Price's Bush Tramway Explained

Price's Bush Tramway

Price's Bush Tramway was a bush tramway built around 1903 near Akatarawa in the Tararua Range of New Zealand's North Island. It was built with a raised Fell third rail for braking the loaded trucks, as used by the Rimutaka Incline.

History

Price's Bush was an area owned and milled by Thomas Price (1838–1906), who owned milling operations in Lower Hutt and Petone.[1] It lay in the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley to Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast in a rugged hill country.[2]

The tramway had wooden rails with a track gauge of NaNor equal to that of the main line or Wellington tram respectively. Between the two rails, on which the wheels ran, there was a raised wooden rail. This was used for braking the loaden trucks downhill, as known from the Fell mountain railway system on the Rimutaka Incline.

Additional literature

References

  1. http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?f=subjectid%24209894&id=39034&recordNum=0&u=0&t=items&s=a&tc=0&q=&p=0&numResults=20&l=en Bush tramway showing wooden rails, at Akatarawa, Price's Bush, circa 1903.
  2. http://arac.org.nz/tracks-and-trails/ Tracks and Trails: Price's Flat – Area near old Hukinga Village Site along Hukinga Road.

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