Kaitangata Line
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The Kaitangata Branch was a branch line railway in Otago, New Zealand. It was built by a private company and was later acquired by the government's Mines Department, and operated from 1876 to 1970.
[edit] Construction and operation
In 1876, the Kaitangata Railway & Coal Co. built the line to provide a railway link between its mine in Kaitangata and the Main South Line at Stirling. An engine shed and a station building were located at Kaitangata, and although the station bore much resemblance to buildings on the national network operated by the government's Railways Department, the line was never part of its network. Until 1963, an extension ran down a road to the Castle Hill Mine, and for much of its life the line was operated by an "Improved F" 0-6-0 tank locomotive, constructed in 1896 by Sharp, Stewart & Co.
In 1956, the Mines Department took over the branch and in August 1968 used a diesel shunter to work the trains, although the F was retained as a spare. By the late 1960s the condition of the line had deteriorated markedly, and in December 1970 it was closed by the Mines Department. The F was donated to the preservation society at Shantytown, near Greymouth in Westland, where it operates today, named "Kaitangata".
[edit] Reference
- Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony; The Railways Of New Zealand: A Journey Through History, HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand), 1991 reprint
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