The Bluff Branch is a railway line in Southland, New Zealand that links Invercargill with the port of Bluff. One of the first railways in New Zealand, it opened in 1867 and is still operating today. It is sometimes considered to be part of the Main South Line rather than a separate branch.   Categories: New Zealand-related stubs | Southland, New Zealand | Territorial Authorities of New Zealand ... Invercargill is the southernmost and also the most western city in New Zealand, and one of the most southern settlements in the world. ... Panorama of the view from the summit of Bluff Hill near Invercargill Bluff is a town and seaport located in the Southland region on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Construction

In the early days of New Zealand's colonisation, transport between Bluff and Invercargill was through sometimes impassable swampy terrain. Construction of a road to Bluff (known as Campbelltown until March 1917) was approved in 1859, but the swamp defeated the builders and by 1861, a railway was being considered as an alternative. On 8 August 1863, arguably the first locomotive to steam in New Zealand, "Lady Barkly", ran on a small section of track on Invercargill Jetty, and that same year, construction of a line to Bluff began. When the failure of wooden rails became apparent in 1864 on the Invercargill-Makarewa section of what would become the Kingston Branch, the decision was made to use iron rails to Bluff. Built to the international standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 feet 8.5 inches), the line was opened on 5 February 1867. The national gauge was set at a narrow gauge of 1,067 mm (3 feet 6 inches) in the early 1870s and the entire Bluff Branch was converted to this gauge in a single day, 18 December 1875. 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A small community 8 minutes drive north from Invercargill (the southernmost major town in the south island of New Zealand). ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... Events and Trends Technology The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Operation

Bluff established itself as the port of Southland and the line has always been busy with both inbound and outbound freight. When containerisation was introduced and freight transportation trends changed, Bluff was not selected to be a container port, but it and the railway line have remained busy with traffic such as frozen meat, wool, and wood chips.

For many years, passenger traffic on the line was heavy, with 20,000 in a single day travelling to a regatta in Bluff on 1 January 1900. However, the development of modern road networks and private cars caused passenger numbers to decline and services were cancelled in 1967. Passenger trains briefly returned when the Kingston Flyer operated some services to Bluff between 1979 and 1982. January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train operating in the South Island of New Zealand. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Bluff's history, including a mention of the railway
• Ohai Railway Board - the Southland Railway History section of the Archives contains some facts on the Bluff Branch

Reference

• Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony; The Railways Of New Zealand: A Journey Through History, HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand), 1991 reprint