Little River Branch
| Little River Branch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The former railway station at the terminus in Little River
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Heavy Rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Closed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Canterbury, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini | Lincoln Junction Little River |
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| Stations | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 11 March 1886 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1 July 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Railways Department | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Railways Department | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Rural | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 36.37 km | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | Single | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Little River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It diverged from the Southbridge Branch in Lincoln and ran down Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury region of the South Island. It was opened to Little River in 1886 and operated until 1962.
Little River contained one of only two significant stands of timber in the Canterbury region (the other, near Oxford, was serviced by the Oxford Branch), and accordingly, plans were made to build a line to provide convenient transportation and stimulate economic activity. These were finalised in 1879, and construction was under way by the next year. On 16 May 1882, the first 27.44 km of the line were opened to Birdling's Flat, and almost four years later, the next nine kilometres were opened to Little River. There were proposals to extend the line as far as Akaroa, but these did not eventuate and Little River remained the terminus.
In the early years of the line, it operated profitably as large quantities of timber were transported by rail to destinations off the branch. This freight was mainly but not solely loaded in Little River. There was also significant agricultural activity in the area; livestock and farming supplies were important commodities at all stations. As time progressed, the timber traffic declined as no effort was made to replant and sustain the industry, and accordingly, the line's traffic became increasingly focused on the agricultural industry that was expanding into the felled areas.
Passenger numbers totalled over 10,000 in the line's first year of operation, though no dedicated passenger trains ran. Instead, until 1927, passengers were carried on mixed trains. In 1927, an experiment was conducted on the Little River Branch when the Edison battery-electric railcar was trialled. It provided a twice daily dedicated passenger service each way between Christchurch and Little River, completing the trip in 69 minutes. Affordable and efficient, the railcar proved popular with travellers, but its life was abruptly cut short in 1934 when it was destroyed in a depot fire and not replaced due to the poor economic conditions of the Great Depression, forcing passengers back to the slower mixed trains.
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Wikipedia