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81-400: The Stillwater Ngākawau Line ( SNL ), formerly the Stillwater–Westport Line (SWL) and the Ngakawau Branch , is a secondary main line, part of New Zealand 's national rail network . It runs between Stillwater and Ngakawau via Westport on the West Coast of the South Island . It was one of the longest construction projects in New Zealand's history, with its first section , at

162-617: A dump in Buller Gorge, a Milburn Cement shunter, a guard’s van and various wagons. The area was damaged by flooding in 2022 and the shed was demolished in 2023, after rehousing the preserved stock, some at the National Railway Museum of New Zealand . The table below shows Reefton as the main intermediate passenger station in 1949, but the mainstay of the line was 'goods' and 'other goods' at Waimangaroa and Granity , which were very likely mostly coal, which remains

243-527: A turntable at Westport and easing of grades at Omoto , Jacksons and Stillwater. The " last spike " ceremony was on 2 December 1941. The Public Works Department (PWD) was in charge of construction and were able to operate trains the length of the line by July 1942, but ownership of the route was not transferred to the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) until 5 December 1943. The 27 mi 32 ch (44.1 km) through

324-511: A 2,380 ft (730 m) summit at Tophouse , was surveyed as 158 + 3 ⁄ 4  mi (255.5 km) and to Nelson 144 + 3 ⁄ 4  mi (233.0 km), with the longest tunnel being 33 ch (660 m), opposite Lyell . Ultimately, the New Zealand Midland Railway Company (NZMRC) was formed to construct the route, and in 1886, work recommenced. The junction of the route to Westport and

405-506: A blacksmiths' shop, machine-shop, erecting and carriage and wagon repairing shop and a shop for repairing coal-hoppers. By 1972 staff were down to 19. Cape Foulwind Railway was linked to Westport by a bridge in about 1888. The Cape Foulwind station was moved near to Rintoul Street in 1889. It had a platform, loading bank and goods shed. On 31 December 1967 the station was burnt down in a suspected arson attack. A new station and Road Services terminal opened on 25 February 1971. The engine shed

486-422: A school for 30 children and an office. A workshop, stores and engine shop were beside the road. Part of the camp was flooded in 1936. Electricity came in 1938. Buildings from the camp (and Tunnel and Blackwater camps) were finally put up for sale in 1941, when only the bridges were unfinished. The site is now again covered in bush. Twelve Mile Hotel burnt down on 14 August 1958. It was a single storey building, near

567-495: A shelter shed, platform, cart approach, 20 ft (6.1 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, loading bank and a 19 wagon loop. In 1928 an engine-shed, blacksmith's shop, cottage and several single huts were added. A gradient of 1 in 32, just east of Te Kuha, was eased to 1 in 120 (apart from a short 1 in 90 grade, just north of Inangahua, it is the steepest eastbound gradient). In 1941 the station buildings, previously used for storage, were renovated. In 1950 Te Kuha goods shed

648-429: A single line remains. Beyond Inangahua the line was to split, one part going to Nelson and the other to Westport. Both required expensive cuttings, bridges and tunnels to get through the deep and narrow Upper and Lower Buller Gorges . The two year old Reform Government postponed work on the extension shortly before the line opened to Inangahua and World War I started weeks after it opened. Therefore Inangahua remained

729-505: A slip punctured a fuel tank near Te Kuha. The south portal of Tunnel 3 was blocked by a slip, which an empty coal train ran into on 16 October 2023. The line reopened on 27 November. A 2012 study of the problem listed another dozen slips between 2004 and 2011. With a 50 km/h (31 mph) maximum speed in the Gorge, due to curvature, there have been no serious injuries and 25 km/h (16 mph) limits are between Te Kuha and Cascade, at

810-409: A stone, then in 1950 a railcar hit a slip, in 1955 a slip near Rahui derailed another and a goods train was damaged in 1960 between Cascade and Te Kuha. On 30 November 1979 a westbound locomotive was derailed by a slip near Cascade. On 3 January 2002 a train was derailed by a slip just over 3km west of Rahui. On 13 January 2011, between Rahui and Tiroroa, 5 wagons derailed due to a slip and 3 months later

891-404: A telephone, on a 60 ft (18 m) wood and earth platform and a passing loop. It was a flag station, until opened for passengers, parcels and small goods on 23 November 1946. It closed to passengers on 11 September 1967. A passing loop remains, but not the buildings which still stood in 1986. The original Reefton station opened on the south bank of the river on 29 February 1892, when the line

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972-486: A terminus for 28 years. The Lower Gorge was the most difficult section of the railway, with 12 bridges, totalling 3,603 ft (1,098 m), and 5 short tunnels in its 18.5 mi (29.8 km). Work on the Westport – Inangahua railway stopped again on 21 October 1931 and restarted on 30 July 1936, after election of a Labour Government . A goods shed opened at Inangahua in 1932 and a 4-ton derrick crane from Coalgate

1053-432: A triangle to turn engines. On 13 May 1907 the terminus was replaced by Taipoiti, a new flag station, also known as Little Devil, which was to the south. The name Taipo-iti was approved on 30 August 1906. It was an approximation of Māori words meaning Little Devil, a name given to a local stream by gold miners. It was a 5th class station, with shelter shed, platform and cart approach. Taipo-iti closed on 15 November 1959. Only

1134-541: Is called the Stillwater-Ngākawau Line . This designation include what is now a short branch into Westport proper. The former line from Ngākawau to Seddonville is still officially gazetted with the name Seddonville Branch Railway, despite the line having been removed shortly after the line was closed in the 1980s. Some remnants of the branch beyond Ngākawau remain. Much of the formation remains visible, including embankments , cuttings and culverts . Part of

1215-636: Is no longer shipped from West Coast ports; it is carried by train to the deep harbour in Lyttelton on the east coast. A 2017 report said the Stockton Mine is the main source of traffic and that, "if production were to drop significantly, the economic viability of the whole rail network west of Canterbury would be questionable." In 2019 there were 4 coal trains a day of 30 wagons, loading up to 72 tonnes gross and carrying up to 1,460t of coal per train. The Ngākawau-Lyttelton journey takes about 12½ hours for

1296-575: Is probably the remnant of a larger ox-bow lake in a former channel of the Buller. It has been part of the Orikaka Ecological Area since 2001, as lowland swamp forests are rare in the area and it has roroa . There are six bridges and two tunnels between Rahui and Tiroroa, including – There are 3 bridges and a tunnel between Tiroroa and Cascade, including – The line was extended 2 mi 65 ch (4.5 km) from Te Kuha to serve

1377-413: Is unnecessary. Trains on the line are regulated by track warrants . Slips have been a continuing problem in the Buller Gorge, due to steep slopes and high rainfall. During construction, broom was planted to stabilise slopes. Slips blocked the line in the Gorge in 1944, 1961, 1966 (Rahui), 1979 and 2010 In 1945 a train near Cascade was derailed by a slip, in 1949 one hit a slip and another was derailed by

1458-722: The DC class in the 1980s, became the predominant motive power. With the de- electrification of the Otira Tunnel on the Midland Line in the latter half of the 1990s, motive power changed to powerful DX class locomotives modified to operate through the tunnel. On 5 November 2009 both the Ngākawau Branch and the Stillwater-Westport Line were officially reclassified as being a single railway. The new railway

1539-521: The DJ class introduced. DJs were used in 1968, when the line was closed for over 3 weeks by the Inangahua Earthquake and which also caused a derailment. The quake damaged about 24 mi (39 km) of the line. In the 1980s, DC locomotives were also placed into service on the line. One notable feature was the necessity to bank heavy trains heading south from Reefton to Stillwater due to

1620-660: The Gowan valley. The Railways Board reported in 1931 that the line would earn far less than the interest charges for its construction. The Buller Gorge posed many difficulties for construction, but most of the formation and 2 of the remaining 12 bridges had been built, when Parliament voted 40:22 on 8 October 1931 to back the Railways Board proposal to stop work on the Westport-Inangahua line as well. The Labour leader, Harry Holland , suggested, "the influence of

1701-528: The Legislative Council . The Labour Party was gaining considerable support, causing Massey to worry that it would soon supersede the Liberals. Labour continued to grow in popularity, and in the 1925 election gained more seats than the Liberals. The two parties were competing for many of the same voters, and for the anti-government vote in particular, and this worked to Reform's benefit. Although

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1782-677: The Midland Line to Canterbury was established just east of Brunner in Stillwater, and the NZMRC put most of its energy into the first portion of the SWL from Stillwater to Reefton . This was due to the comparatively easier terrain faced by the route in the valley of the Grey River , and in 1889, the line was opened to Ngahere . On 29 February 1892, the NZMRC opened the line all the way to

1863-754: The Ngākawau Branch , is a branch line railway in the West Coast region of New Zealand 's South Island . Construction began in 1874 and it reached its terminus at the Mokihinui Mine just beyond Seddonville in 1895. In 1981 it was closed past Ngākawau and effectively became an extension of the Stillwater–Westport Line, since formalised as the Stillwater–Ngākawau Line . The branch was built for transporting coal from mines to

1944-587: The Waihi miners' strike of 1912 and a dockworkers' strike the following year. It governed during World War I, during which a temporary coalition was formed with the Liberal Party . From the start of representative government in New Zealand, in the mid nineteenth century, until the 1890s, New Zealand governments were not formed on a party basis but were rather loose and shifting groups of individuals. In

2025-457: The 1880s and 1890s a group of politicians formed themselves into New Zealand's first true political party, the Liberals, which became the Liberal government in 1890. It remained in power for more than two decades, testimony not only to its popular policies and dynamic leadership but also to its organisation and party structure. The opposition was initially disorganised and fractured. John Bryce

2106-441: The 393 km (244 mi). When the line was completed, U class steam locomotives were utilised on the line, with the B and B classes introduced in 1957. This was the last mainline duty performed by the B and B locomotives, and as bridges on the SWL were strengthened, they were displaced in the 1960s by the heavier A and A classes. In 1969, the SWL became one of the last lines in New Zealand to be dieselised, with

2187-690: The Gorge cost £1,231,636 to 1941, with about another £40,000 spent before opening. 360 were employed on the line when work was stopped in October 1931. By the end of 1932 it was 32. Labour MP, Bob Semple , called stopping the works and throwing wheelbarrows, tools, and shovels in the river, a criminal offence. When the Labour Government resumed construction in July 1936, 66 were employed, peaking at 399 in January 1937, none of whom died at work. Before

2268-603: The Red Jacks Sawmilling Co tramway from about 1924. The sawmill had a smaller Davidson in 1906. There was up to 20 km (12 mi) of tramway in the Red Jacks valley and it was extended in 1933. In 1906 the village had a Midland Railway (burnt down 1926) and a Totara Flat, hotel , butter factory, school, Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches, small public hall, 2 stores, butchery and bakery. Potatoes, oats and fat cattle were grown. The 1901 population

2349-533: The South Island via the Midland Line to the deepwater harbour at Lyttelton rather than to Westport. In 1981, only 117,000 tonnes of coal were carried to Lyttelton; by 1989, this had risen to 600,000 tonnes. Due to the boom in traffic, bogie coal wagons were built to replace ageing four-wheeled stock of much lower capacity. In mid-June 2007, traffic was sufficient to justify five trains daily to Lyttelton. This later increased to seven, but by 2015, following

2430-664: The bank of the Mōkihinui River to ensure the stability of the formation between Seddonville and Mokihinui Mine. In 1989 the Baldwin Steam Trust recovered the locomotives with the aim of restoring them to full operational condition. These locomotives are now located at Maymorn , Upper Hutt and are owned by the Rimutaka Incline Railway . Reform Government of New Zealand It is probably best remembered for its anti- trade union stance in

2511-455: The branch at Granity. In September 1875, three C class 0-4-2 T tank locomotives were shipped to Westport in readiness for the opening to Fairdown. It soon became apparent that greater motive power was required, and in 1898 four W class tanks were delivered. Three decades later they were followed by W class tank locomotives, the first of which arrived in 1929, which were the mainstay until dieselisation . The W class were limited on

Stillwater–Ngākawau Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-402: The branch closed to passengers. Since then, the only passenger trains have been infrequent enthusiasts' excursions. In the branch's first half-century, freight was not confined to coal. However, as road transport became more prevalent, local businesses abandoned rail cartage and coal was virtually the only freight carried by the late 1930s. Coal tonnages were declining by this stage: in 1940,

2673-675: The branch was carrying just over half its pre- World War I peak of 800,000 tons. Nonetheless, coal traffic was more than sufficient to keep the branch in service. An early 1967 timetable had one train to Seddonville and the Mokihinui Mine and two to Ngākawau on weekdays, with shuttles from the Conns Creek Branch that diverged at Waimangaroa. Traffic from the Conns Creek Branch was declining and it closed later that year. The 3 kilometre (1.9 mile) section beyond Seddonville to Mokihinui Mine closed on 10 February 1974 after

2754-457: The camps were set up, trains brought workers from Westport. As construction progressed, new camps were set up to the east. Access from the main road and camps was by a cableway for materials, 3 ferries on cables for workmen and a suspension bridge . A protest meeting was held in Westport when work was stopped in 1931. Some buildings were then removed and the YMCA hall advertised for sale. Ohika camp

2835-444: The centre of the camp, which had been at Tiroroa since at least 1869. Highway Camp, also known as Petticoat Lane, south of Hawks Crag, had 3 houses and 10 huts for road construction workers. Tunnel Camp, north of Hawk's Crag, had housing for 3 married men and 20 single men. Access to the work across the river was by suspension bridge, or later by boat. Seddonville Branch The Seddonville Branch , later truncated as

2916-698: The construction of a line through the Buller Gorge, it became known as the Seddonville Branch. The following stations are or were on the Seddonville Branch (the distance from Westport is given in kilometres and miles): There were never passenger trains due to the low population: the Railways Department operated mixed trains , goods trains with passenger carriages attached. For a period they ran to Mokihinui Mine, but on 12 June 1933 they were cancelled beyond Seddonville. Services to Seddonville lasted another 13 years, and on 14 October 1946

2997-591: The course followed on the main lines. Between August 1936 and August 1938 a daily morning railcar service was provided from Hokitika on the Ross Branch to Reefton and return by a diminutive Midland railcar . Once the line was completed Vulcan railcars operated from Westport to Stillwater, where they connected with services to Christchurch, and a local service ran between Greymouth and Reefton. From 7 September 1942 there were two railcars each way between Greymouth and Westport, taking 3hr 28min from Greymouth. It

3078-405: The difficult uphill grade. This was a common feature during the era of steam locomotives, and although banking was dispensed with on most lines when the conversion to diesel-electric motive power was made, the SWL was initially an exception. Some trains had two DJ class locomotives at each end, but this practice has now come to an end, with trains usually formed and loaded in such a way that banking

3159-517: The end of the war in November 1918, the coalition dissolved, the two parties fought the subsequent election separately. Reform won an additional six seats, gaining a working majority at last. Economic problems had reduced the government's popularity, and the election left Reform with only 37 seats - four short of a majority. Massey was forced to cobble together a coalition of Reform, independents, and two Liberal MPs who were later rewarded with seats in

3240-532: The formation near Seddonville has been converted into the Chasm Creek Walkway, uses two bridges and one tunnel. The platform edge of Seddonville station remains, but the line to the Mokihinui Mine is now largely inaccessible as it is not near any roads. At the end of their working lives, some locomotives and rolling stock were used to protect the branch from river erosion. Between 1958 and 1960, W class tank locomotives 292 and 299 were dumped on

3321-748: The funds for the construction of the Ngākawau-Mokihinui section and the purchase of the Mokihinui line were provided by the Westport Harbour Board. The Westport to Seddonville line has had several names. It was first known as the Mount Rochfort Railway, then as the Westport Section of New Zealand Railways. After the Westport Section was linked to the main part of the South Island railway network in 1943 by

Stillwater–Ngākawau Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-518: The harbour at Westport . Unlike most other railways of the era, there was no expectation that it would open up country for settlement and farming, as the terrain was mountainous and not suited to settlements of significant size. Coalfield surveys had identified significant deposits of bituminous coal on the Mount Rochfort and Stockton plateaus high above the coastal plain and outcrops of sub-bituminous coal had been located at low level close to

3483-707: The length to 30 kilometres (18.6 miles). By mid-1878 only one mine, that of the Wellington Coal Company on the north bank of the Waimangaroa River , had opened, and the amount of traffic between Waimangaroa Junction and Ngākawau was so low that that section of the line was mothballed until 1883. It then reopened to allow stone for harbour works at Westport to be transported. The impact of the Long Depression limited government funds available for railway construction, and no extension of

3564-487: The line occurred for over a decade. By the end of the 1880s, the economic position was improving and work commenced on extending the line to Seddonville. On 8 August 1893 it opened to Mokihinui , and on 23 February 1895 the New Zealand Railways Department acquired a 6.2 kilometre (3.8 mile) private line from Mokihinui through Seddonville to the Mokihinui Mine, run by the Mokihinui Coal Company. Some of

3645-412: The line produced 1,321,541 tonnes of coal, 984,951 tonnes of it from Stockton Mine at Ngākawau. All the other mines in the country produced only 1,234,560 tonnes. Passenger journeys peaked at around 500 a day in 1946 and ceased in 1967. From 1891 until about 1970 the line had a refreshment room , initially at Totara Flat, then Ikamatua, then Stillwater. A railway link from Greymouth east to Brunner

3726-527: The line was completed, mixed trains operated on sections open for service. During the 1917 coal strike, trains between Inangahua and Reefton were suspended. By 1927 one report said that part of the line had lost most of its passengers to motor vehicles. When Inangahua first appeared in the annual reports, 3 years later, it only sold 300 tickets in the year. In 1926 the Minister said local services between Greymouth and Inangahua had been speeded up in keeping with

3807-554: The liquidation of Solid Energy , had been cut to four trains a day each way. Several tramways fed timber and coal traffic to the line. The most northerly was about 2 km (1.2 mi), from Coal Creek mine to Mokihinui, which was open by 1894. Charming Creek Tramway linked Ngākawau to a sawmill and later a mine. The Stockton mine railway also ran to Ngākawau. It had inclines and a 2 + 1 ⁄ 4  mi (3.6 km) electric railway. The 1 + 1 ⁄ 4  mi (2.0 km) Millerton Incline linked Millerton Mine to

3888-444: The main traffic on the line. ) ) These graphs show the variation over time in passenger numbers at Westport, Inangahua, Reefton and Ngahere (detail shown in table below). Westport peaked in 1946, Reefton in 1943 and Inangahua in 1944, during wartime restrictions on fuel and shortly after the full line was opened: Over 400 men worked on construction in the 1920s and 30s, when Tiroroa had the largest of 9 PWD construction camps. Until

3969-442: The manager's house and the stations between Reefton and Brunner and a triangle for turning engines. Stillwater was also one of the stations shown in the annual returns of traffic. For example, in 1924 it sold an average of 25 tickets a day and exported 62,411 hundreds of superficial feet of timber. The table below shows that by 1949 passengers had declined slightly and timber a lot. In 1922 Stillwater had two Grade 7 staff, including

4050-462: The mine closed. Low demand for Buller region coal, decreased output and a decline in coastal shipping to Westport meant that the remainder carried reduced tonnages. Closure beyond Ngākawau was proposed in 1976, and although it operated a few more years, maintenance costs were increasingly higher than revenue and the branch beyond Ngākawau closed on 3 May 1981. In the 1980s, traffic rose significantly despite closure beyond Ngākawau and trains ran across

4131-481: The mine was being prepared. In 2 years, the formation to Cascade Creek had been finished, ballasting and platelaying had reached Little Cascade Creek, 36 ch (720 m) from Cascade and other bridges were nearly complete, with a 5 acres (2.0 ha) ballast-pit used as aggregate for the concrete piers of the bridges. The first coal train left Cascade, after a formal opening on 20 July 1927, carrying about 175 tons. The station reopened about March 1924 By 1926 it had

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4212-453: The mine. In May 1910, 6 contracts were let, plus 18 in May 1911, extending the line from Te Kuha, to near Sinclair's Castle, 10 mi (16 km) from Westport. In 1915, during the war, the government announced no more work would be done. Except for the bridges, most of the line had been built by 1916. It had been hoped that work to 12-Mile would be done during 1914. Work restarted in 1924, when

4293-553: The oil interests against the national railways". Some of the workers were transferred to road building. Only after the 1935 election brought about a change in government was there a serious push to complete the line (as well as the similarly postponed Main North Line ). Work was formally restarted on 16 July 1936 with a first sod ceremony. The outbreak of World War II created further delays on construction, but this time, work continued through wartime, including electric signalling,

4374-711: The party gained an additional 18 seats, its share of the vote rose by only 8.3%, suggesting that it benefitted from vote-splitting in many electorates. Following its disastrous performance in the 1925 election, the Liberal Party reconstituted itself as the United Party and regained some of its lost popularity. Reform and United each won 27 seats, with the Labour Party holding the balance of power with 19. Labour were long-term opponents of Reform and supported United, enabling United to take power. The government

4455-638: The platform and a porch at street entrance. It had a booking-office, luggage-room, public lobby, ladies' waiting-room, telephone, coal-store, guards' and lamp rooms and was made in sections to allow for removal. It stood on a 200 ft (61 m) wood and earth platform. There were also toilets, 80 ft (24 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, with overhead crane, a loading bank, 80 ft (24 m) x 18 ft (5.5 m) engine-shed (moved from Māwheraiti), oil and coal stores, an office, stationmaster's house, two platelayers houses, outhouses, two portable huts and 75 ch (1.5 km) of sidings, with

4536-489: The present-day Reefton station established, and a further section to Cronadun opened in 1908. At the Westport end, construction also commenced, with a 9 km line opened in 1912 from Westport to Te Kuha at the western end of the Lower Buller Gorge . In 1914, the line from Cronadun reached Inangahua Junction , where the NZMRC intended its lines to Westport and Nelson to diverge (in fact, Inangahua remained

4617-534: The probable site for a junction until all work on the Nelson Section ceased in 1931). Work was slowed after the Reform Government took over in 1912. However, the outbreak of World War I brought a halt to construction with only the section through the Buller Gorge to complete. In 1921 the slow progress of the line was being criticised and there was speculation that a route to Nelson might follow

4698-473: The progress of trains in case of a crash. Stations and sidings on the southern section of the line (those north of Westport are listed in the Seddonville Branch article) – NB the opening and closing dates in columns 3 and 4 sometimes vary from those in the notes, which are derived from different sources. In 1901 a detailed inventory was made of the line between Stillwater and Reefton. Stillwater

4779-479: The railcars. Commodities such as coal , timber , and cement have been the mainstay of freight on the line, and in the 1950s, when coal was still shipped from Westport and Greymouth, the occasional closure of one port meant every operational locomotive on the West Coast was pushed into duty to haul coal up or down the SWL to the other port. Today, the coal traffic still exists in substantial quantities, but it

4860-580: The rivers at Waimangaroa and Ngākawau . However, none of this coal could be accessed because of a lack of transport along the plain to the Buller River at Westport, which was large enough for ships to access. Surveying of the line began on 3 March 1874 and construction began on 13 July 1874. The first section opened to Fairdown on 31 December 1875. Waimangaroa was reached on 5 August 1876 and regular services began operating. The section to Ngākawau opened for traffic on 26 September 1877, bringing

4941-662: The south bank of the Inangahua River , directly opposite Reefton, and with the Stillwater–Reefton portion complete in their view, they redirected their energy to the Midland route from Stillwater to Otira . In the mid-1890s the NZMRC ran out of funds and, after a dispute in the courts, was taken over by the central government. Work on the SWL recommenced in the 20th century, with the Inangahua River bridged,

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5022-500: The south end, opened in 1889 (135 years ago)  ( 1889 ) , and the beginnings of the Ngākawau Branch, at its Westport end, in 1875. The full line was completed in 1942 (82 years ago)  ( 1942 ) . The only slower railway projects were Palmerston North to Gisborne , 1872 to 1942, and the Main North Line to Picton, 1872 to 1945. The main traffic has always been coal . In 2021 opencast mines along

5103-534: The station building has been moved and is used for backpackers. Hukarere flag station opened for passenger and parcels on 4 September 1906. In 1947 a shelter shed was approved. Hukarere translates as snow and was named after the Snowy River. In 2013 it was in meshblock 2398700, which covered the Blackwater valley and had a population of 18. Only a single line remains. In 1901 Tawhai had a shelter-shed, with

5184-560: The stationmaster. Along the line north-east of Stillwater, the larger bridges are: Red Jacks opened as a sawmill siding in 1904. In 1949 a goods train fell into a nearby patch of raupō . The fireman had a minor head injury. A passing loop remains. About 500 m (550 yd) south of the loop, in Mawhera Reserve, beside SH7 , is a geared 0-4-4-0 bush loco built by G & D Davidson in Hokitika in 1913, which worked on

5265-456: The steep 1 in 33 gradient beyond Seddonville to the Mokihinui Mine, capable of hauling only 180 tons. Occasionally other steam locomotives operated, including U class tender locomotives . In late 1967 dieselisation began with the arrival of D class and D class locomotivess . A year later, the W class had been largely replaced by D class locomotives beyond Waimangaroa. By mid-1969 steam power had ended, and DJ locomotives, joined by

5346-497: The two small workers' parties ( United Labour and Social Democrats ) in parliament were likely to ally with the right-wing Reform Party. However, the outbreak of World War I earlier in the year had created a need for national unity, and a hitherto unlikely coalition was formed between Reform and the party Reform had been set up to defeat, the Liberals. Massey retained his position as Prime Minister , with Liberal leader Joseph Ward becoming unofficial co-leader. Payne also supported

5427-573: The war, but both United Labour and the Social Democrats were against it, especially conscription . In 1916 they combined to form the New Zealand Labour Party , which became the official opposition. Several Labour MPs were jailed for their anti-conscription activities or for refusing military service. The coalition became increasingly difficult to manage, due partly to a personality clash between Massey and Ward. Following

5508-487: The worst spot, and below the limestone cliffs of Whitecliffs, where KiwiRail monitors metal pins across the limestone to check it remains stable, just west of Buller. The line is also inspected if rainfall exceeds 4 cm (1.6 in). As mobile phone coverage in the Gorge is poor, 'Compulsory Call Location' boards are at Mackley, Berlin, Tiroroa, Cascade and Te Kuha, instructing drivers to phone Train Control to monitor

5589-439: Was 188. In 2013 it was part of 61 km (24 sq mi) meshblock 2399300, with 120 people. A Post Office was at the station from 19 August 1912 to 12 July 1926. Refreshment rooms opened on 24 June 1912. Presumably no one took up a 1926 tender, because the rooms were moved to Stillwater in 1927. Closure to passengers was on 11 September 1967, to stock on 16 May 1982 and final closure on 26 February 1983. 3 tracks remain and

5670-405: Was a staff of 41 at the station and about another 50 in the railway workshops, which had been established in 1880. In 1925 Westport had two Grade 2 stationmasters and 24 other senior staff, as well as many more lower grades. The workshops and engine sheds each had 34 staff. The line between Westport and Seddonville had 14 engines, 10 carriages, 673 coal hopper wagons and 27 other wagons. The works had

5751-527: Was briefly recognised as Leader of the Opposition in 1891, then William Rolleston from 1891 to 1893 and William Russell from 1894 to 1901. William Massey held the position from 1903, and by 1909 the opposition had coalesced into a new party known as the Reform Party under Massey's leadership. Although the 1911 election saw Reform win 37 seats to the Liberal Party's 33, the balance of power

5832-902: Was clearly the main station, with houses for the permanent-way inspector, loco foreman, manager and guard, a cadet in charge of a 3rd-class station building on a 150 ft (46 m) wood and earth platform, with 2 manager's offices, luggage-room, lamp and guard's rooms, coal-store, urinals, WC, a 50 ft × 30 ft (15.2 m × 9.1 m) goods shed, 125 ch (2.5 km) of sidings, 100 ft × 25 ft (30.5 m × 7.6 m) permanent-way store, 60 ft × 15 ft (18.3 m × 4.6 m) stable, 180 ft × 33 ft (55 m × 10 m) carriage and paint shop, 30 ft × 15 ft (9.1 m × 4.6 m) carpentry shed, 30 ft × 21 ft (9.1 m × 6.4 m) blacksmiths, 2-track engine-shed, store-room, permanent-way office, weighbridge, 2 huts, telephones connected to

5913-604: Was demolished in 1973. The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1967. Cement silos on the wharf were demolished after the Holcim cement works closed in 2016. In March 2022 Toki bridge was opened in place of the old footbridge to the goods shed, where the Westport Railway Preservation Society, formed in March 1993, had one of the line's original engines, a NZR C class (1873) , rescued from

5994-431: Was extended from Tawhai. It was the terminus of the line for over 15 years, with a large goods shed and was described as a, "very handsome passenger station, dadoes and ceilings lined with linoleum, with appropriate wall papers between". In 1891 it had been known as Devil's Creek. In 1900 Reefton had a stationmaster in a special 80 ft (24 m) x 18 ft (5.5 m) building, with a verandah for its full length of

6075-470: Was held by several independent Members of Parliament , who supported the Liberals. Over the next few months, however, enough switched sides for the Liberal government to lose a confidence vote , thus bringing Reform to power in July 1912. Following the 1914 election, Reform held only 40 seats in the 80 seat parliament. By this time only one independent MP remained, the left-wing John Payne . Neither he nor

6156-435: Was moved to Elmer Lane maintenance depot, Greymouth, and the siding was lifted. On 1 August 1960 Te Kuha closed to all traffic. Only a single track remains. Plans for a new station were made in 1897 and by 1898 there was a 2nd class station, platform, cart approach, 51 ft (16 m) x 19 ft (5.8 m) goods shed, loading bank, cattle yards, hand crane, coal bunker, weighbridge, engine shed and urinals. In 1906 there

6237-415: Was moved to it in 1934. By 1940 it had a crossing loop and goods shed road and a small goods shed was removed. PWD started running goods trains beyond Inangahua from 24 April 1942 and passengers from Monday, 7 September 1942 using the new railcars. The Junction part of the name was dropped from 9 August 1943 and NZR took over working the whole line on 5 December 1943. Prior to that Inangahua's Class F shunter

6318-569: Was opened in 1876, but work on a link from this point to Westport became delayed for ten years by disputes over the best route to link the West Coast with Nelson and Canterbury . A route for a railway was first proposed by the Nelson Province Engineer, John Blackett , in 1863. As this 1886 map shows, when the extension started, it was intended to be part of a much larger network , which would have linked to Blenheim , as well as Nelson. The distance from Westport to Blenheim, via

6399-408: Was seen as a means of saving rubber and petrol during wartime. The poor roads in the region meant there was more demand for a passenger service than on many other rural routes in New Zealand that lost their passenger services by 1940, but road upgrades led to increasing competition from the private car and all passenger services on the line ceased in 1967, due to the deteriorating mechanical condition of

6480-452: Was sent to Westport in exchange for a diesel tractor from Mackley ballast pit. Two railway houses were built in 1955. Inangahua closed to passengers on 11 September 1967. There was a turntable north of the station, which was removed in 1971. In 1972 the goods shed burnt down. Passing loops remain. Lake Rahui is about 2km north of the station. In 1917 it was described as no more than a few feet deep, with portions free of flax and raupo . It

6561-454: Was started in 1927. 64 were at work by May 1928. The camp, beside the main road at Ohika, had 5 married men's cottages, 47 single huts, a cookhouse and a bathhouse. Tiroroa camp was started in 1926, either side of the main road (married huts up the hill and single huts towards the river) 14 mi (23 km) from Westport. It had a YMCA recreation hall (opened about 1928), bath houses, a tennis court, 9 married men's cottages, 63 single huts,

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