The Ross Branch, now known as the Hokitika Branch, is a branch line railway that forms part of New Zealand's national rail network. It is located in the Westland District of the South Island's West Coast region and opened to Hokitika in 1893. A further extension to Ross operated from 1909 until 1980. A branch line is a relatively minor railway line which branches off a more important through route. ... // National Rail Network The national rail network (currently owned by a State-Owned Enterprise, the New Zealand Railways Corporation) was constructed largely by government entities from 1863 onwards. ... The West Coast is one of the Administrative Regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island. ... The South Island The South Island is one of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the North Island. ... The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island. ... Town centre of Hokitika, South Island, New Zealand Hokitika is a township on the West Coast of New Zealands South Island, 40 kilometres (25 Miles) south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. ... Ross is a small town located on the West Coast of New Zealands South Island. ...

Construction

The first line opened in the region was a bush tramway built to a gauge of 1,219mm (4 feet). It ran from Greymouth south to Paroa and opened in 1867. Ten years later, an extension inland to Kumara was opened, with the Taramakau River crossed by a cage suspended from a wire.^[1] Around this time, plans were formulated to replace the tramway with a railway and link Greymouth and Hokitika. Work began in 1879, but the economic conditions of the Long Depression brought construction to a halt the next year with only 5km of track laid. Furthermore, the residents of Kumara, led by future Prime Minister Richard Seddon, were indignant that the railway was going to take a more coastal route than the tramway and thus bypass their town. In 1886, work restarted, and the continued attempts from Kumara residents to have the line's route changed failed to force an alteration to the plans.^[2] Work progressed steadily over the next few years, and on 18 December 1893, the complete line from Hokitika to Greymouth opened.^[3] The New Zealand railway network consists of four main lines, six secondary lines and numerous short branch lines in almost every region of New Zealand. ... Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... Greymouth is the largest town in the West Coast region on the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. ... The town of Kumara is located on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Taramakau River is located in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The Long Depression was a economic depression that affected much of the world from the early 1870s until the mid-1890s. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Richard John Seddon (1845 - 1906), sometimes known as King Dick, was the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... December 18 is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

To the south of Hokitika was thickly wooded country, and with the prospect of significant logging traffic, surveys for an extension of the railway were undertaken. These were completed by 1901, and preliminary work was well under way by August 1902. The first section, from Hokitika to Ruatapu, was opened on 9 November 1906, and the full line to Ross was completed on 1 April 1909. ^[4] Proposals for further southward extension were made but never came to fruition, though a number of bush tramways fanned out from the railway to provide more convenient access to sawmills and other industrial activity. The most notable of these was the one owned by Stuart and Chapman Ltd, which extended south from Ross for about 20km to the Lake Ianthe area.^[5] Loggers on break, c. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Stations

The following stations are or were located on the Ross Branch (in brackets is the distance from Greymouth):

• Elmer Lane (1km)
• Karoro (2km)
• Warburton Street (4km)
• South Beach (6km)
• Keith Road (7km)
• Paroa (9km)
• Gladstone (11km)
• Camerons (13km)
• Kumara Junction (17km)
• Chesterfied (23km)
• Awatuna (26km)
• Arahura (29km)
• Kaihinui (31km)
• Houhou (35km)
• Seaview (37km)
• Hokitika (38km)
• Takutai (41km)
• Mananui (45km)
• Lake Mahinapua (48km)
• Ruatapu (50km)
• Ross (61km)

Operation

Although sometimes considered to be part of the Midland Line, the Ross Branch was almost wholly operated as a separate route from Greymouth. Locomotive depots were established in both Ross and Hokitika,^[6] and when the Otira Tunnel linking the West Coast to Canterbury opened in 1923, the section to Hokitika began to increase in importance. Carriages from the Christchurch-Greymouth express were attached to "mixed" trains that carried both goods and passengers and conveyed to Hokitika^[7] while the extension to Ross operated more like a local line with two "mixed" trains daily.^[8] The introduction of small Leyland diesel railbuses in August 1936 to convey copies of the Christchurch Press newspaper to the West Coast led to the establishment of a direct service between Christchurch and Hokitika, as well as local services between Hokitika and Greymouth and briefly Reefton.^[9] By the early 1940s, the Vulcan railcars had replaced the Leylands and they ran all the way through from Christchurch to Ross, operating twice daily. They were augmented by two daily "mixed" trains to Ross, and these services lasted until 11 September 1967. The railcars operated for a few years more, but as of 9 October 1972, they ceased to run past Greymouth, removing the final passenger service on the line.^[10] The Midland line is a famous 212 km section of railway between Christchurch (Rolleston) and Greymouth in New Zealand. ... Motive Power Depot, usually abbreviated to mpd is the name given, in Britain to places where locomotives are stored when out of use. ... The Otira tunnel is a major railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand between Otira and Arthurs Pass. ... The New Zealand region of Canterbury mostly comprises the Canterbury Plains. ... A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars. ... Not to be confused with railroad car. ... The Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand. ... The small town of Reefton is located in the west of New Zealands South Island, some 80 kilometres northeast of Greymouth, in the valley of the Inangahua River. ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In the early years of the line, timber was the dominant traffic from Ross, and in the 1920s, there was some pressure to operate NZR rolling stock on the Stuart and Chapman Ltd tramway, but this came to nothing and the tramway used private rolling stock until its closure in 1959.^[11] As the forests were felled, they were not replaced, and agriculture grew in importance, with agricultural lime and fertiliser railed in and livestock railed out; Ross served as the loading point for cattle driven up from southern Westland.^[12] By the 1970s, the line beyond Hokitika was operating uneconomically, and closure came in 1980. The combined road/rail bridge south of Hokitika, colloquially known as the "longest xylophone in the world" due to the rattling its planks made, required urgent repairs but it was decided that the cost outweighed the benefits due to the insignificance of the line. A new road-only bridge was built and the line from Hokitika to Ross closed on 24 November 1980.^[13] This made the Ross section somewhat remarkable as its passenger service had ceased only eight years earlier; most rural New Zealand branches lost their passenger service at least two or three decades before the entire line was closed. Timber in storage for later processing at a sawmill Timber is a term used to describe wood, either standing or that has been processed for use—from the time trees are felled, to its end product as a material suitable for industrial use—as structural material for construction or wood... ... Agricultural lime is a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk. ... Fertilizers are chemicals given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil or by foliar spraying. ... Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, kine or kyne in pre-modern English, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Today, the Hokitika Branch operates quietly but appears to have a secure future. Its primary customer is the Westland Milk Products plant based in Hokitika, and trains are typically operated by diesel locomotives of the DBR or DC classes. In the days of steam locomotives, members of the A and A^B had been based in Ross, and when the line was dieselised in May 1969, DJ class diesels became the primary motive power until the arrival of the DBRs and DCs, though for a few years in the 1970s, all trains had to be operated by DSC class shunter locomotives before the Taramakau River bridge was repaired and upgraded.^[14] Great Western Railway No. ... Great Western Railway No. ... Preserved No. ... Dieselisation (British English spelling) or Dieselization (US English spelling) is generally used in the context of rail transportation to refer to the replacement of the steam locomotive with the diesel-electric locomotive, (often referred to as a diesel locomotive,) a process which began in the 1930s and is now substantially... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Switching is an action described by the verb to switch, in the sense of using a Switch, either an electrical one or other device for flipping, or a rod called switch. ...

The Hokitika-Ross section today

A few notable bridges, sans rails, still stand on the route to Ross, including an impressive truss bridge just north of Ross itself. The route between Ruatapu and Ross is largely out of sight from the road, but can be driven for much of its length and is used as an accessway by some locals.^[15] From Hokitika to Ruatapu, the railway's formation is readily apparent as it is often near the road, and the road has even been diverted to use portions of it. Little else remains of the railway due to the passage of time and influence of human and natural activity, but at the site of Ross's yard, some twisted rail and a loading bank remain.^[16] A track bed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. ...

References

• ↑ Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony; The Railways Of New Zealand: A Journey Through History, HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand), 1991 reprint: page 193.
• ↑  Leitch, David, and Scott, Brian; Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways, Grantham House, 1998 revised edition: pages 60-61
• ↑  Pahiatua Railcar Society - Early New Zealand Railcars
• ↑  4WD NZ - Ruatapu Railway

External link

• Brian's Ghost Railways - Ross and Reefton