Hi ,
On 7th /8th August 1908,the first train to travel the length of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk Line left Wellington for Auckland ,three months before the line was officialy completed and officially opened- after 23 years of backbreaking effort in some of the country's toughest terrain.The engineers skimped on ballasting , put through deviations,hacked at cutting sides , filled in embankments to get this train through . It must have looked like my unfinished trainset !!!!!!!
The reason for this train which was known as the "Parliament Special"was to take a large party of officials and politicians from the Capital to meet the United States Navy's Great White Fleet which was visiting Auckland.
Almost 700 kilometres long this journey took more than 20 hours ----- about the same as it does today !!!
Regards , Tony.
On 7th /8th August 1908,the first train to travel the length of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk Line left Wellington for Auckland ,three months before the line was officialy completed and officially opened- after 23 years of backbreaking effort in some of the country's toughest terrain.The engineers skimped on ballasting , put through deviations,hacked at cutting sides , filled in embankments to get this train through . It must have looked like my unfinished trainset !!!!!!!
The reason for this train which was known as the "Parliament Special"was to take a large party of officials and politicians from the Capital to meet the United States Navy's Great White Fleet which was visiting Auckland.
Almost 700 kilometres long this journey took more than 20 hours ----- about the same as it does today !!!
Regards , Tony.