| NZGR Jb class 4-8-2 number 1230 (oil burner) climbing 1 in 40 graded Raurimu Spiral in New Zealand, date unknown (best guess, 1958), Agfa print by J.A.T. Terry, Chuck Zeiler collection. The following is from the June 1986 issue of Trains Magazine: The most outstanding feature of the NIMT (North Island Main Trunk) is the Raurimu Spiral on the central section 25 miles south of Taumarunui. A testing ground for any locomotive, the spiral has one complete circle, three horseshoe curves, and two tunnels, all on an average grade of 1 in 52. Between Raurimu and National Park, southbound trains climb 700 feet in only 7 miles. |