Driving Creek Railway
Encyclopedia
The Driving Creek Railway is a narrow gauge bush and mountain railway
on the outskirts of the provincial town of Coromandel
on the northwestern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula
on New Zealand
's North Island
. The railway leads up the mountain to a viewing platform building 165m high above the surrounding Coromandel west coast country.
The Driving Creek Railway (DCR) was slowly expanded over the next 25 years to become one of the very few completely new railway lines in New Zealand in recent years. The project required significant civil engineering
works due to the steep and complex terrain that the line traverses. Among these are a double deck rail bridge, three tunnels, five viaducts and inclines as steep as 1 in 15. The trip takes approximately 1 hour return.
The attraction now brings over 30,000 people to the railway per year, with much of the proceeds funding nature conservation works.
, the most important of which are the three diesel railcars, which were built on site by the owners. Possum is an 14-seater two-car unit and Snake and Linx are 36-seater, three-unit vehicles.
(and on the wide land and sea views from the tower), its octagonal design is based on a much nearer landmark, the Bean Rock Lighthouse in Auckland Harbour.
There are a variety of other features on the site, such as a growing areas of re-planted native forest (including kauri), a wildlife sanctuary and a sculpture park (throughout the site and along the rail line, varying pottery and brick artworks abound, and also include retaining walls made of glass bottles).
Mountain railway
A mountain railway is a railway that ascends and descends a mountain slope that has a steep grade. Such railways can use a number of different technologies to overcome the steepness of the grade...
on the outskirts of the provincial town of Coromandel
Coromandel, New Zealand
Coromandel is the name of a town and harbour on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand...
on the northwestern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
on 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 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...
. The railway leads up the mountain to a viewing platform building 165m high above the surrounding Coromandel west coast country.
History
The line was built by the potter Barry Brickell on his 22-hectare property, which he had acquired in 1961, aiming to start a pottery collective. He started construction of the 15-inch gauge rail line in 1975, originally mainly using it to transport clay and pine wood fuel to his kiln.The Driving Creek Railway (DCR) was slowly expanded over the next 25 years to become one of the very few completely new railway lines in New Zealand in recent years. The project required significant civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
works due to the steep and complex terrain that the line traverses. Among these are a double deck rail bridge, three tunnels, five viaducts and inclines as steep as 1 in 15. The trip takes approximately 1 hour return.
The attraction now brings over 30,000 people to the railway per year, with much of the proceeds funding nature conservation works.
Trains
The line operates a number of items of rolling stockRolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
, the most important of which are the three diesel railcars, which were built on site by the owners. Possum is an 14-seater two-car unit and Snake and Linx are 36-seater, three-unit vehicles.
Site features
The line climbs the hill behind Brickell's pottery, changing direction five times at reversing points to zigzag across the face of the hill. At the terminus is a wooden building, the "Eyefull Tower". Although this is a pun on the name Eiffel TowerEiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
(and on the wide land and sea views from the tower), its octagonal design is based on a much nearer landmark, the Bean Rock Lighthouse in Auckland Harbour.
There are a variety of other features on the site, such as a growing areas of re-planted native forest (including kauri), a wildlife sanctuary and a sculpture park (throughout the site and along the rail line, varying pottery and brick artworks abound, and also include retaining walls made of glass bottles).