Wyndham Branch

Wyndham Branch
Wyndham Branch
Overview
Other name(s)	Glenham Branch; Edendale Fortrose Railway
Status	Closed
Owner	NZ Railways Department
Locale	Southland, New Zealand
Termini	Edendale ; Wyndham ;
Stations	4
Service
Type	Heavy rail
System	New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR)
Operator(s)	NZ Railways Department
History
Opened	1882
Extended to Glenham	1890
Closed beyond Wyndham	1930
Closed	1962
Technical
Line length	15.17 kilometres (9.43 mi)
Number of tracks	Single
Character	Rural
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Route map
	Legend
	Wyndham
	Racecourse
	This diagram: view ; talk ; edit ;

Last updated March 17, 2024

Map

The Wyndham Branch, also known as the Glenham Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. The first section was opened in 1882 and it operated until 1962. Although its name would imply that it terminated in Wyndham, an extension to a terminus in Glenham operated for forty years. It was operated by the New Zealand Railways Department.

Construction

The Main South Line from Dunedin to Invercargill was built on the west side of the Mataura River north of Edendale, thereby leaving the small east bank town of Wyndham off the route. To satisfy local residents, a 6.5 km long branch was built from Edendale to the town and it opened on 2 October 1882.^[1] A further section had been let to a contractor, but with half of the works complete, they abandoned the project. Further processes of plan review and granting of contracts meant that the branch did not reach the town of Glenham until 1 May 1890.^[2] There were proposals to continue the branch into the lower Mataura River area, but in August 1888, the Public Works Department stated that no further expenditure on the line was proposed once it was complete to Glenham, and the Tokanui Branch (which at the time terminated in Mokotua) was extended into the lower Mataura instead.^[1] As Glenham was now established as the terminus, a locomotive depot was established in the town. Along the route from Wyndham to Glenham, a tunnel was required, and it became the second to southernmost railway tunnel in New Zealand and thereby one of the most southern railway tunnels in the world.^[3]

Stations

The following stations were located on the Wyndham Branch (in brackets is the distance from the junction in Edendale):^[4]

Menzies Ferry (3.4 km)
Wyndham Racecourse (5.2 km)
Wyndham (6.5 km)
Glenham (15.17)

The tunnel between Wyndham and Glenham was approximately 301 metres (988 ft) long.

Operation

Traffic on the Wyndham Branch was light from the beginning, and in its early years, it was described as being "in fine running trim".^[3] It adequately served the needs of the local community and provided access to markets before the establishment of a modern road network, but as the 20th century progressed, it began to lose money. Ford Model T bus equipment was used as the basis for two railcars in 1925, and in May 1926, the RM class Model T Ford railcars began providing a service on the line as well as on the Waikaia Branch. They were economic, consuming 18.8 litres per 100 km and capable of running at 48 km/h, a reasonable speed for rural branch lines at the time. Despite that, they did not prove sufficiently successful: problems related to rough riding and overheating made them unpopular with the public and they were discarded in 1931.^[5]

A 1930 commission of New Zealand's railway network recommended that passenger traffic be discontinued on the Wyndham Branch, as well as reducing staff and closing the locomotive depot. The administration of the railways went one step further than that, closing the entire section from Wyndham to Glenham on 14 July 1930. Soon afterwards, passenger services on the rest of the line were cancelled on 9 February 1931 and goods services were modified to run from Invercargill and return rather than from the branch's terminus and return.^[3] The only passenger trains on the line after 1931 were infrequent chartered excursions, such as one from Waikaka at the end of the Waikaka Branch on 26 March 1962 that carried almost 800 passengers.^[6] World War II provided a temporary boost in traffic and the line lost less money, but due to a lack of significant traffic, a 1952 commission recommended full closure. This did not occur for another ten years, however; the line essentially became an extended siding from Edendale's yard that was shunted by passing services on the main line. Closure was announced on 20 June 1962 and the last services ran a few months later on 9 September 1962.^[3]

Today

Remnants of old railways typically fade with time or wholly disappear, and this is true for the Wyndham Branch. Very little of the route from Edendale to Wyndham is evident, except some traces of the formation around Edendale. Traces of the formation to Glenham are clearer and include embankments and cuttings, and the tunnel is difficult to find but viewable. At some point in the 1990s, the Department of Conservation cleared access to the tunnel as part of a summer works programme, but their work has been somewhat undone by nature. In the tiny village of Glenham, the flat area of the yard remains, though it lacks any distinguishing features or railway remnants of note.^[3]

Related Research Articles

The Waikaka Branch was a branch line railway of the Main South Line that ran through agricultural and gold-mining country in Southland, New Zealand. It was constructed in 1907 and 1908, and was operated by the New Zealand Railways Department until its closure in 1962.

The Tapanui Branch was a railway line located near the border of the regions of Southland and Otago, New Zealand. Although the name suggests that it terminated in Tapanui, its furthest terminus was actually in Edievale. Construction of the line began in 1878 with the first section opened in 1880, and it operated until 1978, when it was destroyed by flooding from the Pomahaka River.

The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway 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. It is one of the most important railway lines in New Zealand and was one of the first to be built, with construction commencing in the 1860s. At Christchurch, it connects with the Main North Line to Picton, the other part of the South Island Main Trunk.

The Tokanui Branch, also known as the Seaward Bush Branch, was a branch line railway located in Southland, New Zealand. It diverged from the Bluff Branch south of the main railway station in Invercargill and ran for 54 kilometres in a southeasterly direction. Construction began in 1883 and it operated until 1966.

The Mount Somers Branch, sometimes known as the Springburn Branch, was a branch line railway in the region of Canterbury, New Zealand. The line was built in stages from 1878, reaching Mount Somers in 1885. A further section to Springburn was added in 1889; this closed in 1957, followed by the rest of the line in 1968. A portion has been preserved as the Plains Vintage Railway.

The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It ran through the Catlins region in southwestern Otago and was built in sections between 1879 and 1915. It closed in 1971 except for the first four kilometres, which remain open as the Finegand Branch. Along the line was the Hunts Road tunnel, the southernmost tunnel in New Zealand.

The Kingston Branch was a major railway line in Southland, New Zealand. It formed part of New Zealand's national rail network for over a century: construction began in 1864, Kingston was reached in 1878, and it closed in 1979. For much of its life, it was considered a secondary main line rather than a branch line, and in its earlier years, it was sometimes known as the "Great Northern Railway". Today, the southern portion now forms a part of the Wairio Branch and the northernmost 14 kilometres was used by the Kingston Flyer.

The Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand. It skirted the Hokonui Hills, and operated as a through route between 31 July 1880 and 1 April 1971, with the short section from Lumsden to Balfour continuing as the Balfour Branch until 15 January 1978.

The Waikaia Branch, also known as the Switzers Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. Proposed as early as the 1870s, it was not opened until 1909 and was operated by the New Zealand Railways Department for half a century until its closure in 1959.

The Mossburn Branch was a branch line railway in New Zealand from Lumsden on the Kingston Branch to the town of Mossburn in northern Southland. Construction began in 1879, Mossburn was reached in 1887, and the line closed in 1982. It was operated by the New Zealand Railways Department.

The Hedgehope Branch, also known as the Browns Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand that started life in the 1880s as a privately owned bush tramway. It opened as a railway in 1899 and operated until 1968, though the section beyond Browns closed in 1953. It connected with the national rail network in Winton on the Kingston Branch.

The Tuatapere Branch, including the Orawia Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. Although the Tuatapere and Orawia Branches look like a single line, operationally they were considered separate lines. The first section opened to Riverton in 1879 and reached Tuatapere three decades later. The extension from Tuatapere to Orawia operated from 1925 until 1970. In 1976 the Tuatapere Branch was truncated to Riverton, and was known as the Riverton Branch until 1978, when it closed beyond Thornbury. The remaining portion of the line is now part of the Wairio Branch.

The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined the North Auckland Line of the national rail network of New Zealand at Otiria. It was the most northerly line in New Zealand and was intended to run all the way to Kaitaia. It opened to Ōkaihau in 1923 and closed in 1987.

The NZR RM class Clayton steam rail motor was a unique railcar that was operated by New Zealand Railways (NZR) for New Zealand's national rail network and one of only two steam railcars to operate in New Zealand - the other being 1925's RM class Sentinel-Cammell.

The NZR RM class Edison battery-electric railcar was a railcar that ran in Canterbury, New Zealand for eight years. It was built for New Zealand Railways (NZR) as a prototype for battery-electric railcars. While the railcar, classified "RM 6", was considered the first successful railcar in New Zealand, it was later destroyed in a fire, and battery-electric traction for railcars was not developed further in New Zealand. Two other classes of battery-electric locomotives were introduced about the same time as RM 6, the E class of 1922 and the E^B class of 1925.

The NZR RM class Model T Ford railcar was a type of rail motor that operated on New Zealand's national rail network. Only two were built, classified as RM 4 and RM 5, and they were experimental railcars designed in an attempt to offer improved passenger services on quiet country branch lines that served regions with small populations.

The Little River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It diverged from the Southbridge Branch in Lincoln and ran down Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island. It was opened to Little River in 1886 and operated until 1962.

Edendale is a town in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. The township is situated on the Southland Plains just to the west of the Mataura River. Before the town was called Edendale, it was known by the names Maorirua, Mataura Plains and Stuart's Bush.

The Cape Foulwind Railway was a branch railway line west of Westport to Cape Foulwind. In 1886 the Westport Harbour Board built the line to their quarry to transport rocks to their breakwaters in the Buller River. In 1888 it was linked to Westport by a road-rail bridge over the Buller River. The iron bridge was planked with kauri forming a 12 ft (3.7 m) wide road. The bridge cost £13,794 and was 1,040 ft (320 m) long. By 1888 it was said to be carrying a considerable passenger traffic, using two coaches. In 1914 a new section of line including a tunnel was built to a new quarry south of the Cape.

The Ngatapa Branch was a secondary branch line railway 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) long that for a short time formed part of the national rail network in Poverty Bay in the North Island of New Zealand. The Ngatapa branch diverged from the Moutohora branch line about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Gisborne and ran a further 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) across the coastal flat to a terminus at Ngatapa. It was sometimes referred to as the Ngapata branch.

References

Citations

1 2 Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 210.
↑ Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 114-115.
1 2 3 4 5 Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 115.
↑ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas, fourth edition, edited by John Yonge (Essex: Quail Map Company, 1993), 30.
↑ David Jones, Where Railcars Roamed: The Railcars Which Have Served New Zealand Railways (Wellington: Wellington Tramway Museum, 1997), 10.
↑ "The Waikaka Excursion", Yarn 99 (May 1962).

Bibliography

Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1995). Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways (1998 ed.). Wellington: Grantham House. ISBN 1-86934-048-5.
Mulligan, Barbara (2000). New Zealand Rail Trails: A Guide to 42 Ghost Lines. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. pp. 205–210. ISBN 978-1-86934-126-8.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[FOOTNOTEChurchmanHurst2001210-1] 1 2 Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 210.

[FOOTNOTELeitchScott1995114-115-2] Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 114-115.

[FOOTNOTELeitchScott1995115-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 115.

[quail-4] New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas, fourth edition, edited by John Yonge (Essex: Quail Map Company, 1993), 30.

[railcar-5] David Jones, Where Railcars Roamed: The Railcars Which Have Served New Zealand Railways (Wellington: Wellington Tramway Museum, 1997), 10.

[yarn-6] "The Waikaka Excursion", Yarn 99 (May 1962).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]