Rimutaka Incline

Rimutaka Incline
H 199, one of the locomotives used on the Incline, preserved at the Fell Locomotive Museum.
Overview
System	New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR)
Status	Closed
Locale	Wellington, New Zealand
Termini	Cross Creek Summit
Stations	2
Operation
Opened	1878-10-16
Closed	1955-10-30
Owner	New Zealand Railways Department
Operator(s)	New Zealand Railways Department
Character	Rural
Rolling stock	NZR H class (primary motive power)
Technical
Line length	3 mi (4.8 km)
Track length	3 mi (4.8 km)
Number of tracks	Single
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Highest elevation	1,141 feet (348 m)
Maximum incline	6.667%
Rack system	Fell (not a rack system)
Route map to Wellington Summit1,141 ft (348 m) Summit Tunnel Centre rail limit Siberia Tunnel Siberia Curve Price's Tunnel Centre rail limit Cross Creek272 ft (83 m) Cross Creek locomotive depot to Featherston

The Rimutaka Incline was a 3 miles (4.8 km), 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge railway line on an average grade of 1 in 15 using the Fell system between Summit and Cross Creek stations on the original Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The term "Rimutaka Incline" is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to other parts or all of the closed and deviated section of the Wairarapa Line between Upper Hutt and Speedy’s Crossing, near Featherston. The incline formation is now part of the Rimutaka Rail Trail.

The construction of a railway from Wellington to Masterton was authorised in the Railways Act passed on 13 September 1871. Julius Vogel, Colonial Treasurer, travelled to England to raise finance for a major public works programme for railway construction. Vogel returned via the United States, where he studied rail systems.

After the act of parliament was passed, a survey party set out to make preliminary investigations of possible routes for a railway over the Rimutaka Range. These were complete by December 1870, the party having investigated four routes. A commonality between all the proposals was the section from Upper Hutt to Kaitoki (later Kaitoke). Between Kaitoke and the Wairarapa, the four proposals were the Tauwharenikau Route, Mr Sinclair’s Route, a coastal route and the Pakuratahi Route.

While the government was conducting its surveys, Wellington Province Superintendent William Fitzherbert instructed his Provincial Engineer, Charles O’Neill, to investigate the possibility of a railway through the Rimutaka Valley (the route of the road between Featherston and Upper Hutt), with a tunnel through the dividing range. The survey was carried out between May and 21 July 1871, and O’Neill reported that a tunnel 130 chains (2.6 km) long would be required, with the line rising at 1 in 60 from the Pakuratahi to the tunnel then descending at 1 in 40 to Featherston. This survey was forwarded to the Minister for Public Works.