| Stillwater Ngākawau Line | |
| Color: | 6699FF |
| Type: | Heavy Rail |
| Status: | Open |
| Locale: | West Coast, New Zealand |
| Start: | Stillwater |
| End: | Seddonville |
| Stations: | 14 operational 31 closed |
| Routes: | 1 |
| Operator: | KiwiRail |
| Event1label: | Closed beyond Seddonville |
| Event2label: | Closed beyond Ngākawau |
| Linelength Km: | 183.72 |
| Tracks: | Single |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The Stillwater Ngākawau Line (SNL),[1] 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 the south end, opened in , and the beginnings of the Ngākawau Branch, at its Westport end, in 1875. The full line was completed in . 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 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.[2]
Passenger journeys peaked at around 500 a day in 1946[3] 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 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.[4] 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.[5] The distance from Westport to Blenheim, via a 2380feet summit at Tophouse, was surveyed as NaNmiles and to Nelson NaNmiles,[6] with the longest tunnel being 33ch, opposite Lyell.[7] 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 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 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, 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 the probable site for a junction until all work on the Nelson Section ceased in 1931).[8] Work was slowed after the Reform Government took over in 1912.[9] 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 the Gowan valley.[10]
The Railways Board reported in 1931 that the line would earn far less than the interest charges for its construction.[11] The Buller Gorge posed many difficulties for construction, but most of the formation and 2[12] of the remaining 12 bridges[13] 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 the oil interests against the national railways". Some of the workers were transferred to road building.[14] 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.[15] The outbreak of World War II created further delays on construction, but this time, work continued through wartime,[16] including electric signalling, a turntable at Westport and easing of grades at Omoto, Jacksons and Stillwater.[17] The "last spike" ceremony was on 2 December 1941.[18] 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 27ch32ch through 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.[19]
Before the line was completed, mixed trains operated on sections open for service. During the 1917 coal strike, trains between Inangahua and Reefton were suspended.[20] By 1927 one report said that part of the line had lost most of its passengers to motor vehicles.[21] When Inangahua first appeared in the annual reports, 3 years later, it only sold 300 tickets in the year.[22] In 1926 the Minister said local services between Greymouth and Inangahua had been speeded up in keeping with the course followed on the main lines.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25] It was seen as a means of saving rubber and petrol during wartime.[26] 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 the railcars.[27]
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 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."[28] In 2019 there were 4 coal trains a day of 30 wagons,[29] loading up to 72 tonnes gross[30] and carrying up to 1,460t of coal per train. The Ngākawau-Lyttelton journey takes about 12½ hours[31] for the 393km (244miles).[32]
When the line was completed, UC class steam locomotives were utilised on the line, with the B and BA classes introduced in 1957. This was the last mainline duty performed by the B and BA locomotives, and as bridges on the SWL were strengthened, they were displaced in the 1960s by the heavier A and AB classes. In 1969, the SWL became one of the last lines in New Zealand to be dieselised, with the DJ class introduced. DJs were used in 1968, when the line was closed for over 3 weeks by the Inangahua Earthquake[33] and which also caused a derailment.[34] The quake damaged about 24miles of the line.[35] 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 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 is unnecessary. Trains on the line are regulated by track warrants.[36]
Slips have been a continuing problem in the Buller Gorge, due to steep slopes and high rainfall.[37] During construction, broom was planted to stabilise slopes.[38] Slips blocked the line in the Gorge in 1944, 1961, 1966 (Rahui), 1979 and 2010[39] In 1945 a train near Cascade was derailed by a slip,[40] in 1949 one hit a slip[41] and another was derailed by a stone,[42] then in 1950 a railcar hit a slip,[43] in 1955 a slip near Rahui derailed another[44] and a goods train was damaged in 1960 between Cascade and Te Kuha.[45] On 30 November 1979 a westbound locomotive was derailed by a slip near Cascade.[46] On 3 January 2002 a train was derailed by a slip just over 3km west of Rahui.[47] On 13 January 2011, between Rahui and Tiroroa, 5 wagons derailed due to a slip and 3 months later a slip punctured a fuel tank near Te Kuha. The south portal of Tunnel 3 was blocked by a slip,[48] which an empty coal train ran into on 16 October 2023.[49] The line reopened on 27 November.[50] [51]
A 2012 study of the problem listed another dozen slips between 2004 and 2011. With a 50kph maximum speed in the Gorge, due to curvature, there have been no serious injuries and 25kph limits are between Te Kuha and Cascade, at 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.[52] The line is also inspected if rainfall exceeds 4cm (02inches).[53]
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 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.
| Station Name | Distance from Greymouth[54] | Opened[55] | Closed | Height above sea level[56] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater | 8ch55ch | 14 November 1887 | 27m (89feet) | The line from Brunner via Stillwater to Ngahere opened for passengers and goods on Thursday 1 August 1889.[57] Stillwater was the junction with the Midland Line from 15 November 1887, when that eastward route was available to Kokiri,[58] though, apart from a few excursions,[59] [60] trains didn't run[61] until 13 March 1894.[62] The station had a small NZR refreshment room from 8 January 1927 to 15 March 1962 (taken over on lease[63] till at least 1970)[64] and a Post Office from 26 September 1906 to 30 June 1976. There was a fire at the station on 4 August 1960. The TranzAlpine called until 23 September 1999, after which Brunner was substituted as a stop.[65] A platform, 8 tracks[66] and a shed remain,[67] with a sawmill next to the station,[68] which has a siding able to take 17 wagons.In 1901 a detailed inventory was made of the line between Stillwater and Reefton. Stillwater 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 wood and earth platform, with 2 manager's offices, luggage-room, lamp and guard's rooms, coal-store, urinals, WC, a goods shed, of sidings, permanent-way store, stable, carriage and paint shop, carpentry shed, blacksmiths, 2-track engine-shed, store-room, permanent-way office, weighbridge, 2 huts, telephones connected to the manager's house and the stations between Reefton and Brunner and a triangle for turning engines.[69] 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.[70] In 1922 Stillwater had two Grade 7 staff, including the stationmaster.[71] Along the line north-east of Stillwater, the larger bridges are:
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| Kamaka | 10ch72ch | 1 August 1889 | 25 April 1959 | 26m (85feet) | In 1901 there was a 15 ft. by 10 ft. unfloored station-building on a wood and earth platform. Until 27 May 1907 it was named No Town Road. The goods siding closed on 1 April 1957. Kamaka closed to passengers and parcels on 25 April 1959, after which its building was moved to Blackball. In 1877 No Town had hotels, halls, a church (moved to Shantytown in 1969)[74] and 148 gold miners.[75] It was also known as Twelve Mile, its road distance from Greymouth, and still a name for the nearby creek. Only a single line remains.
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| Red Jacks | 13ch46ch | 1904 | by 5/1966 |
Red Jacks opened as a sawmill siding in 1904.[76] In 1949 a goods train fell into a nearby patch of raupō. The fireman had a minor head injury.[77] [78] A passing loop remains. About 500m (1,600feet) south of the loop, in Mawhera Reserve, beside SH7,[79] is a geared 0-4-4-0 bush loco built by G & D Davidson in Hokitika in 1913, which worked on the Red Jacks Sawmilling Co tramway from about 1924.[80] The sawmill had a smaller Davidson in 1906.[81] There was up to 20km (10miles) of tramway in the Red Jacks valley[82] and it was extended in 1933.[83]
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| Ngahere | 14ch44ch | 1 August 1889 | after 1990[84] | 34m (112feet) | Ngahere was a temporary terminus from 1 August 1889.[85] It opened without ceremony, but about 70 passengers travelled on the first day.[86] At that time 2 trains a day took 35min or more,[87] for the from Stillwater. On 14 February 1890 the extension to Ahaura opened to goods and to passengers on 7 April 1890. The station and stationmaster's house were improved in 1900 and there were further upgrades in 1909, in preparation for it becoming the Blackball junction in 1910. In 1901 Ngahere had a stationmaster, 3rd-class station on a wood and earth platform, urinals, WC, x goods shed with verandah, passing loop, telephone to Reefton and Stillwater and stationmaster's and platelayer's houses. In 1909 it was noted cattle yards were needed. Ngahere was one of the stations shown in the annual returns of traffic. For example, in 1924 it sold an average of 21 tickets a day and exported 62,254 hundreds of superficial feet of timber. The table below shows that by 1949 passengers had declined, but timber had increased. In 1922 Ngahere had a Grade 7 clerk. A Post Office was at the station from 25 July 1893 to 30 June 1909 and from 8 August 1938 to 21 April 1970. The stockyards closed on 26 February 1983. Ngahere closed to passengers on 11 September 1967 and to all except wagon lot traffic on 16 May 1982. Only a single line remains.Ngahere also had a junction with the New Forest Sawmilling tramway, which was still running in 1967[88] and extended to more than .[89] Locomotives working the tramway included a Heisler, LA class and two former engines remain at The Ferrymead Railway.[90]
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| Matai | 17ch19ch | 17 April 1890 | 12 October 1970 | 41m (135feet) | By 1895 large quantities of timber had been cut close to the railway.[92] In 1896 it was reported Matai had a shelter shed. By 1940 Matai had a passing loop able to hold 22 wagons. The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1967. Only a single line remains.
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| Ahaura | 21ch16ch | 6 May 1890 | 3 November 1986 | 53m (174feet) | The contractors ran a train on 29 January 1890,[93] but the first Midland Railway train to Ahaura ran on 14 February 1890, extending the service from Ngahere. Formal opening was on 1 April,[94] the first public passenger trains ran on 7 April[95] and it was in full use from 6 May, but, due to a delay in the bridge girders being brought from England,[96] the station north of the river didn't open until 10 September.[97] It remained the terminus until the line was extended to Totara Flat on 9 February 1891.[98] By 1897 it had a 4th class station (listed as 3rd-class in 1901, with a cadet in charge, plus a loading bank and 2 x passing loops), a wood and earth platform, cart approach, loading bank, sheep yards, telephone, stationmaster's and platelayer's houses and urinals. A x goods shed was built in 1890, replaced by a x concrete block shed, completed by May 1963 and removed in March 1987. In 1902 the sheep yards were converted to cattle yards. From 17 September 1916 Ahaura became a flag station. Closure was in stages; to passengers on 11 September 1967, to all but wagon lots on 16 May 1982, to cattle on 26 February 1983 and to all traffic on 3 November 1986. Only a single line remains.
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| Raupo | 24ch52ch | 9 February 1891 | 28 June 1968 | 69m (226feet) | Raupo was in use for Ahaura Racecourse passengers by the end of December 1890,[99] though the course was about a mile away.[100] In 1900 there was a x shelter-shed on a wood and earth platform. A loading ramp and other work was done in 1900 and it was shown as a flag station in the 9 February 1891 timetable.[101] By 1940 Raupo had a passing loop for 20 wagons.On 11 September 1967 Raupo closed to passengers and on 28 June 1968 to all traffic. Between 1948[102] and 1986 the shelter sheds were removed, leaving just a single track.[103]
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| Totara Flat | 26ch19ch | 9 February 1890 | 16 May 1982 | 78m (256feet) | For passengers, Totara Flat was the terminus from 9 February until the extension to Māwheraiti on 27 July 1891,[105] with two trains a day, the fastest taking 1hr 2min for the from Stillwater.[106] In 1901 Totara Flat had a 3rd-class station-building (with telephone) on a wood and earth platform, with a small Post Office (open until 22 August 1912), refreshment-rooms (replaced by rooms at Ikamatua from 24 June 1912),[107] x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, urinals, WC, coal store, loading bank, sheep yards, 2 passing loops and stationmaster's and platelayer's houses.Closure to passengers was on 11 September 1967, to stock on 16 May 1982 and final closure on 26 February 1983. A passing loop remains.In 1906 the village had a Midland Railway (burnt down 1926)[108] and a Totara Flat, hotel,[109] butter factory, school, Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches, small public hall, 2 stores, butchery and bakery. Potatoes, oats and fat cattle were grown.[110] The 1901 population was 188.[111] In 2013 it was part of meshblock 2399300, with 120 people.[112]
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| Ikamatua | 30ch60ch | 27 July 1891 | 26 February 1983 | 103m (338feet) |
The Totara Flat-Māwheraiti section opened on 27 July 1891[117] Initially Ikamatua was a flag station.[118] By 1901 it had a x shelter-shed, with a telephone, on a wood and earth platform, 50 ft (15 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, coal store, sheep yard. loading bank and platelayer's cottage.[119] Ikamatua was one of the stations shown in the annual returns of traffic. For example, in 1924 it sold an average of 9 tickets a day. The table below shows that by 1949 passengers had more than tripled. In 1922 Ikamatua had two Grade 7 staff, a stationmaster and a clerk. 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,[120] because the rooms were moved to Stillwater in 1927.[121] 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 the station building has been moved and is used for backpackers.
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| Hukarere | 32ch37ch | 4 September 1906 | 14 August 1967 | 113m (371feet) |
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.[123] In 2013 it was in meshblock 2398700, which covered the Blackwater valley and had a population of 18.[124] Only a single line remains.
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| Waimaunga | 33ch79ch | 27 July 1891 | 10 December 1967 | 123m (404feet) | In 1900 Waimaunga had a x shelter-shed, with a room, on a wood and earth platform and a platelayer's cottage. Waimaunga was a flag station,[125] but reported to have a considerable number of passengers in 1892. In 1921 it had railway houses. It closed to passengers on 11 September 1967 and to all traffic on 10 December 1967. Only a single track remains through the station site.[126]
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| Māwheraiti | 36ch63ch | 28 August 1891 | 2 March 1988 | 152m (499feet) |
On 27 July 1890 the line from Totara Flat to Māwheraiti (initially called Stoney Creek)[127] opened. It was the terminus of the line until the extension to Tawhai on 28 September 1891.[128] The engine shed was moved to Reefton when the line was extended there.[129] In 1900 Māwheraiti had a 3rd-class station-building with a telephone on a wood and earth platform, x goods shed, loading bank, and passing loops).It still had a shelter and a phone in 1966,[130] but closed to passengers on 11 September 1967, to all but wagon lots on 16 May1982, the stockyards closed on 26 February 1983 and the station closed completely on 3 November 1986. Only a single track, the loading bank and a shed remain, with the hotel across the road,[131] once called Batiris,[132] or Batira's Hotel.[133] One of the railway houses has been moved to Reefton.[134] | |
| Hinau | 37ch77ch | 28 August 1891 | 15 November 1959 | 155m (509feet) | Hinau was a flag station.[135] In 1900 it had a x shelter-shed, with a room, on a wood and earth platform. Only a single line remains. | |
| Maimai | 39ch63ch | 28 August 1891 | 27 April 1980 | 166m (545feet) | Maimai was known as Squaretown[136] until railway construction began in 1889.[137] It was a flag station, having a x shelter-shed, with a room, on a wood and earth platform. Ballast was dug from beside the station,[138] until 1914, for use along the line. In 1978 there was still a station building and siding, though closure to passengers had been on 11 September 1967. Closure to all traffic was on 27 April 1980. In 1985 a new high-level loading bank and siding were built, which is still used from time to time.
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| Tawhai | 41ch33ch | 28 September 1890 | 23 November 1946 | 181m (594feet) | Tawhai (initially called Slab Hut)[139] was the terminus when the line was extended from Māwheraiti on 28 September 1891,[140] until 29 February 1892, when it opened to Reefton. It had two trains a day, the fastest taking 2hr 17min for the from Stillwater.In 1901 Tawhai had a shelter-shed, with a telephone, on a 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.[141] [142]
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| Taipo-iti | 45ch42ch | 13 May 1907 | 15 November 1959 | 193m (633feet) |
The original Reefton station opened on the south bank of the river on 29 February 1892,[145] when the line 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 x building, with a verandah for its full length of 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 wood and earth platform. There were also toilets, x goods shed, with overhead crane, a loading bank, x engine-shed (moved from Māwheraiti),[146] oil and coal stores, an office, stationmaster's house, two platelayers houses, outhouses, two portable huts and of sidings, with a triangle to turn engines. On 13 May 1907 the terminus was replaced by Taipoiti, a new flag station,[147] also known as Little Devil,[148] 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 a single line remains.
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| Reefton | 46ch75ch | 13 May 1907 | 181m (594feet) | Reefton, north of the river, opened on 13 May 1907. The 1892 station had been moved 1ch44ch to the new site.[152] [153] Its first major addition was a shelter from Inangahua. A staff room was added in 1951. Reefton was one of the stations shown in the annual returns of traffic. For example, in 1924 it sold an average of 51 tickets a day and exported 40,229 tons of general goods, probably mostly lignite.[154] The table below shows that by 1949 passengers had declined slightly, but goods traffic had almost tripled. In 1925 Reefton had a Grade 6 stationmaster and 3 clerks.[155] The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1967 and to less-than-wagonload freight in 1986. Reefton has the only remaining Midland Railway station building. It is protected with a local Category B listing.[156] A passing loop also remains and coal is loaded just north of it.[157] The mines at Garvey Creek[158] and Reefton produced 112,451 tonnes of coal in 2021.[159] Burke's Creek and Waitahu coal mines started about 1912,[160] with a branch joining the railway between Reefton and Waitahu[161] from 1919.[162] Reefton Coal Company[163] (otherwise known as Burke's Creek Coal Mine) railway closed in 1962, with much of its equipment sold in 1966.[164] An 1878 Fairlie R28 worked that line from 1944 to 1948.[165] The locomotive was rescued by a former stationmaster prior to 1978[166] and is now at Reefton Strand, owned by Buller District Council. A group formed in 2010 had hopes of restoring it by 2014.[167]
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| Waitahu | 48ch76ch | 11 May 1908 | 6 November 1967 | 169m (554feet) | Plans for the station and its yard were drawn up in 1907. The 5ch31ch Reefton – Cronadun Section had goods trains from 9 May and was officially opened on 11 May 1908 by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward.[169] However, it wasn't until 1 September 1908 that mixed trains began carrying passengers,[170] initially only 3 times a week.[171] By 1940 Waitahu had a passing loop for 31 wagons. Closure to passengers was on 11 September 1967 and to all traffic on 6 November 1967. Only a single track remains.
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| Cronadun | 52ch30ch | 11 May 1908 | 134m (440feet) | The station was built in 1907 by E & W Sweetman of Greymouth, for £1372.9.0 and used by mixed trains from 1 September 1908. It was the terminus until about 1 July 1914, when the 18ch7ch Cronadun – Inangahua Section opened, though the line was used as far as Landing from 4 August 1911. The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1967, to all but wagon lots on 16 May 1982. In 1987 the low level loading bank was replaced by a high one, so that by 1988 there remained a shelter shed and a long high level loading bank. A passing loop also remains. | ||
| Larry's Creek | 55ch19ch | 1 July 1914 | 17 March 1968 | 112m (367feet) | Morris' Siding was upgraded from a siding to a flag station in 1925.[184] In 1926, for about a month after the bridge was damaged, it became the temporary terminus, with trains on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays[185] until 4 December.[186] From 5 August 1934 Morris' Siding was renamed Larry's Creek. It closed to passengers on 11 September 1967 and to goods on 17 March 1968. Only a single track remains.
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| Rotokohu | 57ch34ch | 1 July 1914 | 27 April 1980 | 95m (312feet) | In 1914 Rotokohu had station buildings, 2 platelayers' cottages,[194] shelter shed, platform, cart approach and a 39-wagon passing loop. In 1978 it had a siding, loading bank, and stockyards. It closed to passengers on 11 September 1967 and to goods on 27 April 1980. Only a single track remains. | |
| Landing | 61ch8ch | 1 July 1914 | 27 April 1980 | 82m (269feet) | A contract to build the bridges on the 8ch40ch Cronadun-Landing section was let in September 1910, and completed in June 1911, by which time formation of the trackbed was well in hand. As soon as the rails reached the ballast-pit at Larry's Creek, ballasting was completed. Construction material was carried from Cronadun to the Landing on 4 August 1911. By October 1911 the line had been laid a further 2ch5ch, through a 20ch cutting, which is up to 56feet deep,[195] to reach the Landing Bridge. Walter Kemp of Reefton put up the station buildings for £1575.7s. by 24 February 1912. When the Landing opened as a flag station on 1 July 1914 it had a station building, platform, cart approach, x goods shed, loading bank, x engine shed, water service and a passing loop for 28 wagons. By 1918 the engine shed was "never used, nor likely to be". The passing loop was lifted in 1941, a siding in 1949, passenger services ended on 11 September 1967 and goods on 27 April 1980. | |
| Oweka | 64ch3ch | 19 August 1921 | 17 August 1970 | 95m (312feet) | Requests to build a station at Oweka were rejected in 1919[199] and 1920,[200] though access to a flag station,[201] with a shelter built by the sawmill workers, was mentioned in 1920. On 19 August 1921 the flag station formally opened for passengers, parcels, and small lots of goods traffic, 2ch34ch north of Landing. In 1923 a timber mill siding was built 23ch south of the station and about that time, the building and platform were moved to be opposite that siding. In 1926 the Minister of Railways wrote, "With further reference to the petition forwarded by you on behalf of the settlers of the Oweka district requesting that Mr P. J. Higgins’s private siding be made available for public use, I have to inform you that it has been decided to accede to the request, and the siding will be available to the public in future",[202] though that seems to have happened a week earlier, on 22 September 1926. A road was built to the station shortly after.[203] In 1928 Oweka became the site of one of the camps for workers on the railway extension through the Buller Gorge.[204] From 22 January 1957 the station was moved to be opposite one of Jack Brothers sawmills, 3miles north of Landing. The shelter was demolished on 26 November 1963 and the platform was destroyed by the 1968 earthquake, but formal closure wasn't until 17 August 1970. The quake also caused a slip, blocking the road and the railway.[205] Only a single track remains. | |
| Inangahua | 65ch62ch | 1 July 1914 | 61m (200feet) | The records say that Inangahua Junction station served Inangahua Junction from 1 July 1914 for goods, or 7 May for passengers, but the newspapers of the time said Saturday 4 July was the opening day,[206] with morning and evening trains, taking 75 or 80 minutes for the journey from Reefton.[207] Tenders for the station building were invited in October 1913,[208] estimated to cost £450, and when opened it had a station building and a platform with a cart approach. Cattle yards were soon added and provision for more timber traffic was made about 1920. From 16 October 1929 it was upgraded to an officered station. In its first recorded 5 months the station sold 200 tickets and sent away 6,222 pigs and sheep.[209] 705 tickets were sold in the first full year[210] and 1,270 by 1938.[211] 3,481 were sold in the first year of through services[212] and ticket sales peaked at 4,934 in 1944.[213] 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.[214] The two year old Reform Government postponed work on the extension shortly before the line opened to Inangahua[215] and World War I started weeks after it opened. Therefore Inangahua remained a terminus for 28 years. The Lower Gorge was the most difficult section of the railway, with 12 bridges, totalling 3603feet, and 5 short tunnels in its 18.5miles.[216] Work on the Westport – Inangahua railway stopped again on 21 October 1931[217] and restarted on 30 July 1936, after election of a Labour Government. A goods shed opened at Inangahua in 1932[218] and a 4-ton derrick crane from Coalgate 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 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,[219] which was removed in 1971. In 1972 the goods shed burnt down. Passing loops remain. | ||
| Buller | 67ch1ch | 5 December 1943 | 20 June 1971 | 58m (190feet) |
| |
| Mackley Ballast Pit | 71ch26ch | 1942 | by 1962 | 47m (154feet) | A ballast pit at the Orikaka River, a short distance north of the main line,[227] was open by September 1942. It had closed by 1962.[228] The line in this area needed drainage and a deep gravel foundation.[229]
| |
| Rahui | 73ch8ch | 5 December 1943 | 2 August 1964 | 45m (148feet) | Rails had been laid 16.5miles from Westport by the end of 1940, about midway between Rahui and Tiroroa.[232] Rahui opened on 5 December 1943, closed to freight on 2 August 1964, to passengers on 11 September 1967 and the crossing loop was removed on 12 March 1982. Buller Gorge Coal Company's mine opened about 1942 and, in 1949, 3 miners produced 2,978 tons of brown coal.[233] From 25 July 1942 it had a private siding 15ch from Rahui station, as did the sawmill.[234] Nelson Creek Sawmilling Company's mill burnt down in 1948,[235] but had been rebuilt by 1953.[236] It had a steam rail tractor,[237] with a certificate which expired in 1959.[238] A Marshall portable steam engine was moved from Rahui in 1978.[239] In 1964 there was a small group of buildings at Rahui.[240] Only one small building now remains, beside a single track.Lake Rahui is about 2km north of the station.[241] In 1917 it was described as no more than a few feet deep, with portions free of flax and raupo. It is probably the remnant of a larger ox-bow lake in a former channel of the Buller.[242] It has been part of the Orikaka Ecological Area since 2001, as lowland swamp forests are rare in the area and it has roroa.[243] There are six bridges and two tunnels between Rahui and Tiroroa, including –
| |
| Tiroroa | 80ch68ch | 5 December 1943 | 17 August 1959 | 37m (121feet) | Tiroroa (sometimes Tiriroa)[251] has the only remaining passing loop in the Gorge, 115.19km (71.58miles) from Stillwater, 24.2km (15miles) from Inangahua and 12ch47ch from Westport. The 1910 map showed that some formation work reached beyond Cascade Creek to Sinclair's Castle.[252] It was decided in 1927 that work on the line through the Gorge would resume,[253] so funding in 1928 was raised from £25,895 to £80,000,[254] when bush along the route was felled from Sinclair's Castle, at 10ch40ch, to east of Tiroroa at 13miles. Initially it was done by relief workers, but, when funding was increased, co-operative gangs were formed[255] and workers rose to 350, housed in construction camps (see below). A 1936 report said the work to be done was completion of the formation to 27ch6ch, including large cuttings and banks, which had only been started when work stopped in 1931, clearing many slips in the unfinished work, 18 bridges, including Big Cascade, Buller River, and Inangahua River, tunnels, culverts, ballasting, platelaying and station buildings. When work stopped, most plant and stores had been sold and had to be replaced, so the cost of completion was about £750,000, and it was thought it could be done in 3 years.[256] By 1941 only a large filling, battering of steep faces, removal of slips, and trimming and grading remained to be done. Platelaying was by PWD and a contractor.[257] In 1986, a cement wagon derailed at Tiroroa.[258] There are 3 bridges and a tunnel between Tiroroa and Cascade, including –
| |
| Cascade | 83ch76ch | 18 November 1943 | 18 August 1958 | 30m (100feet) | At Cascade Creek, 8ch71ch from Westport, a 5ch siding diverged from the main line[262] to serve the coal bins at the foot of the 7.5miles flume from the Westport Coal Co mine.[263] Bins at the mine held 1000 tons and at the siding 300 tons.The line was extended 2ch65ch from Te Kuha to serve 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, 10miles from Westport. In 1915, during the war, the government announced no more work would be done.[264] 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.[265] Work restarted in 1924, when the mine was being prepared.[266] In 2 years, the formation to Cascade Creek had been finished, ballasting and platelaying had reached Little Cascade Creek, 36ch from Cascade and other bridges were nearly complete, with a 5acres ballast-pit used as aggregate for the concrete piers of the bridges.[267] The first coal train left Cascade, after a formal opening on 20 July 1927,[268] carrying about 175 tons.[269] The mine is at the south end of the Denniston Plateau, and just east of the Escarpment mine. It became a State Mine in 1948. Bathurst Resources bought it in 2010 and started open cast mining of semi-soft coking coal. In May 2016, the mine was placed on care and maintenance, when Westport cement works closed. The site should be fully rehabilitated in 2022/3.[270] [271]
| |
| Te Kuha | 86ch61ch | 1 April 1912 | 1 August 1960 | 17m (56feet) | Te Kuha was 6ch15ch east of Westport and 2 mile 65 chains west of Cascade. The first sod for the Westport-Inangahua railway was turned on 20 January 1906.[276] The first 5m 60ch of the Westport-Inangahua line was largely finished by 1908, except that the bridging contractor fell ill and asked to be relieved of his contract.[277] By 1909 there was a temporary goods shed. In 1911 a temporary engine shed and platelayers' cottages were built and there was a Post Office in one of the cottages. Apart from station buildings, the line was ready by October 1911. J H Carew of Westport tendered for the station buildings in 1911[278] and completed them by 17 February 1912 for £1501 19s 10d. NZR took over the line from PWD on 31 January 1912,[279] or maybe the 19th, though regular trains didn't run until 1 April. However, it closed on 13 June 1913, a year after a change of government, "owing to its being only a short isolated length the traffic was almost negligible." Staff and materials were then moved to the North Island.[280] The station reopened about March 1924 By 1926 it had a shelter shed, platform, cart approach, x 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 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. | |
| Ferry | 87ch55ch | A station at Ferry was approved in 1907, but not built. | ||||
| Queen Street | 92ch49ch | 6 January 1951 | 12 February 1968 | Queen Street was a flag station, originally proposed for service by the railcars in 1943. By October 1944 it had a 6feet x 18feet shelter shed, formerly a weighbridge building at Darfield. A 110feet long platform, 18inches above rail level, was completed by April 1951. It closed to passengers on 11 September 1967. The platform and a single track remain.[282] | ||
| Westport | On Wednesday, 9 September 1874 the first sod of the Westport and Mount Rochfort Railway was turned in Palmerston Street, Westport,[283] by the Buller MP, Eugene O'Conor.[284] In 1876 William Smith built much of the railway[285] and the first 4th class station station and, Walter Bull, the stationmaster's house. The first section of the Westport and Mount Rochfort Railway opened to Fairdown on 31 December 1875.[286] Plans for a new station were made in 1897 and by 1898 there was a 2nd class station, platform, cart approach, x goods shed, loading bank, cattle yards, hand crane, coal bunker, weighbridge, engine shed and urinals. In 1906 there was a staff of 41 at the station and about another 50 in the railway workshops, which had been established in 1880.[287] 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.[288] [289] The line between Westport and Seddonville had 14 engines, 10 carriages, 673 coal hopper wagons and 27 other wagons. The works had a blacksmiths' shop, machine-shop, erecting and carriage and wagon repairing shop and a shop for repairing coal-hoppers.[290] By 1972 staff were down to 19.[291] Cape Foulwind Railway was linked to Westport by a bridge in about 1888.[292] 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.[293] A new station and Road Services terminal opened on 25 February 1971. The engine shed was demolished in 1973.[294] The station closed to passengers on 11 September 1967. Cement silos on the wharf were demolished after the Holcim cement works closed in 2016.[295] In March 2022 Toki bridge was opened in place of the old footbridge to the goods shed,[296] 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 a dump in Buller Gorge,[297] a Milburn Cement shunter, a guard’s van and various wagons.[298] The area was damaged by flooding in 2022 and the shed was demolished in 2023, after rehousing the preserved stock,[299] some at the National Railway Museum of New Zealand.[300] |
| Category | Stations | Stillwater | Ngahere | lkamatua | Reefton | Inangahua Junction | Westport | Waimangaroa | Granity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | |||||||||
| Number of passenger journeys | First class | 92 | 46 | 19 | 98 | 446 | 16 | 32 | |
| Second class | 8,986 | 5,744 | 9,955 | 15,040 | 3,630 | 27,489 | 228 | 905 | |
| Season tickets | 65 | 83 | 65 | 188 | 185 | ||||
| Outward traffic | Cattle and calves | 177 | 1,818 | 914 | 1,794 | 1,267 | 2,336 | 10 | 245 |
| Sheep and pigs | 1,724 | 12,563 | 7,148 | 6,031 | 5,155 | 2,141 | |||
| Timber | 9,907 | 117,087 | 36,111 | 16,943 | 9,436 | 11,096 | 560 | 3,759 | |
| Other goods | 94,269 | 75,411 | 2,619 | 115,765 | 45,613 | 21,707 | 80,563 | 272,453 | |
| Outward revenue | Ordinary passengers | 1,916 | 1,504 | 1,983 | 4,434 | 871 | 11,810 | 257 | 885 |
| Season tickets | 41 | 77 | 73 | 202 | 247 | ||||
| Parcels, luggage and mails | 107 | 176 | 141 | 364 | 141 | 832 | 130 | 78 | |
| Goods | 48,059 | 92,573 | 15,289 | 122,188 | 19,386 | 41,894 | 23,196 | 145,222 | |
| Miscellaneous | 12 | 19 | 8 | 2,377 | 39 | 11,242 | 233 | 229 | |
| Total value forwarded | 50,135 | 94,349 | 17,499 | 129,565 | 50,437 | 66,025 | 23,816 | 146,515 | |
| Inward traffic | Cattle and calves | 504 | 689 | 860 | 746 | 293 | 1,108 | 37 | 122 |
| Sheep and pigs | 1,509 | 3,730 | 5,163 | 2,018 | 1,806 | 3,901 | 657 | ||
| Timber | 364 | 423 | 578 | 4,480 | 13,408 | 4,493 | 3,100 | 1,043 | |
| Other goods | 959 | 3,583 | 4,084 | 7,694 | 5,531 | 334,689 | 3,021 | 5,086 |
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:
| year | Ngahere | Reefton | Inangahua | Westport | Source | Title |
| 1881 | 10589 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1881/I/967|RETURN No. 9. Statement of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ending 31 March 1881|-|1882||||10849|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1882/I/825|RETURN No. 10. Statement of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ending 31 March 1882|-|1883||||10797|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1883/I/897 | RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1883 | |||
| 1884 | 13624 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1884/I/845|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1884|-|1885||||14217|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1885/I/1157?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1885|-|1886||||17706|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1886/I/1139?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1886|-|1887||||26569|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1887/I/921?large_image=true | RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1887 | |||
| 1888 | 17762 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1888/I/1011?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1888|-|1889||||13057|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1889/I/1070?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1889|-|1890||||12249|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1890/I/1066?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1890|-|1891||||12818|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1891/II/1266?large_image=true | RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1891 | |||
| 1892 | 12748 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1892/I/1166?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1892|-|1893||||11408|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1893/I/1496?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1893|-|1894||||16252|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1894/I/1390?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1894|-|1895||||16543|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1895/I/1588?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1895|-|1896||||18690|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1896/I/1627?large_image=true|RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31 March 1896|-|1898||||25612|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1898/I/1672?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1898|-|1899||||22108|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1899/I/1826?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1899|-|1900||||17834|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1900/I/1614?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1900|-|1902|9044|||30584|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1902/I/1437?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1902|-|1903|9412|||31410|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1903/I/1874?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1903|-|1904|10119|||33090|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1904/I/1849?large_image=true | RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1904 | |||
| 1905 | 10344 | 33928 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1905/I/3768?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1905|-|1906|10871|||32859|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1906/II/1602?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1906|-|1907|11138|||29012|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1907/I/2544?large_image=true | RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1907 | ||
| 1908 | 13868 | 15128 | 26567 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1908/I/2064?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1908|-|1909|16841|15458||27944|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1909/II/1835?large_image=true | RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1909 | |
| 1910 | 17930 | 16821 | 29440 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1910/I/2053?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1910|-|1911|12869|18033||29976|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1911/I/2500?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1911|-|1912|8847|17546||29593|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1912/II/2423?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1912|-|1913|9442|14503||30690|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1913/I/3696?large_image=true | RETURN No. 12. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1913 | |
| 1914 | 8983 | 18094 | 24725 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1914/I/2033?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1914|-|1915|8797|19627||23977|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1915/I/1641?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1915|-|1916|8712|17882||23454|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1916/I/1056?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1916|-|1917|7978|15515||21744|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1917/I/1126?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1917|-|1918|7023|14455||21494|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1918/I-II/1162?large_image=true | RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1918 | |
| 1919 | 7063 | 13755 | 24241 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1919/I/1234?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1919|-|1920|7332|18161||24656|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1920/I/1352?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1920|-|1921|7361|18434||23925|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1921/I-II/1455?large_image=true | RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1921 | |
| 1922 | 7623 | 19990 | 24169 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1922/I/1412?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1922|-|1923|7960|17884||25205|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1923/I-II/1324?large_image=true | RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1923 | |
| 1924 | 7498 | 18740 | 35907 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1924/I/2461?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1924|-|1925|6768|16902||30890|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1925/I/1806?large_image=true|RETURN No. 12. Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1925|-|1926|8148|17564||24954|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1926/I/1932?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1926|-|1927|9624|17017||21650|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1927/I/2232?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1927|-|1928|7481|14016||20719|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1928/I/2630?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1928|-|1929|5569|12695||17252|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1929/I/2092?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1929|-|1930|5008|11984|200|13301|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1930/I/2214?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1930 | |
| 1931 | 6357 | 12380 | 705 | 20099 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1931/I-II/1780?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1931 |
| 1932 | 4963 | 9198 | 551 | 10794 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1932/I-II/1936?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1932 |
| 1933 | 5112 | 9826 | 745 | 11319 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1933/I/1390?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1933|-|1934|5993|12122|638|16093|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1934/I/2280?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1934 |
| 1935 | 6519 | 14564 | 837 | 17360 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1935/I/1328?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1935|-|1936|7150|13673|712|16774|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1936-I.2.2.3.4/2|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1936|-|1937|7447|13600|817|16189|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1937/I/1898?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1937 |
| 1938 | 8256 | 14315 | 1270 | 17636 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1938/I/1654?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1938|-|1939|7690|12516|874|17174|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1939/I/1972?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1939 |
| 1940 | 6960 | 11452 | 775 | 15218 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1940/I/1316?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1940|-|1941|7322|11849|883|16299|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1941/I/1205?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1941 |
| 1942 | 7021 | 15265 | 1101 | 19347 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1942/I/653?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1942 |
| 1943 | 7620 | 20961 | 3481 | 39150 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1943/I/681?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1943 |
| 1944 | 6715 | 15315 | 4934 | 51033 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1944/I/897?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1944 |
| 1945 | 5292 | 13874 | 4077 | 50047 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1945/I/971?large_image=true | STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1945 |
| 1946 | 6686 | 14624 | 3597 | 56064 | https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1946/I/1550?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1946|-|1947|7766|16022|3253|47403|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1947/I/2497?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1947|-|1948|5636|16094|3508|29694|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1948/I/2523?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1948|-|1949|5790|15138|3630|27935|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1949/I/2106?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1949|-|1950|5644|15530|3469|28094|https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1950/I/2368?large_image=true|STATEMENT No. 18 Statement of Traffic and Revenue for each Station for the Year ended 31 March 1950|}Construction campsOver 400 men worked on construction in the 1920s and 30s, when Tiroroa had the largest of 9 PWD construction camps.[301] Until the camps were set up, trains brought workers from Westport.[302] 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.[303] Some buildings were then removed[304] and the YMCA hall advertised for sale.[305] Little OhikaOhika camp was started in 1927. 64 were at work by May 1928.[306] The camp, beside the main road at Ohika, had 5 married men's cottages, 47 single huts, a cookhouse and a bathhouse. TiroroaTiroroa camp was started in 1926, either side of the main road (married huts up the hill and single huts towards the river)[307] 14NaN from Westport. It had a YMCA recreation hall (opened about 1928), bath houses, a tennis court,[308] [309] [310] [311] 9 married men's cottages, 63 single huts, a school for 30 children and an office. A workshop, stores and engine shop were beside the road.[312] Part of the camp was flooded in 1936.[313] Electricity came in 1938.[314] Buildings from the camp (and Tunnel and Blackwater camps) were finally put up for sale in 1941,[315] when only the bridges were unfinished.[316] The site is now again covered in bush. Twelve Mile Hotel burnt down on 14 August 1958.[317] It was a single storey building,[318] near the centre of the camp,[319] which had been at Tiroroa[320] [321] since at least 1869.[322] Hawk's CragHighway Camp, also known as Petticoat Lane, south of Hawks Crag, had 3 houses and 10 huts for road construction workers. Tunnel CampTunnel 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. BlackwaterBlackwater Camp had an overseer’s house and 12 huts on the Newmans stables site, east of Hawk's Crag.[323] BerlinsBerlins Camp had 2 houses and 14 huts. Access to work was by boat. John Berlin had a hotel by at least 1875,[324] which still bears his name.[325] Two nearby coal mines were worked from about 1901[326] to about 1963.[327] BurleyBurley Camp was set up in 1928, near the coal mine, 7miles from Inangahua,[328] between Berlins and Melrose.[329] Burley’s Hill Camp housed single men, with a cookhouse run by a married couple. Access between the camp, 19miles from Westport, and the work around Rahui was by a 540feet,[330] [331] or 520feet pedestrian suspension bridge, built in 1930.[332] By 1911 there was also a 725feet suspension bridge over the river,[333] just downstream from Buller.[334] It's sometimes not clear in accounts which bridge is being described.[335] InangahuaInangahua had the second largest camp. A YMCA hut and electricity came in 1938. External linksPhotos –
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Pike River Coal Siding ]
. 10 September 2022 . New Zealand Rail Maps.
