Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Khandallah station in NIMT days


Yes, this recently discovered pic is rather poxy, but NZ Railfan types wont be readers of this blog and it is of local historic interest.  The old telephone booth is probably the best clue to dating it to the late-1910s/1920s.  One notes the big wooden signal box which survived much longer into the electrified branchline era than might have been expected, the semaphore signal gantry and the third track/siding for goods wagons where the (opposite) platform for electric multiple unit trains was later built.

As those who have our books know, Khandallah was (and still is) the summit of a steep 2.5% ruling gradient from Wellington and "banker" i.e. helper locos for North Island Main Trunk trains out of Wellington were needed.  The gradient and the curves on this line were the reason for the 1930s NIMT Wellington-Tawa deviation.

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