Outram Branch

The Outram Branch was a branch line railway near Dunedin, Otago that operated from 1877 to 1953 and formed part of New Zealand's national rail network.

The line was built at the urgings of local residents in and around Outram, even though there was little promise of traffic to actually justify the line's construction. There was an initial proposal to build a line from Allanton, near the site of Dunedin's current airport, but when landowners along a proposed route from Mosgiel agreed to make land available for free on the condition trains ran six days a week, their route was selected instead.

Construction commenced in September 1875 with the Main South Line junction located just north of Mosgiel station's yard, and although the line crossed mainly flat land, one engineering difficulty was presented by the Gladfield swamp. A solid base could not be found even at a depth of twelve metres, and the problem was eventually solved by laying many layers of flax to provide a firm foundation for the line. Two bridges were required during construction, the 67 metre Taieri River bridge near Outram, and a 42-metre bridge across the Silver Stream. The line was remarkably straight: in its entire 14.5 kilometre length, it had a mere three curves. Only one manned station and goods shed were built on the line, both at the terminus in Outram. It was opened for service on 1 October 1877.

In its early years, Outram served as the railhead during construction of the Taieri Gorge section of the Otago Central Railway (now preserved as the Taieri Gorge Railway). Trains ran six days a week as promised, and due to restrictions on the weight of locomotives allowed to cross the Taieri River bridge, the line was operated by small tank locomotives such as the F class, with the W^F class being the heaviest class permitted.

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