The Wellington-Wairarapa railway route may well be regarded as one of the fine scenic lines of the Island. The traveller's interest is attracted at the start by the beauty of the Hutt Valley, with its wayside towns and townships and its many beautiful homes set in sylvan surroundings. Then the ranges narrow in and the train winds up along a sub-alpine way to the Summit tunnel and the notch in the range by which the Rimutaka spur is penetrated. The landscapes are bold and there are many clumps of forest, chiefly the beech or tawai. The crossing of the Summit, 1144 feet, is a much steeper ascent on the eastern side than the climb from the Wellington side; as we discover when we run down from the long tunnel to Cross Creek, on a grade of 1 in 15, dropping nearly 900 feet in a distance of about three miles. On this section “Fell” locomotives operate the trains. A central rail (elevated about 6 1/4 inches above the ground) against which the centre engine grip wheels are compressed, and vans with special brake gear, are a feature on this section of the line.