Mokai Tramway

Taupo Totara Timber Company Railway
Railway line of the Taupo Totara Timber Company showing "the corkscrew", with five different levels
Technical
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1067 mm)
Route map km from Hamilton (NZR) to Rotorua (NZR) 0,0 former transfer to the NZR network Taupo Totara Timber Co. in Putāruru Tokoroa 29,0 Kinleith Mill Waikato River The Spiral or The Corkscrew 82,0 Taupo Totara Timber Co. in Mokai Wooden tracks into the bush Fan like network in the bush

The Taupo Totara Timber Company Railway was a bush tramway constructed by the Taupo Totara Timber Company (TTT Co) to link their milling centre at Mokai with the New Zealand Government Railways line (NZR) at Putāruru in the Waikato region on the North Island of New Zealand. The more than 82 kilometres (51 mi) long light railway line was operated from 1903 to 1944 by the Taupo Totara Timber Company. It was handed over to NZR on 12 June 1950, and the section from Putāruru to Kinleith Mill south of Tokoroa is still being used for goods transport as of 2018.

History

The 82 kilometres (51 mi) line was built for the TTT in 1903 by John McLean & Sons to carry sawn timber from forests near Mokai (24 kilometres (15 mi) northwest of Taupō [[1]]) to the government railway at Putaruru. It was designed as a contour railway by former Wellington and Manawatu Railway engineer and TTT director James Fulton [[2]], who in 1903 temporarily resigned his position on the TTT board to supervise construction of the sawmill and railway.

The 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) northern section between Putaruru and Lichfield was built on the formation of the former Lichfield Branch line, which was originally built by the Thames Valley Land Company to be part of the line to Rotorua. The TTT Co line continued south of Lichfield through what is now Tokoroa and Kinleith and crossed the Waikato River at Ongaroto. From there it ran south and uphill to the sawmill village at Mokai. Several tram lines, some temporary, brought logs from the forests to the Mokai sawmill.

The longest single span wooden bridge in New Zealand over the Waikato River at Ongaroto

At Ongaroto the company built a large timber bridge of locally sourced totara, designed by James Fulton [[3]].

In the late 1920s this timber bridge deteriorated, and consulting engineer Stanley Jones recommended replacement. The company was already struggling financially due to the combined pressures of intense competition from imported timber, the onset of the depression, and the loss of one of its Mokai sawmills, which had burned down in late 1928. Following Jones's inspection and report, the company banned anyone from riding the train across the bridge. Trains arriving at the bridge would stop and the passengers and fireman would walk across while the driver gently opened the throttle and then jumped off. The train would slowly ease across the bridge before being stopped on the other side by the fireman, where everyone would reboard the train.

The timber arch bridge was replaced in 1931 by a steel truss bridge with a central pier.

Taupo Totara Timber Company sawmill at Mokai

In general the TTT Co line was constructed to a fairly high standard for a bush tramway, with 1 in 30 grades and 30 metre radius curves. This reflected the company's ultimate intention to sell the line to NZR. In 1911 the TTT Co put forward a proposal to extend their line from Mokai into Taupo township via Oruanui. However, considerable objection was made to this proposal by the people of Rotorua. The Taupo District Railway League consequently lodged a complaint to the Member of Parliament for the district, William MacDonald, protesting the opposition being made by the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce. As time passed the proposal for the TTT Co scheme was eventually shelved.

The TTT Co line eventually closed on 26 October 1944. However the Government saw that the line had greater potential and in September 1946 acquired the first 29 km between Putāruru and Kinleith. This section of line opened again on 9 June 1947 under the control of the Public Works Department using steam locomotives purchased from the TTT Co.

Around the same time plans were being made for a large pulp and paper mill to be constructed at Kinleith. The line with its sharp curves, steep grades and light rails, needed to be significantly upgraded to enable heavy traffic. Reconstruction of the line began in 1949, reducing grades from 1 in 44 to 1 in 70 and curves from 201 metre radius to 322 metre radius. The rebuilt line was handed over to NZR on 12 June 1950.

The section from Putāruru to Kinleith Mill south of Tokoroa is still⁽²⁰¹⁸⁾ being used as part of the Kinleith Branch Line for goods transport.

Rolling stock

Locomotives

ALCO Mallett steam locomotive No 7

TTT Co maintenance trolley

TTTCo Number	Maker	Maker's Number	Year	Type
1	Stearns Manufacturing Co	1074	1903	Geared (Heisler[[4]])
2	Stearns Manufacturing Co	1082	1903	Geared (Heisler[[5]])
3	Yorkshire Engine Company	255	1875	Conventional
4 (ex NZR A71)	Dubs & Co	654	1873	Conventional
5	Climax	157	?	Climax Type A
6	Barclay	1270	1912	Conventional
7	ALCO	53970	1912	Mallet Locomotive
8	Heisler	1448	1921	Geared (Heisler)
9	Heisler	1449	1921	Geared (Heisler)
10	A & G Price	?	1937	Geared, Price Type E

Wagons

• 1 combination car for goods and passenger transport
• 1 guard van
• 25 flat wagon with side stakes

• 
  Heisler steam locomotive No 8
• 
  Heisler steam locomotive No 9
• 
  Trains hauled by Heisler steam locomotives crossing at Kopakorahi
• 
  Empty train ton the return trip to Mokai
• 
  Loco No 7 at 'Ngutuwera' T.T.T. Railway, 1947

See also

• Taupo railway proposals

References

Bibliography

• Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.

External links

• TTT Co #7 Specifications and History
• Alexander Turnbull Library TTT Co Gallery