Glen Massey Branch

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Glen Massey Branch
Overview
Status	Closed
Termini	Ngaruawahia Glen Massey
Operation
Opening	March 1914
Closed	19 May 1958
Owner	Private then State Mines Department
Operator(s)	Private then New Zealand Railways Department
Character	Rural
Technical
Line length	10.6 km (6.6 mi)
No. of tracks	Single
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

The Glen Massey Branch was a private branch railway line of 10.6 km in the Waikato Region of New Zealand, built to serve coal mines, and from 1935 ran by the New Zealand Railways Department. The line had grades of 1 in 40, sharp curves and 22 bridges, including a 91.5 m long and 18.3 m high timber trestle bridge half way between Ngaruawahia and Glen Massey.

In 1910 a private siding was built at Ngaruawahia on the North Island Main Trunk, and used from May 1912 to supply construction materials for the 8.2 km branch to Glen Massey. The branch was opened to Glen Massey in March 1914, and coal transport commenced, using a weigh-bridge at the Ngaruawahia private siding. The "Waipa Railway and Colleries Ltd". used two tank engines, and ran a regular Saturday passenger service known as the "Wilton Express" using some ex-WMR clerestory carriages.

By 1930 the mine was worked out and the company went into liquidation. A new coal seam was found 3.5 km to the south. A new company "Wilton Colleries Ltd". was formed to operate this line. It took over the railway line in November 1930 and extended the line by about 2.2 km. The line was worked by two ex-NZR tank locomotives.

In 1935 the State Mines Department took over the mines and line, which was worked by the NZR from 12 August 1935 using Ww and Bb locomotives. Mine output was 70,000 tons of coal annually, half for the NZR. Three return trips a day carried 400 tons daily. Later, track deterioration resulted in speed limits ranging from 16 km/hr to 10 km/hr. The line was closed on 19 May 1958.

References

Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony; The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History p105 (1990, HarperCollins, Auckland) ISBN 1-86950-015-6

New Zealand railway lines

Main lines

North Island	East Coast Main Trunk North Island Main Trunk (inc. Kapiti Line)

South Island	Main North Line and Main South Line (inc. Lyttelton Line), known together as the South Island Main Trunk

Secondary lines

North Island	Marton – New Plymouth Line North Auckland Line Palmerston North – Gisborne Line Stratford–Okahukura Line Wairarapa Line (inc. Hutt Valley Line)

South Island	Midland Line Nelson Section Otago Central Railway Stillwater–Westport Line Waimea Plains Railway

Branch lines

Upper North Island	Cambridge Dargaville Donnellys Crossing Glen Afton Kinleith Kumeu–Riverhead Manukau Mount Maunganui Murupara Newmarket Okaihau Onehunga Onerahi Opua Rotorua Taneatua Thames Waiuku and Mission Bush

Lower North Island	Ahuriri Castlecliff Foxton Gracefield Greytown Johnsonville Melling Mount Egmont Moutohora Ngatapa Opunake Raetihi Taonui Te Aro Waitara Wanganui

Upper South Island	Blackball and Roa Cape Foulwind Conns Creek Eyreton Fairlie Ferrymead Little River Methven Mount Somers Oxford Rapahoe Rewanui Hokitika/Ross Seddonville Southbridge Waiau Waimate Whitecliffs

Lower South Island	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

Private lines

Dun Mountain Railway
Dunedin Peninsula and Ocean Beach Railway
Glen Massey Branch
Hutt Park Railway
Kaitangata Line
New Zealand Midland Railway Company
Riccarton Racecourse Siding
Sanson Tramway
Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (Wellington–Manawatu Line)
Whakatane Board Mills Line

Significant proposals

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