Donnellys Crossing Section
Donnellys Crossing Section | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Other name(s) | Kaihu Valley Railway Kaihu Branch Donnellys Crossing Branch |
Owner | Heavy Rail |
System | New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) |
Services | 1 |
Operator(s) | Railways Department |
History | |
Opened | February 1889 |
Completed to Donnellys Crossing | 1 April 1923 |
Connected to National Network | 15 March 1942 |
Closed | 19 July 1959 |
Technical | |
Line length | 35.91 km (22.31 mi) |
Number of tracks | Single |
Character | Rural |
Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The Donnellys Crossing Section (later the Donnellys Crossing Branch), also known as the Kaihu Valley Railway or Kaihu Branch,
The name of the line is often given as the Donnelly's Crossing Section or Branch. Although grammatically accurate, this is incorrect as the locality's name is officially recognised as Donnellys Crossing with no apostrophe.[2]
Construction
The Kaihu Valley Railway Company Limited (KVRC) formed in 1882
With the economy improving, a short extension was opened to Kaihu on 21 October 1896, but it was not until 1908 that further work was undertaken. Construction was extremely slow and the few kilometres to Whatoro were not open until 1 June 1914. World War I brought construction to an absolute halt, and when work began after the war, the final extension of the line was built and opened to Donnellys Crossing on 1 April 1923.
In 1940, this isolated section of track was finally linked to the national network when the Dargaville Branch off the North Auckland Line reached Dargaville. However, the relocation and reconstruction of Dargaville's railway station was seen as required and this work took until 1943, when the Dargaville branch was officially opened as a connection to the North Auckland Line.[1]
Stations
The following stations were located on the Donnellys Crossing Section (in brackets is the distance in kilometres from Dargaville):
- Parore (2 km)
- Babylon (5 km)
- Rotu (8 km)
- Maitahi (11 km)
- Taita (12 km)
- Mamaranui (14 km)
- Dairy Flat (15 km)
- Maropiu (17 km)
- Ahikiwi (19 km)
- Opanake (22 km)
- Kaihu (23 km)
- Whatoro (27 km)
- Aranga (32 km)
- Donnellys Crossing (36 km)
Operation
Initially, the Donnellys Crossing Section resembled a
Remarkably, passenger services survived right until the end. Many New Zealand branch lines lost their passenger services during the 1930s, with private cars seen as far preferable over the slow pace of country mixed trains that stopped to shunt at many sidings along the way, but in the isolated Far North, people were still happy to use the train. Initially, four six-wheeled passenger wagons were based in the area, but in 1933, two-bogied carriages were introduced. As late as 1958–59, approximately 15 people were carried per train, but the overall quantity of traffic was extremely poor and there was no reason to keep the line open any longer. Closure came on 19 July 1959, though the Dargaville shunter ran wagons of freight to and from Kaihu for a few more months.[5]
The Donnellys Crossing Section was exclusively the domain of
Today
Relics of closed railway lines naturally diminish and disappear over time due to the effects of both nature and human development, but in the rural setting of the Far North of New Zealand, some signs of the Donnellys Crossing Section have survived. For much of the line's length, its formation can be seen travelling through the countryside, and a truss bridge over the Kaihu River is still in place.[7] Unfortunately, Kaihu's station building was removed at some point in the latter half of the 1990s, followed by Donnellys Crossing's station building sometime in the first decade of the 2000s. Donnellys Crossing station was located near a double track yard bridge; one side of the bridge has been removed and the other side adapted to road use, with the underframe still in place on the unused half.
Little remains of the locomotives and rolling stock of the KVRC. The last member of the
Kaihu Valley Trail
A cycle trail is being planned to use much of the line, $4m of the cost being from the
See also
- North Auckland Line
- Dargaville Branch
- Marsden Point Branch
- Ōkaihau Branch
- Onerahi Branch
- Opua Branch
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 100.
- ^ "Place name detail: Donnellys Crossing". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
- ^ New Zealand Government (21 August 1882). "Kaihu Valley Railway: Contract entered into between Her Majesty The Queen and the Kaihu Valley Railway Company (Ltd)". AtoJsOnline. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 11.
- ^ Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 12.
- ^ "New Methods for Old". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 13.
- ^ "Kaihu Valley Trail". Kaipara District. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
Bibliography
- Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
- Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1995). Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways (1998 ed.). Wellington: Grantham House. ISBN 1-86934048-5.
- Hermann, Bruce J; North Island Branch Lines p 8 (2007, New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society, Wellington) ISBN 978-0-908573-83-7
- Mulligan, Barbara (2000). New Zealand Rail Trails: A Guide to 42 Ghost Lines. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. pp. 27–31. ISBN 978-1-86934-126-8.