Collection	Marlborough Province - down the decades from early days
Description	A black and white photograph showing a mechanical excavator loading some rather home-made looking railway wagons during the construction of the South Island Main Trunk railway line [S.I.M.T.] in the 1930s. A pencilled note in an unknown hand with the photograph says, "1930s scene in construction of S.I.M.T. on Kaikoura Coast's - probably Blue Slip". A scan of this photograph will be used in the Changing European History Gallery 3 display in commemoration of the Marlborough Provincial 150th anniversary on 1 November 2009. ................................................................................................................................................................................ Caption December 2009: A mechanical excavator clearing away a slip hazard. From the late 1930s, until today, the Blue Slip near Kekerengu has proved an ongoing challenge. Subsurface drainage on a slippery, blue clay base meant surface layers would slide downhill to the sea. This mechanical excavator is moving sodden clay into tipping wagons. Another construction problem nearby proved simpler to handle. Wind-driven beach sand frequently drifted across the work in hand and held up progress when it covered the new rails or the nearby main road. The answer was the planting of marram grass, stabilizing the sand.
Year Range from	1930
Year range to	1940
Object ID	2009.067.0068
Object Name	Photograph
Place	East Coast/Kekerangu/Blue Slip
Title	Mechanical Excavator on the South Island Main Trunk Railway Line

When ordering images from the Museum, please quote the Object ID for each image required.     info@marlboroughmuseum.org.nz
Last modified on: January 19, 2015