01 May 1912 - A TRIUMPH OF RAILWAY ENGINEERING:

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Wed 1 May 1912 - Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938)
Page 10 - A TRIUMPH OF RAILWAY ENGINEERING:

On this Page 10

A TRIUMPH OF RAILWAY ENGINEERING :

Cutting Out the Stifling Glenbrook Tunnel.

Line 2.0.0Some day there may be a fast service -of trains to the Blue Mountains, jaded city people picture it and hope for it. In the
Line 2.0.1meantime there is to be an end to the terror of the Glenbrook Tunnel. It is 704 yards long on a grade of 1 in 30, up which
Line 2.0.2the train laboriously crawls while passengers stifle. A new line , which will miss the tunnelt is nearh) completed. There will
Line 2.0.3be a tunnel , but it will be only 308 yards long on a grade of 1 in 60 — so better times are in store for mountaineers.

Line 3.0.0THE work of cutting out the Glenbrook tunnel
Line 3.0.1and- providing an easier grade up the east
Line 3.0.2ern slope — the foothills, so to speak— has long
Line 3.0.3been considered. In the old days of the first
Line 3.0.4Ziz-zag the feat of negotiating it was considered
Line 3.0.5quite dangerous, and many a timid paassenger of
Line 3.0.6those days can recall the nervous prostration that fol
Line 3.0.7lowed when the -train had been pushed, bumped, and jerked
Line 3.0.8up over the top of Lapstone, and run to safety to the old
Line 3.0.9Lucasville platform, part of which is still standing. What
Line 3.0.10ever were the difficulties and the trials of the old Zig-zag,
Line 3.0.11it is doubtful whether they were lessened by the journey
Line 3.0.12through Glenbrook tunnel, which was constructed ' for only
Line 3.0.13a single- track. To the Railway Commissioners! it has
Line 3.0.14created, with the expansion of landed interests inland, an
Line 3.0.15other 'bottle neck' problem, making at times the handling
Line 3.0.16of trains at this point a most difficult and vexatious mat
Line 3.0.17ter. The grade, too, has been against efficient handling,
Line 3.0.18and the work that two engines have to do as they climb

Line 4.0.0the present 1 in
Line 4.0.130 track means
Line 4.0.2great wear and
Line 4.0.3tear . and con
Line 4.0.4sumption of coal.
Line 4.0.5THE present
Line 4.0.6deviation will
Line 4.0.7relieve these diffi-'
Line 4.0.8culties, and pro
Line 4.0.9vide a track' with'
Line 4.0.10a rise' of '1 in 60.
Line 4.0.11The cost of haul
Line 4.0.12age will be ma
Line 4.0.13- terially reduced.
Line 4.0.14In the handling
Line 4.0.15of goods traffic
Line 4.0.16the .assistant en
Line 4.0.17; gines, which are
Line 4.0.18now attached to
Line 4.0.19nil goods -3,t Pen
Line 4.0.20rith, will not /oe
Line 4.0.21coupled on until
Line 4.0.22Valley Heights
Line 4.0.23is reached. There
Line 4.0.24a locomotive de
Line 4.0.25pot is to be es- .
Line 4.0.26tablished. This
Line 4.0.27alone will moan
Line 4.0.28?a saving of thou
Line 4.0.29sands, and hav
Line 4.0.30ing the double
Line 4.0.31track -lown . the
Line 4.0.32mountain side
Line 4.0.33will facilitate the
Line 4.0.34journey for pas
Line 4.0.35senger trains.

Line 5.0.0A Great Engineering Scheme.
Line 5.0.1Few people realise tlie extent and nature of the under
Line 5.0.2* taking. As Emu Plains is passed in the train there
Line 5.0.3can be noticed the new line bearing away in a north
Line 5.0.4westerly direction,, and Then^ circling back to the exist
Line 5.0.5ing line near the level crossing the Bathurst-road, It
Line 5.0.6crosses knapsack Gully, and, skirting up Lapstone Hill, ;
Line 5.0.7swings round to The' Bluff a rocky, eminence which is well
Line 5.0.8known to' .visiiors to the little /mountain, village of Glen
Line 5.0.9orook. The new line then bears away in a north and
Line 5.0.10north-westerly direction;- and will rejoin the, main line in
Line 5.0.11the vicinity of Blaxland, but . there ,is much, to,; be; done
Line 5.0.12before that stage is .reached; .;The topography of the coun-
Line 5.0.13try is undergoing considerable change, and the throb of In-
Line 5.0.14dustry is heard on every side. . At first the .surveyors' ,
Line 5.0.15pegs were,. the only indication of the change. These little
Line 5.0.16- plnk-and-white posts .*bobbed up' , like so many , mush
Line 5.0.17rooms,. Lines of .these came through quiet orchards ; ; they ,
Line 5.0.18caused trouble on a bee; farm;, but still - the pegging went '-
Line 5.0.19on until it was complete. Then came  the engineers and
Line 5.0.20the navvies. The' new track was opened ,,up; .the trees
Line 5.0.21that had been unmolested for ages fell to the ground, vic-
Line 5.0.22tims to the onward -march of- progress. Roads were cut,
Line 5.0.23a power-house .capable of generating a 2200-volt current
Line 5.0.24was established - at -Glenbrook, and .water ^supply for the
Line 5.0.25workers and their families was supplied by the erection of
Line 5.0.26storage tanks .and pumping facilities to send, the water to .
Line 5.0.27all parts oif the works. Part of the discarded Zig-zag
Line 5.0.28was utilised, for running material along;, a tramway , was .
Line 5.0.29Fix this textlaid down to The Bluff.' camps were formed, and telephone
Line 5.0.30wires run all over the area of operation.

Line 6.0.0THE work has been in progress nearly twelve months.
Line 6.0.1At The Bluff' a 'Titanic task is' being accomplished
Line 6.0.2in a way that compels admiration. There, in a narrow
Line 6.0.3mountain gorge, through which runs Glenbrook. Creek, The
Line 6.0.4Bluff rises almost vertically to a height of about, 750ft, and
Line 6.0.5through this .wall the new track comes, about 400ft above
Line 6.0.6the creek. Viewed from the top one wonders how a foot
Line 6.0.7hold was obtained, .and how the work of hewing. -out the
Line 6.0.8solid, sandstone was commenced. „ Blasting .operations
Line 6.0.9Lave been a big factor in shattering the face of the cliff.
Line 6.0.10The railway engineer of to-day scores with high explosives,
Line 6.0.11which rip, tear, and -crack the sandstone of the mountain
Line 6.0.12side in a most astounding way. . While there have been
Line 6.0.13no big blasts. of the nature. of those fired atdarence, still
Line 6.0.14there has been some fine shooting. '-A big charge gives
Line 6.0.15a splendid spectacular display. There is the crash of ! the
Line 6.0.16explosion, and then comes ? the upheaval of thousands of
Line 6.0.17tons of earth and stone. Momentarily it poises in the air
Line 6.0.18like a waterspout, and then it roars downward to the bed

Line 8.0.0KNAPSACK SIDING, ON THE FOOTHILLS, A
Line 8.0.1LITTLE EAST OF GLENBROOK.
Line 8.0.2Glenbrook is the headquarters of the deviation staff.

Line 9.0.0of the creek, echoing and re-echoing around the mountains
Line 9.0.1like thunder. This goes on: all day, but.it is mostly in
Line 9.0.2the dinner hour at The Bluff' that shot firing takes jilace.
Line 9.0.3Time-fuses are sojnetimes used, but blasts of any dimen
Line 9.0.4sions are electrically fired. '
Line 9.0.5Piercing the Mountains. 
Line 9.0.6It is at The Bluff that a tunnel has to be pierced, and
Line 9.0.7 already good progress is being made. It will be 300
Line 9.0.8yards long, and -it has now -been pierced- some distance at
Line 9.0.9each end; This particular piece of work is all being '
Line 9.0.10done from a  shelf cut into whiat was nothing . but a wall
Line 9.0.11of rock. To get the material down, a 'funicular railway
Line 9.0.12had to be ' constructed. Part of this has a drop of.' 1
Line 9.0.13in 12, while, for, the rest of the journey, downwards, it
Line 9.0.14is 1 in 3. The miners who do the tunnelling have to
Line 9.0.15be constantly on the alert for faults in the- rock that
Line 9.0.16might ca.use a fall of /stone, but little timbering has been --
Line 9.0.17necessary so far, and the stone has been very dry/ and
Line 9.0.18free from waterl The tunnel is lit up by electricity,- and
Line 9.0.19, fans are in operation to keep the air pure. Another
Line 9.0.20phase of the work at The Bluff is the flying fox. Below , ,
Line 9.0.21the rocky platform on which the new tracks, will be laid,
Line 9.0.22a retaining wall has to be constructed, and a flying fox
Line 9.0.23takes the material down from the top.

Line 10.0.0:
Line 10.0.1AT the Blaxland end of the deviation the work, while 
Line 10.0.2not so heavy, is none the less exacting, and some big
Line 10.0.3'cuttings have to be put through. It has been necessary,
Line 10.0.4near the Blaxland station, to elevate the Bathurst-road
Line 10.0.5to enable the new track to be laid. At present a track is
Line 10.0.6being laid to divert the present line as quickly as possible,
Line 10.0.7to enable a new cutting to be put through the road now in
Line 10.0.8use at this point. It was hereabouts that the steam-navvy
Line 10.0.9was first tried on railway works in this State, and proved
Line 10.0.10a great success. It works in an almost human-like man
Line 10.0.11ner. Its great scoop or shovel seizes the earth, and literal
Line 10.0.12ly shovels it up and tosses it aside with its long derrick
Line 10.0.13arm. It accounts for about 2| tons each time. There is
Line 10.0.14still one at work at Emu Plains. Every possible advan
Line 10.0.15tage has been taken of labour-saving appliances. There
Line 10.0.16are steam derrick locomotive cranes, which come into the
Line 10.0.17cutting and pick up huge boulders, and toss them into the .
Line 10.0.18waggons as if they were so many pebbles. On one of. the ;
Line 10.0.19cuttings a steam travelling gantry crane traverses the top. ;

Line 11.0.0Down 50 or 60 ,
Line 11.0.1feet below are
Line 11.0.2great cubes of
Line 11.0.3rock hurled out j
Line 11.0.4by the last :
Line 11.0.5blast; the chain,
Line 11.0.6. with dog hooks, .
Line 11.0.7. . descends, and
Line 11.0.8the rocks are
Line 11.0.9grasped by the ,
Line 11.0.10hooks; the
Line 11.0.11word is given .
Line 11.0.12to haul away,
Line 11.0.13and off the stone
Line 11.0.14is ? hurried to the
Line 11.0.15other end of the
Line 11.0.16cutting,, dropped
Line 11.0.17into the waggon,
Line 11.0.18which gravitates
Line 11.0.19along the line
Line 11.0.20until it reaches
Line 11.0.21its destination. .
Line 11.0.22Then it tips
Line 11.0.23up automatically
Line 11.0.24and hurls its
Line 11.0.25load into the
Line 11.0.26gully beneath,
Line 11.0.27thus bridging it
Line 11.0.28and making the
Line 11.0.29bank in a much
Line 11.0.30surer and quicker
Line 11.0.31way than the ; „
Line 11.0.32horse and tip
Line 11.0.33dray. The huge
Line 11.0.34arm of a derrick
Line 11.0.35crane can also be
Line 11.0.36seen swinging

Line 12.0.0round heaving the stones out of the way. Headings are
Line 12.0.1run into the cuttings, and lines laid down for the trucks.
Line 12.0.2Great beams of wood span the top, on which have been
Line 12.0.3placed further beams— Chinamen they are called — which
Line 12.0.4act as a flooring. At intervals there are spaces through
Line 12.0.5Which are hurled the rock and mullock from the tolp of the .
Line 12.0.6cutting to the waiting trucks, which are pulled away, by
Line 12.0.7; horses. Then there are the compressed . air. drills which
Line 12.0.8* cut their way through the ro.ck. Making, ready for the
Line 12.0.9blasts, but still more modern, is the 'Jack' hammer, as
Line 12.0.10?it is called, worke*} by .-the, same medium. It punches
Line 12.0.11through, the solid -rock like a hammer, and, in places where
Line 12.0.12the drill could not work. By contrast, there. is the ,navvy
Line 12.0.13at wopk with the old-hand-rod and water, painfully drilling .
Line 12.0.14a hole; 
Line 12.0.15Advantages-; of the' Work. : ...
Line 12.0.16THE cost of- the . deviation is * estimated at about: .
Line 12.0.17£200,000. It will provide a double track-to and from 
Line 12.0.18the mquntains, while the: Glenbrook Tunnel will ^als be 
Line 12.0.19available for traffic to Sydney — a very important considera- -'
Line 12.0.20tion in busy times, -and -with an- expanding holiday- traf- '
Line 12.0.21fic. A: new railway station will , be established ?at Glen-
Line 12.0.22brook, about half a mile south ;of the present station.
Line 12.0.23What is to become of the existing station is riot yet known; *
Line 12.0.24but it is not likely that there will be two stations, as 'some
Line 12.0.25suppose. The length of the present line between Emu
Line 12.0.26Plaihs and Blaxland is 'now five miles; ^when. the devia-
Line 12.0.27tion, is. completed,, it will be eight and a half miles,, thus
Line 12.0.28adding to the ., mileage, and, incidentally,, the cost, of a
Line 12.0.29week-end on the mountains. The new line will be re
Line 12.0.30sponsible for some added charms to the scenic wonders of

Continued on Page 11

A Triumph of Railway Engineering.
(Continued from Page 10.) V
the trips up and down the Nepean and' Emu Plains, and the
passengers ?will have opened up to them new vistas as. it
ascends the hills until they reach The Bluff, when the
river will be seen just beneath, but much closer than it is
on the old track. As the train goes around The Bluff there
?will be a view of hill and valley that was never before pos- .
sible. Backward there will be a fine panoramic view of
the plains. As to the men engaged in the work, they

number 1400, mostly navvies. There has been no shortage
of labour offering on this job.
THE men employed/ are generally of a good type, and
. while there are not a'. few 'immigrants, ' Australians
predominate. Tiere is: no evidence of any slackness
about them, although the. job is a day-labour one, .and there
have been no labour difficulties. The fortnightly pay of
the men on the job averages about £6000. Many of them
have their families with them, and live in the rough, primi
tive style of railway .camps. Some of their dwellings are
well and neatly built, and many evidence the touch of a

woman's hand, and the love of home and children. The
main camp near The Bluff has quite a dignified air about
it. It has one road running through it. which has not devi
ated from the. ' surveyor's' line. It has. shops, and stores,
and a post-office, while , boarding-houses and refreshment-'
rooms are much in evidence. ; There is an excellent water
.supply, and the surro.undings, are such that make for very . ,
healthy conditions. The principal officials engaged are: —
Mr. James Fraser, engineer-in-chief; Mr. Kendall, visiting
engineer; and Mr. Butcher, resident engineer. Head
quarters are at Glenbrook, half a mile distant from .
The Bluff.

THE* MID-DAY SPELL.

A TYPICAL HOME AT THE BLUFF CAMP.

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Sydney Mail : 01 May 1912(52)

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A TRIUMPH OF RAILWAY ENGINEERING: Cutting Out the Stifling Glenbrook Tunnel.

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Sydney Mail : 01 May 1912(52)

Page 10(1)

A TRIUMPH OF RAILWAY ENGINEERING: Cutting Out the Stifling Glenbrook Tunnel.

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