Weka Pass Railway
| Weka Pass Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A 428 approaching Gate 2 on the railway | |
| Locale |
Waipara,  New Zealand
|
| Terminus | Glenmark Station and Waikari Station |
| Coordinates | 43°03′16″S 172°45′28″E / 43.0544°S 172.7579°ECoordinates: 43°03′16″S 172°45′28″E / 43.0544°S 172.7579°E |
| Connections | KiwiRail Main North Line |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Waiau Branchline |
| Built by | New Zealand Government Railways |
| Original gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Weka Pass Railway Society |
| Operated by | Weka Pass Railway Society |
| Stations | Two |
| Length | 12.8km |
| Preserved gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 15 December 1919 |
| Closed | 15 January 1978 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1982 | Formation of Society |
| 1984 | First Operation of Trains |
| 1993 | Recommissioning of A 428 |
| 1995 | Inaugural Waipara Vintage Festival |
| 1999 | Official opening of the railway |
| 2003 | Opening of the Waikari turntable |
| 2009 | Opening of the Glenmark turntable |
| Website | |
| www |
|
The Weka Pass Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway based in Waipara, North Canterbury. It is operated on a 12 km length of the former Waiau Branch railway between Waipara and Waikari. The railway is operated by an incorporated society whose members come from all walks of life and are largely resident in the city of Christchurch, 60 km to the south. The railway began carrying passengers in 1984 and is now well established locally and nationally.
The first stage of the Waiau Branch line inland through the Weka Pass to Waikari was completed in 1882. This area is noted for its scenery and the railway passes through many large cuttings, around tight curves and on steep gradients (max 1 in 47). When originally built the line was expected to be part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway north of the city of Christchurch. Further sections of the line through Hawarden, Medbury, Balmoral, Pahau, Culverden, Achray, Rotherham and Waiau were constructed in subsequent years. The line was officially opened to Medbury in 1884 and to Culverden in 1886 but the final section to Waiau was not completed until 1919. In the 1920s the decision was made to take the Main North Line on a coastal route north out of Waipara. The Main North Line, which involved major earthworks and many engineering difficulties, was not completed until 1945.
The Waiau Branch suffered the fate of many rural branch lines in later years as increasing competition from road transport saw a decline in traffic carried. For many years the railways were protected from this competition by mileage limits; as these were gradually increased, more and more branches were closed. The branch had a short reprieve in its twilight years when large amounts of logs were carried from the Balmoral forest. Closure occurred in January 1978.
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Wikipedia