported timber, the onset of the Great Depression, and the loss of one of its Mokai sawmills, which had burned down in late 1928.[8] Following Jones's inspection and report, the company banned anyone from riding the train across the bridge. Trains arriving at the bridge would stop and the passengers and fireman would walk across while the driver gently opened the throttle and then jumped off. The train would slowly ease across the bridge before being stopped on the other side by the fireman, where everyone would reboard the train.
The timber arch bridge was replaced in 1931 by a steel truss bridge with a central pier.[9]
In general the TTT line was constructed to a fairly high standard for a bush tramway, with 1 in 30 grades and 30 metre radius curves. This reflected the company's ultimate intention to sell the line to NZR. In 1911 the TTT put forward a proposal to extend their line from Mokai into Taupo township via Oruanui. However, considerable objection was made to this proposal by the people of Rotorua.[10] The Taupo District Railway League consequently lodged a complaint to the Member of Parliament for the district, William MacDonald, protesting the opposition being made by the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce. As time passed the proposal for the TTT scheme was eventually shelved.
The TTT line eventually closed on 26 October 1944. However the Government saw that the line had greater potential and in September 1946 acquired the first 29 km between Putāruru and Kinleith. This section of line opened again on 9 June 1947 under the control of the Public Works Department using steam locomotives purchased from the TTT.[11]
Around the same time plans were being made for a large pulp and paper mill to be constructed at Kinleith. The line with its sharp curves, steep grades and light rails, needed to be significantly upgraded to enable heavy traffic. Reconstruction of the line began in 1949, reducing grades from 1 in 44 to 1 in 70 and curves from 201 metre radius to 322 metre radius. The rebuilt line was handed over to NZR on 12 June 1950.[12]
The section from Putāruru to Kinleith Mill south of Tokoroa is still(2018) being used as part of the Kinleith Branch Line for goods transport.
Rolling stock[edit]
Locomotives[edit]
TTT Number | Maker | Maker's Number | Year | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Stearns Manufacturing Co | 1074 | 1903 | Geared (Heisler[[3]]) |
2 | Stearns Manufacturing Co | 1082 | 1903 | Geared (Heisler[[4]]) |
3 | Yorkshire Engine Company | 255 | 1875 | Conventional |
4 (ex NZR A71) | Dubs & Co | 654 | 1873 | Conventional |
5 | Climax | 157 | ? | Climax Type A |
6 | Barclay | 1270 | 1912 | Conventional |
7 | ALCO | 53970 | 1912 | Mallet Locomotive |
8 | Heisler | 1448 | 1921 | Geared (Heisler) |
9 | Heisler | 1449 | 1921 | Geared (Heisler) |
10 | A & G Price | ? | 1937 | Geared, Price Type E[13] |
Wagons[edit]
-
Heisler steam locomotive No 8[1]
-
Heisler steam locomotive No 9[1]
-
Trains hauled by Heisler steam locomotives crossing at Kopakorahi[1]
-
Empty train ton the return trip to Mokai[1]
-
Loco No 7 at Ngutuwera T.T.T. Railway, 1947[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand
- ^ "Special Interviews - The Totara Timber Industry - A chat with Mr. Murdoch McLean", NZ Herald: 1 (Supplement), 5 April 1905
- ^ a b AJHR, 1912 Session 2 Section I, Reports of Select Committees; 10, Taupo Totara Timber Company Committee - (Report of). Wellington, NZ: Government Printer. 1912. p. 65.
- ^ a b c d Stanley W. Jones: The Taupo Totara Timber Co. New Zealand Engineering, 12/7, 1957, pp. 237–239.
- ^ Scherer, Vicki (1992). Putaruru: Home of the Owl. Tokoroa, NZ: South Waikato District Council. p. 20.
- ^ "Special Interviews - The Totara Timber Industry - A chat with Mr. Murdoch McLean", NZ Herald: 1 (Supplement), 5 April 1905
- ^ Cudby, Kevin. Men of Pluck. p. 35. ISBN 0-473-07505-9.
- ^ Cudby, Kevin. Men of Pluck. p. 32. ISBN 0-473-07505-9.
- ^ "Ongaroto Bridge". www.ipenz.org.nz. IPENZ Engineering Heritage. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "A Light Railway". The Evening Post. 10 September 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 118.
- ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 119.
- ^ Cudby, Kevin. Men of Pluck. p. 56. ISBN 0-473-07505-9.
- ^ David Kinzett: Taupo Totara Timber Co. Archived 2018-11-29 at the Wayback Machine 9 February 2000. Retrieved on 9 May 2018.
Bibliography[edit]
- Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.