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Otira Tunnel
The Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand, between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira – a length of over . The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, and the Otira end of the tunnel is over lower than the Arthur's Pass end. Construction Construction commenced in 1907 and a "breakthrough" celebration was held on 21 August 1918 by the Minister of Public Works Sir William Fraser. When the Otira tunnel opened on 4 August 1923, it was the seventh longest tunnel in the world and the longest in the British Empire. The Midland Railway Company investigated alternatives to a long tunnel, but a railway line over the pass with gradients of 1 in 50 on both sides was not practical. Other options for a line over the pass were a cable-hauled system or a line of 1 in 15 gradient using either the Fell system or a rack railway using the Abt system (or even an S-shaped tunnel under Mount Rolleston). Howe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midland Line, New Zealand
The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston, New Zealand, Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira Tunnel, Otira tunnel. It is the route of the popular TranzAlpine passenger train. History Railway development in the South Island in the 1870s was concentrated on a main line linking the established centres of Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill and light, easily constructed branch lines serving the arable plains; (see Rail transport in New Zealand#Vogel Era, Vogel Era). These later included a branch to Springfield which was reached by January 1880. In 1882 the East and West Coast Railway League was formed and in 1884 a Royal Commission, although fully aware of the construction difficulties of the Waimakariri Valley-Arthurs Pass route, as compared with the somewhat easier but longer Hurunui Valley-Harpers Pass route, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TranzAlpine And Otira Tunnel From Albert's Pass Station
The TranzAlpine is a passenger train operated by the Great Journeys New Zealand division of KiwiRail in the South Island of New Zealand over the Midland Line; often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes (see famous trains). The journey is one-way, taking almost five hours. There are 16 tunnels and four viaducts, with the Staircase Viaduct elevated as much as . The train has become increasingly popular, and carried 204,000 passengers in the financial year ending 2007. By 2016, passenger numbers were approximately 130,000 a year, but rising again after the setback of the Christchurch earthquake, and were exceeding pre-earthquake levels. The TranzAlpine service was suspended in 2020 and again in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed on 14 January 2022. History The train was introduced on Sunday 22 November 1987 to replace the conventional Christchurch-Greymouth express trains and became one of the New Zea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Island Main Trunk
The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and serves the large cities of Palmerston North and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton. Most of the NIMT is Single track (rail), single track with frequent passing loops, but sections at each end that also handle suburban commuter traffic are double tracked: * The section known as the North-South Junction between Wellington railway station, Wellington and Waikanae railway station, Waikanae, except for of single-track through tunnels between North Junction ( from Wellington) and South Junction, ( from Wellington), on the Pukerua Bay railway station, Pukerua Bay to Paekakariki railway station, Paekākāriki section, * between Hamilton and Te Kauwhata railway station, Te Kauwhata (except for the single-track Waikato River Bridge at Ngāruawāhia rai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand EF Class Locomotive
The New Zealand EF class locomotive (originally Class 30) is a class of electric locomotives that operate on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) between Palmerston North and Te Rapa in New Zealand. Built by Brush Traction in Loughborough, England between 1986 and 1988 to run on the new electrified central section of the NIMT, at , they are the most powerful locomotives to operate in New Zealand (equalled by the DM class diesel locomotives introduced in 2025). Background The NIMT is a long rail line that links New Zealand's capital Wellington and largest city Auckland, and is one of the major backbones of the country's rail network. The line was completed in 1908 and opened the following year, and included various engineering feats on the central section between Hamilton and Palmerston North, including the Raurimu Spiral and numerous viaducts – five of which are over high. Electrification of the NIMT was first proposed as early as 1918 due to coal shortages during World Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moana, New Zealand
Moana is a small town in the West Coast Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the northern shore of Lake Brunner, and is beside the outflow of the lake into the Arnold River, New Zealand, Arnold River. There is a pedestrian suspension bridge crossing the Arnold from the town to access the lake shore across the river, with some short easy bush walks on each side. The town has a permanent population of less than 100, but is a popular location for summer tourism. There are around 300 holiday homes and a camping ground. The town's main tourist attractions are the panoramic views and water sport opportunities arising from its position on the shores of Lake Brunner. The Midland Line, New Zealand, Midland Line railway passes through Moana; the TranzAlpine tourist passenger train passes through once in each direction daily, and freight trains of coal operate more frequently. In May 2013, Moana became one of the first places in New Zealand to get 4G wireless br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Springfield, New Zealand
Springfield (), called Kowai Pass until 1880, is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, in the South Island, of New Zealand. Springfield is situated in the foothills of the Southern Alps as the most westerly town of the Canterbury Plains. Springfield is west of Christchurch on New Zealand State Highway 73, State Highway 73 (The Great Alpine Highway), northwest of Sheffield, New Zealand, Sheffield and from Darfield. It is located close to Porters Ski Area, Mount Cheeseman, Broken River Ski Area, Broken River, Temple Basin and Craigieburn ski fields. Springfield has a long association with the Midland Line, New Zealand, Midland railway line. History The development of the town started around 1860. With the discovery of gold on the West Coast Region, West Coast, Springfield saw more traffic. The Springfield Hotel was first built in 1862. Rooms were added to it on a number of occasions enlarging the hotel so that it had 40 rooms. The hotel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacksons, New Zealand
Jacksons is a settlement and railway station in the Westland District of the West Coast of New Zealand. The TranzAlpine Express passes through Jacksons. Jacksons was the railhead for the Midland Line from Stillwater via Moana from 1894, until the line was extended to Otira in 1899. The station opened on 1 March 1894 (using a building from Teremakau on 23 February 1894), and closed on 3 November 1986. The ''Jackson’s Accommodation House'', now the ''Jackson Tavern'', was bought by Michael Jackson in 1870; Michael and his brother Adam from Scotland had moved there after spending some time on the Otago Goldfields. The hotel was a stop for Christchurch-Hokotika coaches. The hotel was swept away in a flash flood in 1871, and was rebuilt as the Perry Range Hotel. In 1910 it was rebuilt and in 1970 it passed out of the Jackson family, but was renamed the ''Jackson Tavern''. Adam moved to Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO Wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coleridge Power Station
The Coleridge Power Station is a hydroelectric facility at Lake Coleridge on the Rakaia River in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, New Zealand. The power station is owned and operated by Manawa Energy (formerly Trustpower). History Coleridge was New Zealand's first major power station in which the state was involved. It was constructed mainly to supply electricity to Christchurch, with construction beginning in 1911 and completed with three generating units in 1914. For the most part it was built by hand, with some heavier work done by steam shovels. Following its initial construction, the twin 66 Kilovolt, kV transmission lines connecting the power station with Christchurch's Addington, New Zealand, Addington substation were the highest voltage in New Zealand, and the longest at over long. In the early years of the station, demand for electricity in Christchurch grew rapidly and the transmission system extended to reach Rangiora in the north and Oamaru in the south. The l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English Electric
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, made munitions, armaments and aeroplanes. It initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers, locomotives and railway electric traction, traction equipment, diesel engine, diesel motors and steam turbines. Its products were later expanded to include consumer electronics, nuclear reactors, guided missiles, military aircraft and mainframe computers. Two English Electric aircraft designs became landmarks in British aeronautical engineering; the English Electric Canberra, Canberra and the English Electric Lightning, Lightning. In 1960, English Electric Aircraft (40%) merged with Vickers Armstrongs, Vickers (40%) and Bristol Aeroplane Company, Bristol (20%) to form British Aircraft Corporation. In 1968 English Electric's operations were merged with General Electric Company#Further expansion (1961–83), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Overhead Lines
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union of Railways for the technology is ''overhead line''. It is known variously as overhead catenary, overhead contact line (OCL), overhead contact system (OCS), overhead equipment (OHE), overhead line equipment (OLE or OHLE), overhead lines (OHL), overhead wiring (OHW), traction wire, and trolley wire. An overhead line consists of one or more wires (or Overhead conductor rail, rails, particularly in tunnels) situated over rail tracks, raised to a high electrical potential by connection to feeder stations at regularly spaced intervals along the track. The feeder stations are usually fed from a High voltage, high-voltage Electricity distribution, electrical grid. Overview Electric trains that collect their current from overhead lines use a de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Direct Current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional electric current, flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor (material), conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, electrical insulation, insulators, or even through a vacuum as in electron beam, electron or ion beams. The electric current flows in a constant direction, distinguishing it from alternating current (AC). A archaism, term formerly used for this type of current was galvanic current. The abbreviations ''AC'' and ''DC'' are often used to mean simply ''alternating'' and ''direct'', as when they modify ''Electric current, current'' or ''voltage''. Direct current may be converted from an alternating current supply by use of a rectifier, which contains Electronics, electronic elements (usually) or electromechanical elements (historically) that allow current to flow only in one direction. Direct current may be converted into alt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volt
The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI). Definition One volt is defined as the electric potential between two points of a electrical conductor, conducting wire when an electric current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power (physics), power between those points. It can be expressed in terms of SI base units (metre, m, kilogram, kg, second, s, and ampere, A) as : \text = \frac = \frac = \frac = \text\text^2\text^. Equivalently, it is the potential difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of charge that passes through it. It can be expressed in terms of SI base units (metre, m, kilogram, kg, second, s, and ampere, A) as : \text = \frac = \frac = \frac = \text\text^2\text^. It can also be expressed as amperes times ohms (curre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
