Title: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Author: Cyclopedia Company Limited

Publication details: The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1905, Christchurch

Part of: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand

License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence

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Kew , is a flag station two miles from Invercargill on the Bluff line of railway. The district is a portion of the borough of South Invercargill, and is in the electoral district of Invercargill. The Government Creosoting Works for sleepers used on New Zealand railways are situated at Kew, where they cover an area of about two acres of land. There are two forty-horse power boilers, and a ten-horse power steam engine, with a superheater and force pumps. The rimu (red pine), kahikatea (white pine) and miro sleepers are treated by being placed in an iron cylinder, which will contain nine trolly loads, or 567 sleepers at one time. When the cylinder is closed, the sleepers are boiled to take out the sap, and when all the sap has been extracted, creosote is forced in by one of the pumps. About 1700 sleepers are treated weekly in this way.