The Midland line is a famous 212 km section of railway between Christchurch (Rolleston) and Greymouth in New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel. Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the third largest urban area in the country. ... 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. ...

Passenger services

The famous Tranz Scenic train, the TranzAlpine, travels this line. Toll NZ, properly Toll Consolidated NZ Ltd (NZX: TRH), is New Zealands largest transport company in terms of annual revenue and size. ... A view of the Southern Alps from the TranzAlpine. ...

The TranzAlpine passenger train stops: (Midland line)
Christchurch | Rolleston | Darfield | Cass | Springfield | Arthur's Pass | Otira | Jacksons | Moana | Brunner | Greymouth

Image File history File links Tranz_scenic_logo. ... A view of the Southern Alps from the TranzAlpine. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the third largest urban area in the country. ... Rolleston is a satellite town of Christchurch, Located next to State highway 1 on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Darfield is a town in the South Island of New Zealand. ... Springfield is a small town in the province of Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand. ... Arthurs Pass Arthurs Pass is an alpine crossing of the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. ... Brunner is a town in the northwest of New Zealands South Island, with a population of somewhat under 1000 people. ... 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. ...

Freight services

Freight on the line depends largely on coal traffic, with other general freight being restricted to products from the Westland Co-Operative Diary Limited factory at Hokitika. Hokitika is a township on the West Coast of New Zealand, 38 kilometres south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. ...

Usually, coal services are headed by two class DX locomotives, and consist of 13 coal hopper wagons, with a total capacity of 1,600 tonnes. 2-bay hopper cars of the Reading Railroad. ... A tonne (also called metric ton) is a non-SI unit of mass, accepted for use with SI, defined as: 1 tonne = 103 kg (= 106 g). ...

History

Railway development in the South Island in the 1870s was concentrated on a main line linking the established centres of Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill and light, easily constructed branch lines serving the arable plains. These later included a branch to Springfield which was reached by January 1880.

In 1882 the East and West Coast Railway League was formed and in 1884 a Royal Commission, although fully aware of the construction difficulties of the Waimakariri Valley-Arthurs Pass route, as compared with the somewhat easier but longer Hurunui Valley-Harpers Pass route, chose the more direct route.

The construction of the line was rejected in 1883 by a Royal Commission, who argued that despite the significant timber and coal resources of the West Coast of the South Island, the line would not be economic, in the face of limited resources during the Premiership of Sir Julius Vogel, although Parliament did pass the East and West Coast and Nelson Railway Act to enable private interests to construct a line. The major obstacle to engineers and politicians was the Southern Alps. In 1886 the New Zealand Midland Railway Company was formed by Nelson and Canterbury business interests to construct the line, and the line from Westport to Nelson, and capital was raised in London by the firm to meet this end. The Company entered into a contract with the Government the same year. The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island. ... Sir Julius Vogel Sir Julius Vogel KCMG (February 24, 1835 - March 12, 1899) was New Zealands only practicing Jewish prime minister. ... The Southern Alps is a mountain range which runs along the western side of the South Island of New Zealand. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... Westport is a town in the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. ... People Nelson is both a common patronymic family name and given name (first name). ...

For various reasons, the company managed to complete only 120 km of the line, and the Government excercised its right to take possession of the line in 1895, although protracted legal battles meant that full control was not acheived until 1900, with the line complete as far as Otira on the western side and Broken River on the eastern (Canterbury) side. 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The major obstacle to the route lay immediately ahead: the forcing of the Waimakariri and Broken River gorges, some 8.5 miles (13 km) of the route surveyed by C. Napier Bell in 1883 and described to the Royal Commission by District Engineer W.N. Blair as "very rough, the mountain slope rises from the riverbed while the river runs in a fearful gorge all the way". The Waimakariri Gorge is located on the Waimakariri River in inland Canterbury in New Zealands South Island. ...

The section would include 16 tunnels and four major viaducts not including the Kowai already constructed. The viaducts were built under Treasury contracts by both New Zealand and British bridging firms. The most spectacular of these, the Staircase Viaduct carries the rails 240 feet above the bed of the stream.

It was slow laborious work with men, horses, picks, shovels and very little machinery. It was not until 1906 that trains were running to a temporary terminus at Broken River – in time for the Christchurch Exhibition and at last enabling the journey, by rail and coach, from Greymouth to Christchurch to be completed in one day. Progress slowed after that although the country to be traversed became much easier. Cass was not reached until 1910 and Arthur's Pass township in 1914 – the Westland section meantime having advanced to Otira – to meet the other major obstacle.

Construction of Otira Tunnel began in 1907, but progress was very slow, and in the interim the eastern railhead reached Arthur's Pass in 1914. Cobb & Co coaches were used to transport passengers between the two railheads while the tunnel was under construction. The tunnel was finally completed in 1923. 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Arthurs Pass Arthurs Pass is an alpine crossing of the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Motive power

The line was unique in New Zealand for its captive use of many different types of locomotives. These locomotives include the KB class locomotives between Arthur's Pass and Springfield, once the most powerful steam locomotives in New Zealand. The class were made famous by a documentary named "Kb country", a term used by New Zealand railfans to this day. The Garratt G class, by then rebuilt as 'Pacific' type locomotives were also used on this route. Arthurs Pass Arthurs Pass is an alpine crossing of the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. ... Springfield is a small town in the province of Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand. ... Railfans practicing their hobby at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. ... Garratt on the Welsh Higland Railway South African Garratt Diagram of a Garratt locomotive A Garratt is a type of steam locomotive that is articulated, normally in three parts. ...

The Otira tunnel was electrified until 1997, and two classes of electric locomotives were used - the English Electric EO class and the NZR Ea class. Some members of the EW class and ED class electric locomotives were also used.

Diesel traction was introduced to the line in 1968 with the arrival of the DJ class, which until the transfer of DC class locomotives in the early 1980s from the North Island was the dominant motive power on the line. Increasing volumes of coal traffic led to the introduction of the DX class, a number specially modified for use in the Otira Tunnel. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ...