Moeraki Branch
Encyclopedia
The Moeraki Branch was one of the most short-lived railway lines in New Zealand
. It left the Main South Line
between Oamaru
and Dunedin
and served Port Moeraki
between 1877 and 1879.
began constructing a 41.6 kilometre long section of the Main South Line, and their contract included a 2.47 kilometre branch to Port Moeraki. In November 1876, a section of the Main South Line was opened from Oamaru to Hillgrove, and it was here that the Moeraki Branch left the main line. It climbed down an unstable and steep hillside to the sea at Port Moeraki, with a viaduct
necessitated. The stability problems with the land became very evident when the viaduct had to be rebuilt before the line was even opened. The line was finally finished and opened for use on 15 January 1877. Trains ran daily every day of the week except Sundays.
Local interests envisaged that Port Moeraki, an old whaling station, would become the primary port for north Otago
, but it could not compete with Oamaru, especially when a breakwater
was installed in Oamaru, and stability problems plagued the railway line. Services were regularly delayed by slips and it was not abnormal for the line to be closed for repairs. The difficult terrain and Port Moeraki's diminished significance meant that the line's continued existence could not be justified and in October 1879, it was closed and the rails were removed. Today, Port Moeraki is a small fishing village.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It left the Main South Line
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...
between Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
and Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
and served Port Moeraki
Moeraki
Moeraki is a small fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It was once the location of a whaling station. In the 1870s, local interests believed it could become the main port for the north Otago area and a railway line, the Moeraki Branch, was built to the settlement...
between 1877 and 1879.
Construction and operation
In 1873, English contractors John Brogden and SonsJohn Brogden and Sons
John Brogden and Sons was a firm of Railway Contractors, Iron and Coal Miners and Iron Smelters operating from roughly 1837 to the bankruptcy in 1883. However the business essentially started when John Brogden moved from his father's farm near Clitheroe to set up in business in the rapidly...
began constructing a 41.6 kilometre long section of the Main South Line, and their contract included a 2.47 kilometre branch to Port Moeraki. In November 1876, a section of the Main South Line was opened from Oamaru to Hillgrove, and it was here that the Moeraki Branch left the main line. It climbed down an unstable and steep hillside to the sea at Port Moeraki, with a viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
necessitated. The stability problems with the land became very evident when the viaduct had to be rebuilt before the line was even opened. The line was finally finished and opened for use on 15 January 1877. Trains ran daily every day of the week except Sundays.
Local interests envisaged that Port Moeraki, an old whaling station, would become the primary port for north Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, but it could not compete with Oamaru, especially when a breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
was installed in Oamaru, and stability problems plagued the railway line. Services were regularly delayed by slips and it was not abnormal for the line to be closed for repairs. The difficult terrain and Port Moeraki's diminished significance meant that the line's continued existence could not be justified and in October 1879, it was closed and the rails were removed. Today, Port Moeraki is a small fishing village.