Raurimu spiral

I have ridden on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, so I'm not easily impressed by spirals, zigzags, and the like. But I was impressed by this view of the Raurimu spiral. Railway enthusiasts have built a platform for viewing the path of the railway through cuttings and tunnels. Close to the platform is a clever model, standing on a pole, showing the hairpin turns and tunnels and showing the whole scheme in the round. A panel with a map explains the background:

Here in 1898 W Holmes carried out surveys and devised the spiral align­ments whereby the railway ascends from this valley to the Wai­marino plain 220 metres above. John Rochfort's original survey 15 years earlier had broadly defined the route but had left unresolved the problem of a working grade for this section.

Taken 17 April 2004. Filed under places. Click the photo to go to the previous photo.

< previous next >