Forum Archive Index - January 2001

["Tony Haddon" <haddon@E3.net.nz>]

Eldest & I Recently cycled down Inangahua Valley, & camped amongst the blackberry 5 metres from the coal trains.

 

I wandered along a  kilometre or so of track and was struck by the magnitude & frequency of the lines' deviation from the mean in horizontal & vertical planes...this holds traffic speed to about 30kmh in my estimation, maybe less. Sleepers are alternately newish concrete and dinosaurish hardwood, the latter all split, most too far gone to retain screws/spikes, are floating rather than bearing & are secured in place by clips on the lines on either side. The joints between lengths of iron have eroded to a depth of about 6mm over a distance of 150mm in a lot of cases, the bearing surface of the irons are corrugated to the touch, & when a train passes, the racket is horrific, the whole track subsides about 50mm under the bogies. Most bridges are still original timber.

 

Add to this locomotives which are grubbier and noisier than I've seen previously.........

 

Don't misunderstand me, I love the Coast/Buller ambience which the trains enhance for me ( they always toot when the kids wave)

but there's no way I'd take up any TRH although I would support nationalising it I think. 

 

Rgds,    Tony Haddon