Tuatapere Branch
The Tuatapere Branch, including the Orawia Branch, was a
Construction
The desire to open up regions west of
There was some dispute over where to commence a railway to the settlement of Orawia. One of the two main proposals was to extend the Tuatapere line, and the other was to build a branch from Waikouro on the Wairio Branch. Ultimately, the Tuatapere proposal was accepted, and although construction was postponed due to
Operation
The line was run as two separate branches from Tuatapere: the Tuatapere Branch from Invercargill, and the Orawia Branch. During the days of steam motive power, most services on the branches were operated from a depot at Tuatapere. Trains were typically mixed, carrying both passengers and freight. One such train daily operated from Tuatapere to Invercargill and return, while another ran Invercargill to Tuatapere and return. Orawia was served by a service from Tuatapere on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Along the line, a lucrative logging industry was established and many
A locomotive from the More & Sons sawmill tramway, which ran about 12 miles (19 km) from Longwood,[2] is on display beside Riverton museum.[3] The tramway was open from 1902 to 1960.[4]
Passenger services on the Orawia Branch did not last even a decade. By 1932, passengers were no longer carried and goods trains ran only twice weekly. Passengers could travel on the rest of the line until the early 1950s, and around this time the daily Invercargill to Tuatapere and return goods train was withdrawn. This was partially offset by a Monday to Friday goods train from the Wairio Branch junction at Thornbury to Tuatapere. The Orawia Branch looked as if it could be closed at any time until a cement works was constructed in the town in 1956. It provided sufficient traffic to justify the Orawia Branch's existence.
Traffic declined during the 1960s, and when steam motive power was replaced by
Today
Some notable relics remained after closure. The most significant of these was the causeway and truss bridge that crossed the mouth of the Jacob River estuary in Riverton. The bridge and formation was removed in 2003, with one truss preserved by a local museum. The wooden viaduct near Tuatapere still exists. Tuatapere station and yard area are used by the local Jewish community, with the goods shed, station building, and water tank all standing in relatively good condition, though the station building's exterior requires repairs and there are proposals to relocate it to a site on the Otago Central Rail Trail.[6] The Orawia Branch's formation is distinct for much of its length, and at the terminus is the goods shed, with the ruins of the old cement works nearby. The formation of the Tuatapere Branch is also pretty clear in most places, and in Wakatapu some discarded rails and sleepers are at the old yard site, while a loading bank is at Ruahine and relocated station buildings still stand at Longwood and Orepuki.[7]
See also
- Main South Line
- Kingston Branch
- Bluff Branch
- Browns/Hedgehope Branch
- Seaward Bush/Tokanui Branch
- Wairio/Ohai Branch
References
Citations
- ^ a b Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 120.
- ^ "S176 Riverton". www.mapspast.org.nz. 1943. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ "Southland's historic train restored". Stuff. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- New Zealand Railway Observer: 137–143.
- ^ NZR Closes Two South Island Branches Railway Transportation January 1971 page 34
- ^ Shirley Whyte, "Railway station in need of repair", The Southland Times, 16 June 2007.
- ^ Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 121.
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 1-86934-048-5.
- Mulligan, Barbara (2000). New Zealand Rail Trails: A Guide to 42 Ghost Lines. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. pp. 228–237. ISBN 978-1-86934-126-8.