NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Kingston Branch

The Kingston Branch was a major branch line railway 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 first portion now forms a part of the Wairio Branch and the last fourteen kilometres are used by the Kingston Flyer. A branch line is a relatively minor railway line which branches off a more important through route. ... Categories: New Zealand-related stubs | Southland, New Zealand | Territorial Authorities of New Zealand ... // 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. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Kingston is a small town at the southernmost end of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealands South Island. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... For the historic canal, see Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works. ... The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train operating in the South Island of New Zealand. ...

Construction

The Kingston Branch was built to be a main line north from Invercargill to improve communications through the Southland region, and to provide a transport link to the Central Otago gold fields. The provincial government of Southland was not very wealthy, and for this reason, a proposal claiming that the railway would be cheaper if built with wooden rails was accepted. A twelve kilometre line between Invercargill and Makarewa was opened on 18 October 1864, but the unsuitability of the wooden tracks became obvious quickly. Unlike most railway lines in New Zealand, this route was built to the international standard gauge of 1435 mm (4 feet 8.5 inches), and in June 1866, the decision was made to convert to iron rails. This conversion was performed at the same time as the line was extended to Winton and it opened on 22 February 1871. This proved to be the furthest extent of the 1435 mm gauge in Southland, and further lines were built to the nationally accepted narrow gauge of 1067 mm (3 feet 6 inches). The first portion of the Kingston Branch built to the new gauge was from Winton to Caroline, which opened on 20 October 1875, two months before the rest of the line to Invercargill was converted to the new gauge on the 20th of December. The 1435 mm locomotives and rolling stock were now unnecessary and sold to the government of New South Wales in Australia, but the ship on which they were carried was wrecked in Westland and thus the trains obviously never made it to Australia. Invercargill is the southernmost and also the most western city in New Zealand, and one of the most southern settlements in the world. ... The area known as Central Otago in Otago, New Zealand, includes the middle of the region but generally also most of the north-western portion (the Queenstown-Lakes District). ... The Central Otago Goldrush (often simply called the Otago goldrush) occurred during the 1860s in Otago, New Zealand. ... (For the current top-level subdivision of New Zealand, see Regions of New Zealand) Provinces in New Zealand were used from 1841 until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on November 1, 1876. ... A small community 8 minutes drive north from Invercargill (the southernmost major town in the south island of New Zealand). ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... 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. ... 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Winton is a town in Southland, New Zealand. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 1875 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island. ...

Beyond Caroline, construction was swift. The railway opened to Lumsden on 7 February 1876 and then Lowther on 15 January 1877, Athol on 20 January 1878, and finally Kingston on 10 July 1878, some 140 kilometres from Invercargill. In February 1879, a steamboat connection on Lake Wakatipu was established from Kingston to Queenstown. Lumsden is a town in Southland, New Zealand. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... It has been suggested that paddle steamers be merged into this article or section. ... Northern end. ... Panorama of the view from the Remarkables back toward Frankton airport (Queenstown airport) with Queenstown beyond. ...

Stations

The following stations were located on the Kingston Branch (in brackets is the distance from Invercargill):

Junctions

The Main South Line is half of the South Island Main Trunk Railway in New Zealand and runs south from Christchurch down the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin. ... Gore is a town and surrounding borough in the South Island of New Zealand. ...

Operation

In the early days of the line, trains operated six days a week, with a return service to Kingston and another in the afternoon only as far as Lumsden. When the Waimea Plains Railway opened, it was privately owned and competed with the Kingston Branch, and this along with the effects of the Long Depression meant services were reduced to operating only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for three years. In 1883, the daily trains were back, and when the Waimea Plains Railway was purchased and incorporated into the national network, services were further re-organised. Besides the daily "mixed" services that carried both passengers and freight, five passenger expresses ran from Kingston a week: two used the whole line to Invercargill, while three left it in Lumsden to travel through the Waimea Plains. The latter route was the first "Kingston Flyer". The Long Depression was a economic depression that affected much of the world from the early 1870s until the mid-1890s. ... 1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

When reviews of all of New Zealand's branch railways were conducted in 1930 and 1952, the Kingston route was considered a main line and therefore not assessed. However, after a railcar service was briefly considered in the 1930s, regular passenger services were cancelled, though seasonal excursions and holiday trains ran for another two decades. The last one ran in Easter 1957, and passenger trains were a very rare sight on the Kingston line in the 1960s. Not long before the seasonal excursions ended, another service did: a Friday mixed train between Invercargill and Lumsden ceased running in November 1956. The line then settled into a pattern of daily freight trains from Lumsden to Invercargill and return, augmented by a twice weekly service onwards to Kingston. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Not to be confused with Railroad car. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 27-33 (see Good Friday). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Traffic on the section from Lumsden to Kingston was in serious decline by the time the 1970s began, but a revival in traffic came when New Zealand Railways made a surprise announcement that it would be operating a heritage train from Invercargill to Kingston re-using the "Kingston Flyer" name. Two Ab class locomotives were employed to operate the train, which commenced on 21 December 1971, two months after steam had ceased regular workings in New Zealand. Two return trips were run a day from December to April and they proved to be wildly popular, carrying over 30,000 passengers per season. Freight was carried on the first train to Kingston and last to Invercargill. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...

Sadly, the line between Lumsden and Garston was damaged by flooding in February 1979 and the last Kingston Flyer ran not long afterwards on the 17th of April. Official closure of the line between Lumsden and Garston came on 26 November 1979. For the next three years, the Kingston Flyer ran - less successfully - elsewhere, but in 1982, private operators brought it back to Kingston. There were initially plans to operate it all the way to Garston, but these were later changed to Fairlight and the six kilometres between Garston and Fairlight was closed. The fourteen kilometres between Fairlight and Kingston is still open today for the Kingston Flyer's use. This page refers to the year 1979. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

South of Lumsden, the Kingston Branch was busy with trains heading to the Mossburn Branch with materials for various development schemes, the most prominent being the Manapouri hydro scheme. However, once this traffic ceased, the line became very quiet, with just two trains a week in its last year of existence. On 13 December 1982, the line from Makarewa to Lumsden closed the same day as the Mossburn Branch. The short section from Invercargill to Makarewa remains open to this day and has been incorporated into the Wairio Branch. Manapouri is a small town in Southland, in the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The branch today

The two ends of what was once considered to be a main line remain open, while the large middle section's relics have disappeared with time and the impacts of development. For example, the triangular platform at Makarewa that once served Kingston as well as the still open Wairio Branch disappeared sometime between 1995 and 1998, though some disused rails departing Makarewa are believed to still be in place. From here to Centre Bush, little remains except the formation and the occasional minor bridge; the first goods shed still standing is located at the site of the old Centre Bush yard. Well-preserved remnants can be found in Lumsden, including the water tower, a little trestle bridge, and the station building that is now used as a tourist centre. In Lowther, the loading bank remains, and not too far away, some rails are embedded in the old level crossing site on Ellis Road. Another level crossing is intact in Athol, and one of the furthest north relics of the line is found just outside of Garston, where one can still cross the the old combined road/rail bridge. 1995 (MCMXCV in Roman) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII in Roman) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... A level crossing at Chertsey, England, as the barriers rise The term level crossing (also called: railroad crossing or grade crossing) is a crossing on one level (or at grade) - without recourse to a bridge or tunnel - used to describe the crossing of a railway line by a road, path...

Contents

Construction

Stations

Junctions

Operation

The branch today

See also

External link

References

Contents

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Stations

Junctions

Operation

The branch today

See also

External link

References

Construction