Blackball Branch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Blackball Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It was located on the West Coast of the South Island and worked from the 1900s to 1966. It included the Roa Branch, also known as the Roa Incline. Roa was sometimes known as Paparoa.
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[edit] Construction
The Blackball Coal Company's mine near Blackball was located on the opposite side of the Grey River to the Stillwater - Westport Line, and in the late 19th century, an aerial cableway was used to transport coal from the mine across the river to a railway station in Ngahere. This did not prove to be as efficient or desirable as a railway, so in 1901, a branch line across the Grey River from Ngahere to Blackball was approved.
The Public Works Department began building the 5.5km line in 1902, but it was plagued by difficulties. Construction of the Grey River bridge suffered from delays, a contractor for a trestle bridge further along the line went bankrupt, and torrential rain made working conditions hard and problematic. As construction slowly progressed, work on an incline from Blackball into the Paparoa Ranges was commenced by the Paparoa Coal Company. This line was ultimately taken over by the State Mines Department and involved a Fell centre rail for braking due to grades that were as steep as 1 in 25. This was not a full incline like its North Island counterpart, the Rimutaka Incline.
During 1909, the Public Works Department began carrying coal along the Blackball Branch, and in September that year, the State Mines Department began operating the Roa Incline. However, the Blackball Branch was not handed over to the New Zealand Railways Department and officially opened until 1 August 1910. The Roa Incline was formally owned by the State Mines Department for its entire life.
[edit] Operation
Coal production from the mines increased greatly when the railway line opened, as it permitted much larger quantities of coal to be carried. Workings on the Roa Incline were spectacular; sometimes up to eight trains a day would run down the Incline, relying only on handbrakes to avoid a runaway. Passenger services were operated to Blackball for a number of years, primarily for the mine workers, and these ceased in 1940.
Before 1955, the engine depot in Blackball was closed and trains operated from Greymouth, and in 1955, the Blackball station burned down. Trains to Blackball were typically operated by B and WF class steam locomotives, with W and WA locomotives on the Roa Incline. Diesel locomotives were never used on the Blackball Branch.
Falling production and a decrease in orders meant that the State Mines Department chose to close the Roa Incline on 25 July 1960 as it was deemed unnecessary. From July 1963, a policy was instituted permitting only one train to operate on the Blackball Branch at a time, though due to the low quantity of traffic, it is doubtful this policy ever had to be seriously enforced. By 1964, the line served just one active mine, and this mine was operating on a limited basis. The Railways Department began to consider closure of the line, and when a flood on 21 February 1966 destroyed two spans of the Grey River bridge, it was decided that repairs would not be economic and the line was accordingly closed.
[edit] The branch today
Four spans of the old railway bridge still stand in the Grey River, and nearby, two towers of the cableway that preceded the railway can be seen amidst swampland near Ngahere. Another bridge remains in place across Ford Creek on the Roa Incline's route, still complete with pedestals for the Incline's centre rail. In the rugged terrain, some of the formation of the Blackball and Roa lines can be seen, though it is often not near roads and nature is steadily reclaiming the line. Few other remnants of the line still exist.
[edit] References
- Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony; The Railways Of New Zealand: A Journey Through History, HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand), 1991 reprint
- Leitch, David, and Scott, Brian; Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways, Grantham House, 1998 revised edition
| New Zealand Railway Lines | ||||||
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| Secondary lines |
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| North Island: |
| Marton - New Plymouth Line - North Auckland Line - Palmerston North - Gisborne Line - Stratford - Okahukura Line - Wairarapa Line |
| South Island: |
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| Midland Line - Nelson Section - Otago Central Railway - Stillwater - Westport Line - Waimea Plains Railway |
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| Branch lines |
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| Upper North Island |
| Cambridge - Dargaville - Donnelly's Crossing - Glen Afton - Kinleith - Kumeu-Riverhead - Mount Maunganui - Murupara - Newmarket - Okaihau - Onehunga - Onerahi - Opua - Rotorua - Taneatua - Thames - Waiuku and Mission Bush |
| Lower North Island |
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| Ahuriri - Castlecliff and Wanganui - Foxton - Greytown - Johnsonville - Melling - Mount Egmont - Moutohora - Ngatapa - Opunake - Raetihi - Taonui - Te Aro - Waitara |
| Upper South Island |
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| Blackball and Roa - Cape Foulwind - Conns Creek - Eyreton - Fairlie - Little River - Lyttelton - Methven - Mount Somers - Oxford - Rapahoe - Rewanui - Hokitika/Ross - Seddonville - Southbridge - Waiau - Waimate - Whitecliffs |
| Lower South Island |
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| Bluff - Catlins River - Dunback and Makareao - Fernhill - Hedgehope - Kingston - Kurow - Moeraki - Mossburn - Ngapara and Tokarahi - Outram - Port Chalmers - Roxburgh - Shag Point - Tapanui - Tokanui - Tuatapere - Waikaia - Waikaka - Wairio - Walton Park - Wyndham |
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| Private lines |
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| Glen Massey Branch - Dunedin Peninsula and Ocean Beach Railway - Dun Mountain Railway - Hutt Park Railway - Kaitangata Line - Sanson Tramway - Wellington and Manawatu Railway |
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