Blackball Branch
Encyclopedia
The Blackball Branch was a branch line
railway of New Zealand
's national rail network
on the West Coast
of the South Island
and worked from the 1900s to 1966. It included the Roa Branch, also known as the Roa Incline. Roa was sometimes known as Paparoa.
was on the opposite side of the Grey River to the Stillwater - Westport Line
, and in the late 19th century an aerial cableway was used to transport coal from the mine across the river to a railway station in Ngahere
. This did not prove to be as efficient or desirable as a railway, so in 1901 a branch line across the Grey River from Ngahere to Blackball was approved.
The Public Works Department
began building the 5.5-km line in 1902, but it was plagued with difficulties. Construction of the Grey River bridge suffered from delays, a contractor for a trestle bridge further along the line went bankrupt, and torrential rain made working conditions hard and problematic. As construction slowly progressed, work on an incline from Blackball into the Paparoa Ranges
was commenced by the Paparoa Coal Company. This line was ultimately taken over by the State Mines Department and involved a Fell centre rail
for braking due to grades as steep as 1 in 25. This was not a full incline like its North Island
counterpart, the Rimutaka Incline.
During 1909, the Public Works Department began carrying coal along the Blackball Branch, and in September that year, the State Mines Department began operating the Roa Incline. The Blackball Branch was not handed over to the New Zealand Railways Department
and officially opened until 1 August 1910. The Roa Incline was owned by the State Mines Department for its entire life.
Before 1955 the engine depot
in Blackball closed and trains operated from Greymouth, and in 1955 Blackball station burned down. Trains to Blackball were typically operated by B
and WF
class steam locomotive
s, with W
and WA locomotives on the Roa Incline. Diesel locomotive
s were never used on the Blackball Branch.
A significant impediment to the operation of the line was the difficulty and cost of maintaining the 1680 foot length road-rail bridge across the Grey River. Poor design and construction meant that the bridge was frequently damaged by flooding, requiring expensive repairs. This situation eventually led to the closure of the line when the cost of maintenance became too high. The hazards of working such a steep incline without a continuous air brake were an important safety issue, leading to occasional runaways , although it is unclear whether any injury resulted from such situations.
Falling production and a decrease in orders meant that the State Mines Department closed the Roa Incline on 25 July 1960. From July 1963, only one train was permitted to operate on the Blackball Branch at a time, though due to the low quantity of traffic it is doubtful this policy ever had to be seriously enforced. By 1964, the line served just one active mine, operating on a limited basis. The Railways Department began to consider closure of the line, and when a flood on 21 February 1966 destroyed two spans of the Grey River bridge it was decided that repairs would not be economic and the line was closed.
of the Blackball and Roa lines can be seen, though it is often not near roads and nature is steadily reclaiming the line. Few other remnants of the line exist.
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
railway of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's national rail network
Rail transport in New Zealand
Rail transport in New Zealand consists of a network of gauge railway lines in both the North and South Islands. Rail services are focused primarily on freight, particularly bulk freight, with limited passenger services on some lines...
on the West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
and worked from the 1900s to 1966. It included the Roa Branch, also known as the Roa Incline. Roa was sometimes known as Paparoa.
Construction
The Blackball Coal Company's mine near BlackballBlackball, New Zealand
Blackball is a small town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, approximately 29 km from Greymouth.Blackball was named after the Black Ball Shipping Line, which leased land in the area to mine for coal. It was formerly known as Joliffetown and Moonlight Gully.Blackball is a centre...
was on the opposite side of the Grey River to the Stillwater - Westport Line
Stillwater - Westport Line
The Stillwater Ngakawau Line , formerly the Stillwater - Westport Line and the Ngakawau Branch, is a secondary main line, part of New Zealand's national rail network. It runs between Stillwater and Ngakawau via Westport on the West Coast of the South Island...
, and in the late 19th century an aerial cableway was used to transport coal from the mine across the river to a railway station in Ngahere
Ngahere
Ngahere is a locality in the Grey District of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. The 2006 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings gave the population of Ngahere and its surrounding area as 345, an increase of 9.5% or 30 people since the 2001 census.Ngahere is located on the south...
. This did not prove to be as efficient or desirable as a railway, so in 1901 a branch line across the Grey River from Ngahere to Blackball was approved.
The Public Works Department
New Zealand Ministry of Works
The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...
began building the 5.5-km line in 1902, but it was plagued with difficulties. Construction of the Grey River bridge suffered from delays, a contractor for a trestle bridge further along the line went bankrupt, and torrential rain made working conditions hard and problematic. As construction slowly progressed, work on an incline from Blackball into the Paparoa Ranges
Paparoa Ranges
The Paparoa Range is a mountain range in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located along the coast between the Buller and Grey Rivers, with the Inangahua River to the east. Some of the range is protected as the Paparoa National Park...
was commenced by the Paparoa Coal Company. This line was ultimately taken over by the State Mines Department and involved a Fell centre rail
Fell mountain railway system
The Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the normal running...
for braking due to grades as steep as 1 in 25. This was not a full incline like its North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
counterpart, the Rimutaka Incline.
During 1909, the Public Works Department began carrying coal along the Blackball Branch, and in September that year, the State Mines Department began operating the Roa Incline. The Blackball Branch was not handed over to the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
and officially opened until 1 August 1910. The Roa Incline was owned by the State Mines Department for its entire life.
Operation
Coal production from the mines increased greatly when the railway opened, as it permitted much larger quantities of coal to be carried. Workings on the Roa Incline were spectacular; sometimes up to eight trains a day would run down the Incline, relying only on handbrakes to avoid a runaway. Passenger services were operated to Blackball for a number of years, primarily for the mine workers, and these ceased in 1940.Before 1955 the engine depot
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
in Blackball closed and trains operated from Greymouth, and in 1955 Blackball station burned down. Trains to Blackball were typically operated by B
NZR B class (1899)
The B class of 1899 was a class of steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's national rail network. An earlier B class of Double Fairlies had entered service in 1874, but as they had departed from the ownership of the New Zealand Railways by the end of 1896, the B classification was free...
and WF
NZR Wf class
The NZR WF class were steam locomotives designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways Department. Their wheel arrangement is described by the Whyte notation 2-6-4T and the first members of the class entered service in 1904. The locomotives were tank engines designed by the Railways Department's...
class steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, with W
NZR W class
The NZR W class consisted of two steam locomotives built at the Addington Railway Workshops in Christchurch, New Zealand by the New Zealand Railways Department....
and WA locomotives on the Roa Incline. Diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s were never used on the Blackball Branch.
A significant impediment to the operation of the line was the difficulty and cost of maintaining the 1680 foot length road-rail bridge across the Grey River. Poor design and construction meant that the bridge was frequently damaged by flooding, requiring expensive repairs. This situation eventually led to the closure of the line when the cost of maintenance became too high. The hazards of working such a steep incline without a continuous air brake were an important safety issue, leading to occasional runaways , although it is unclear whether any injury resulted from such situations.
Falling production and a decrease in orders meant that the State Mines Department closed the Roa Incline on 25 July 1960. From July 1963, only one train was permitted to operate on the Blackball Branch at a time, though due to the low quantity of traffic it is doubtful this policy ever had to be seriously enforced. By 1964, the line served just one active mine, operating on a limited basis. The Railways Department began to consider closure of the line, and when a flood on 21 February 1966 destroyed two spans of the Grey River bridge it was decided that repairs would not be economic and the line was closed.
The branch today
Four spans of the old railway bridge over in the Grey River stood until 2002 when they were dismantled. The bridge itself was kept in operation until 1968 as a road only bridge, and then several more years for pedestrians, until further flooding damage made it impractical to repair. Nearby, two towers of the cableway that preceded the railway can be seen amidst swampland near Ngahere. Another bridge remains in place across Ford Creek on the Roa Incline, still complete with pedestals for the centre rail. In the rugged terrain, some of the formationTrack bed
A track bed or trackbed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links....
of the Blackball and Roa lines can be seen, though it is often not near roads and nature is steadily reclaiming the line. Few other remnants of the line exist.