Seddonville Branch
Encyclopedia
The Seddonville Branch, now truncated and operating as the Ngakawau Branch, is a branch line
railway in the West Coast
region of New Zealand
's South Island
. Construction of the line began in 1874 and it reached its final terminus at the Mokihinui Mine just beyond Seddonville
in 1895. Since 1981, it has been closed past Ngakawau and the operating portion effectively functions as an extension of the Stillwater - Westport Line
.
. Unlike most other railways of the era, there was no expectation that the line would open up country for settlement and farming as the terrain was mountainous and not suited to any settlement of significant size. Coal had been discovered on the north bank of the Waimangaroa River
on 25 March 1873, and on 3 March 1874, tenders were called for the construction of a railway to link Waimangaroa
with Westport so the coal could be exported. Construction began soon after, and the first section of the line opened to Fairdown on 31 December 1875. Waimangaroa itself was reached on 5 August 1876 and regular services began operating. The next year, an extension to Ngakawau was opened on 12 September 1877, bringing the line's full length to 29.98 kilometres.
The impact of the Long Depression
limited the government's funds available for railway construction, and accordingly, no extension of the line occurred for over a decade. By the end of the 1880s, New Zealand's 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 private line that had been built from Mokihinui through Seddonville to the Mokihinui Mine run by the Mokihinui Coal Company. Some of the funds for the construction of the Ngakawau-Mokihinui section as well as the purchase of the 6.2 kilometre long Seddonville line were provided by the Westport Harbour Board.
s; freight trains with passenger carriages attached. For a period, the mixed trains ran all the way to Mokihinui Mine, but on 12 June 1933, they were cancelled beyond Seddonville. Services to Seddonville lasted another thirteen years, but on 14 October 1946, all passenger provisions on Seddonville Branch trains were removed. After this point, the only passenger trains on the line have been infrequent enthusiasts' excursions.
peak of 800,000 tons. Nonetheless, coal traffic was more than sufficient to keep the line in service. An early 1967 timetable featured, every weekday, one train to Seddonville and the Mokihinui Mine and two to Ngakawau along with shuttles from the Conns Creek Branch
that diverged from the Seddonville Line in Waimangaroa. However, traffic from the Conns Creek Branch was declining and it closed later that year.
In the 1980s, traffic significantly rose despite the closure of the line beyond Ngakawau and trains ran not to Westport, but all the way across the South Island via the Midland Line
to the deepwater harbour in Lyttelton
. 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, new bogie
coal wagons were built to replace aging four-wheeled stock of much lower capacity. In mid-June 2007, traffic was sufficient to justify five trains daily to Lyttelton.
s were shipped to Westport in readiness for the opening of the line to Fairdown. They were 0-4-2
T tank locomotive
s of the C class. It soon became apparent that greater motive power was required, and in 1898, four WB class
tanks were delivered. Three decades later, they were followed by a number of WW class tanks, the first of which arrived in 1929, and they were the mainstay of the Seddonville Branch until dieselisation
. However, the WWs were somewhat limited on the steep 1 in 33 gradient beyond Seddonville to the Mokihinui Mine and were only capable of hauling a maximum of 180 tons per train. Occasionally, other steam locomotives operated on the line, including tender locomotive
s of the UC class.
In late 1967, dieselisation began in earnest on the Seddonville Branch with the arrival of DSC class
and DJ class
diesel locomotive
s. A year later, WW class motive power had been largely replaced by DSCs beyond Waimangaroa. By mid-1969, steam power had wholly come to an end on the branch, and DJ class locomotives, joined by the DC class
in the 1980s, became the predominant source of 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 specially modified to operate through the tunnel.
At the end of their working lives, some locomotives and rolling stock were used to protect the route of the Seddonville Branch from river erosion. At separate times during 1958 and 1960, two withdrawn WB class
tank locomotive
s, numbers 292 and 299, were dumped on the bank of the Mokihinui River
to ensure the stability of the branch's formation
between Seddonville and Mokihinui Mine.
Some remnants of the line beyond Ngakawau remain. Much of the line's formation remains visible, including embankments
, cuttings, and culvert
s. Part of the old formation near Seddonville has been converted into the Chasm Creek Walkway and it uses two bridges and one tunnel of the former railway. The platform edge of Seddonville station also remains, but the line beyond to the Mokihinui Mine is now largely inaccessible as it is not near any roads. Nonetheless, in 1989, the Baldwin Steam Trust ventured into this area and recovered WBs 292 and 299 with the aim of restoring them to full operational condition.
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
railway in the West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
region of New Zealand
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...
's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. Construction of the line began in 1874 and it reached its final terminus at the Mokihinui Mine just beyond Seddonville
Seddonville
Seddonville is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is most famous for the historical role it played in New Zealand's coal mining industry.-Geography:...
in 1895. Since 1981, it has been closed past Ngakawau and the operating portion effectively functions as an extension of the Stillwater - Westport Line
Stillwater - Westport Line
The Stillwater Ngakawau Line , formerly the Stillwater - Westport Line 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...
.
Construction
The Seddonville Branch was built for one reason: the transportation of coal from mines to the harbour in WestportWestport, New Zealand
-Economy:Economic activity is based around fishing, coal mining and dairy farming. Historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today . However, the region still is home to New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton...
. Unlike most other railways of the era, there was no expectation that the line would open up country for settlement and farming as the terrain was mountainous and not suited to any settlement of significant size. Coal had been discovered on the north bank of the Waimangaroa River
Waimangaroa River
The Waimangaroa River is located on the West Coast of New Zealand.The river passes through tussock, scrub and forested areas before draining into the Karamea Bight in the Tasman Sea. It passes through the town of Waimangaroa and is crossed by the Ngakawau Branch railway, with the rail bridge...
on 25 March 1873, and on 3 March 1874, tenders were called for the construction of a railway to link Waimangaroa
Waimangaroa
Waimangaroa is a small town located on the West Coast of New Zealand.The township lies on the south-west bank of the Waimangaroa River, at the western foot of the Mt William Range. It is 17 kilometres to the north east of Westport and 13 km south-east of Granity. The abandoned coaltown of...
with Westport so the coal could be exported. Construction began soon after, and the first section of the line opened to Fairdown on 31 December 1875. Waimangaroa itself was reached on 5 August 1876 and regular services began operating. The next year, an extension to Ngakawau was opened on 12 September 1877, bringing the line's full length to 29.98 kilometres.
The impact of the Long Depression
Long Depression
The Long Depression was a worldwide economic crisis, felt most heavily in Europe and the United States, which had been experiencing strong economic growth fueled by the Second Industrial Revolution in the decade following the American Civil War. At the time, the episode was labeled the Great...
limited the government's funds available for railway construction, and accordingly, no extension of the line occurred for over a decade. By the end of the 1880s, New Zealand's economic position was improving and work commenced on extending the line to Seddonville. On 8 August 1893, it opened to Mokihinui
Mokihinui
Mokihinui is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.Mokihinui is on the Tasman Sea coastline north of Westport and is on the southern side of the Mokihinui River's mouth...
, and on 23 February 1895, the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
acquired a private line that had been built from Mokihinui through Seddonville to the Mokihinui Mine run by the Mokihinui Coal Company. Some of the funds for the construction of the Ngakawau-Mokihinui section as well as the purchase of the 6.2 kilometre long Seddonville line were provided by the Westport Harbour Board.
Stations
The following stations are or were located on the Seddonville Branch (in brackets is the distance from Westport):- Sergeants HillSergeants HillSergeants Hill is a lightly populated locality in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated in a rural setting on the eastern outskirts of Westport in the Buller District....
(5 km) - Fairdown (10 km)
- Waimangaroa (15 km) - junction with the Conns Creek BranchConns Creek BranchThe Conns Creek Branch was a short branch line railway in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It diverged from the Seddonville Branch in Waimangaroa and followed the Waimangaroa River to its terminus at the foot of the Denniston Incline...
, 1877-1967. - Birchfield (20 km)
- GranityGranityGranity is a small town on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, located 28 kilometres north-east of Westport on State Highway 67. Karamea is 68 kilometres further north....
(27 km) - Ngakawau (30 km)
- HectorHector, New ZealandHector and Ngakawau are two lightly populated settlements located at the mouth of the Ngakawau River in the West Coast region of New Zealand. Both settlements are situated on State Highway 67 between Westport and Karamea...
(31 km) - Nikau (39 km)
- SummerleaSummerlea, New ZealandSummerlea is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.Summerlea is on the Tasman Sea coastline with the Glasgow Range to the east. To the north of the town is the neighbouring settlement of Mokihinui and the rivermouth of the Mokihinui River. State Highway 67...
(40 km) - Mokihinui (42 km)
- Seddonville (45 km)
- Mokihinui Mine (48 km)
Passenger services
Passengers on the Seddonville Branch were never served by dedicated passenger trains due to the low population along the route. Instead, the Railways Department operated mixed trainMixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
s; freight trains with passenger carriages attached. For a period, the mixed trains ran all the way to Mokihinui Mine, but on 12 June 1933, they were cancelled beyond Seddonville. Services to Seddonville lasted another thirteen years, but on 14 October 1946, all passenger provisions on Seddonville Branch trains were removed. After this point, the only passenger trains on the line have been infrequent enthusiasts' excursions.
Freight services
In the first half century of the line's existence, 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 on the line by the late 1930s. Coal tonnages were declining by this stage too: in 1940, the line was carrying just over half of what it had carried at a pre-World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
peak of 800,000 tons. Nonetheless, coal traffic was more than sufficient to keep the line in service. An early 1967 timetable featured, every weekday, one train to Seddonville and the Mokihinui Mine and two to Ngakawau along with shuttles from the Conns Creek Branch
Conns Creek Branch
The Conns Creek Branch was a short branch line railway in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It diverged from the Seddonville Branch in Waimangaroa and followed the Waimangaroa River to its terminus at the foot of the Denniston Incline...
that diverged from the Seddonville Line in Waimangaroa. However, traffic from the Conns Creek Branch was declining and it closed later that year.
In the 1980s, traffic significantly rose despite the closure of the line beyond Ngakawau and trains ran not to Westport, but all the way across the South Island via the Midland Line
Midland Line, New Zealand
The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel.-Freight services:...
to the deepwater harbour in Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
. 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, new bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
coal wagons were built to replace aging four-wheeled stock of much lower capacity. In mid-June 2007, traffic was sufficient to justify five trains daily to Lyttelton.
Motive power
In September 1875, three steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s were shipped to Westport in readiness for the opening of the line to Fairdown. They were 0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
T tank locomotive
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
s of the C class. It soon became apparent that greater motive power was required, and in 1898, four WB class
NZR Wb class
The NZR WB class was a class of tank locomotives that operated in New Zealand. Built in 1898 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the twelve members of the class entered service during the first five months of 1899...
tanks were delivered. Three decades later, they were followed by a number of WW class tanks, the first of which arrived in 1929, and they were the mainstay of the Seddonville Branch until dieselisation
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
. However, the WWs were somewhat limited on the steep 1 in 33 gradient beyond Seddonville to the Mokihinui Mine and were only capable of hauling a maximum of 180 tons per train. Occasionally, other steam locomotives operated on the line, including tender locomotive
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
s of the UC class.
In late 1967, dieselisation began in earnest on the Seddonville Branch with the arrival of DSC class
NZR DSC class
The NZR DSC class is a heavy shunting locomotive used throughout New Zealand. The class was built in seven batches, the first 18 locomotives being built by British Thomson-Houston of the United Kingdom, with the remainder being built by New Zealand Railways....
and DJ class
NZR DJ class
The NZR DJ class locomotive is a class of diesel-electric locomotive used in New Zealand. The class were purchased from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a modernisation loan from the World Bank to replace steam locomotives in the South Island, where most of the class members worked most of their...
diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s. A year later, WW class motive power had been largely replaced by DSCs beyond Waimangaroa. By mid-1969, steam power had wholly come to an end on the branch, and DJ class locomotives, joined by the DC class
NZR DC class
The NZR DC class locomotive is the most common class of locomotive currently in operation on the New Zealand rail network. Primarily employed to haul freight trains operated by KiwiRail, the class is also used for long-distance passenger trains operated by Tranz Scenic and suburban passenger trains...
in the 1980s, became the predominant source of motive power. With the de-electrification
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
of the Otira Tunnel
Otira Tunnel
The Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira - a length of over . The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, and the Otira end of the tunnel is over lower than the...
on the Midland Line in the latter half of the 1990s, motive power changed to powerful DX class
NZR DX class
The NZR DX class is a class of 49 Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives that currently operates on New Zealand's national railway network.Built by General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, they were introduced to New Zealand between 1972 and 1976. The class is based on the General Electric...
locomotives specially modified to operate through the tunnel.
At the end of their working lives, some locomotives and rolling stock were used to protect the route of the Seddonville Branch from river erosion. At separate times during 1958 and 1960, two withdrawn WB class
NZR Wb class
The NZR WB class was a class of tank locomotives that operated in New Zealand. Built in 1898 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the twelve members of the class entered service during the first five months of 1899...
tank locomotive
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
s, numbers 292 and 299, were dumped on the bank of the Mokihinui River
Mokihinui River
The Mokihinui River is a river located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, about 40 kilometres north of Westport.- Geography :The Mokihinui River's headwaters are located in the Glasgow Range and its mouth is on the Tasman Sea...
to ensure the stability of the branch's formation
Track bed
A track bed or trackbed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links....
between Seddonville and Mokihinui Mine.
Closure past Ngakawau
The three kilometre section beyond Seddonville to Mokihinui Mine closed on 10 February 1974 after the mine itself closed. Low demand for Buller region coal, decreased output, and a decline in coastal shipping services to Westport meant that the remainder of the line carried reduced tonnages. Closure beyond Ngakawau was proposed in 1976, and although it operated a few more years, maintenance costs were increasingly higher than revenue on the Seddonville section and the line closed on 3 May 1981 with Ngakawau established as the new terminus.Some remnants of the line beyond Ngakawau remain. Much of the line's formation remains visible, including embankments
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
, cuttings, and culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
s. Part of the old formation near Seddonville has been converted into the Chasm Creek Walkway and it uses two bridges and one tunnel of the former railway. The platform edge of Seddonville station also remains, but the line beyond to the Mokihinui Mine is now largely inaccessible as it is not near any roads. Nonetheless, in 1989, the Baldwin Steam Trust ventured into this area and recovered WBs 292 and 299 with the aim of restoring them to full operational condition.