Arthur's Pass, 1923

This is a photo from the first edition of On the TransAlpine Trail published in 1991 -- it is now up to edition eight -- showing the Arthur's Pass village in 1923, just after the opening of the Otira Tunnel under the main alpine divide.  In the right distance can be seen a pair of new E class (later Eo class) electric locos with a passenger train about to enter the 8.56 km long tunnel (not 7.62 km long as Mathew Wright says) and below it in the medium distance part of the yard trackage including the turntable for turning steam locomotives.

In the foreground is the then rather elementary main road, and the site of what later became the Arthur's Pass National Park visitor centre.  (We think the lightish area in the centre is an imperfection on the negative and not a twister.)