May 2018 Project Martha – Historical & Archaeological Background 46 ‘The length of the tramway from mine to Owharoa Mills is, approximately, five miles and three- quarters. It has been constructed of gauge of 2ft. 9in., the smallest curve having 6-chain radius. It has been well graded throughout, being, with only one exception (which has an up-grade of 1ft. in 90 ft.), all down-hill with a load, the steepest grade being 1ft. in 40ft. The line crosses from the north to the south bank of the Ohinemuri River, at a distance of two miles and three-quarters from the mine, by means of a strong truss bridge, upwards of 185ft. in length, and 30 ft. 6in. high from water-level to decking, and built of good sound heart of kauri and totara. The whole of the formation of this tramway has been completed, and upwards ofthree miles laid with heart of kauri sleepers and 40lb. iron rails. All the culverts have been made with glazed earthenware pipes, which will be more durable than wooden culverts; and all the swamps which the line traverses have been drained by good substantial drains. The locomotive has been put together, and is now busily engaged ballasting the line and hauling building-stone to the mill. Twelve of the iron side-tipping trucks are on the ground, and we have received advice that fifty more, which should be sufficient for our requirements, are now on their way out from England.’175 Two rakes176 were usually operated on the line and a passing loop and water tanks (for refuelling the engines) were sited at a midway point to allow the trains to pass.177 McAra notes: ‘The rakes were normally hauled by the two larger locomotives the Empire and the Dominion, the Waikino taking over during boiler checks or breakdowns. The other three smaller locos, the Albert, the Ohinemuri and the Victoria, were used occasionally for shunting but at Waikino most of this was done by a beautiful white horse which became a familiar sight about the plant over many years…The rattle of forty, unsprung, rigid, four-wheeled trucks going full-speed down-hill through some of the main streets of Waihi created quite a din but the townspeople never seemed to mind, probably because they saw not only the noise, inconvenience and possible danger, but also the life-giving stream of gold to which their town owed its existence.’178 Firewood (Timber) Tramways These went to the top of the kilns, the New Shaft, and to the Powerhouse. Firewood came from the Walmsley and Mataura Valleys, the tramline running between Walmsley and Gladstone Roads. The sawmill was built beside this tramway in 1907. Mine timber presumably came from the same bush. Boilers were almost exclusively wood fired until the Paeroa to Waikino portion of the railway to Waihi was completed in 1904. Coal could then be cheaply railed to Waikino, and then sent from the Victoria Battery via the rakeline. 175 AJHR 1897 C-3, pp.91-92. 176 ‘The “rakes” referred to the forty or so trucks of ore hauled constantly through Waihi by steam locomotives to the battery at Waikino.’ McAra 1988, p.331. 177 NZAA site record T13/310. 178 McAra 1988, p.213.
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