Dunback and Makareao Branches
Encyclopedia
The Dunback and Makareao Branches were two connected branch line
railways, part of New Zealand
's national rail network
. Located in the Otago
region of the South Island
, both lines were 15km in length and shared the first 11km. The Dunback Branch, also known as the Waihemo Branch, opened in 1885 and closed in 1968; the Makareao Branch, also known as the Inch Valley Railway or the Inch Valley Branch, opened in 1900 and operated for 89 years.
for use on railway construction and maintenance elsewhere and in operation by 1882. This spur left the Main South Line
just north of Palmerston
with its points
facing south towards Palmerston station. These initial kilometres were built with a further extension in mind, and by 1884 work on completing the line to Dunback
was under way. The branch followed the Shag River
, and on 29 August 1885 it was formally opened. An extension of this line to Ranfurly
and beyond was proposed as a possible route for a railway to Central Otago
, but the route of the Otago Central Railway ultimately reached Ranfurly by passing through the Taieri and Maniototo
regions.
The Makareao Branch followed approximately 15 years later, with the four kilometres of track constructed by the Public Works Department
and opened on 31 March 1900. Its ownership passed through a series of government departments before ultimately coming under the control of the New Zealand Railways Department
. This line was built through an extremely rural district, serving no towns or localities; it was built solely to access a limeworks and had a steep climb from its junction with the Dunback Branch at Inch Valley to the terminus in Makareao.
The line then split and had two termini:
Dunback was the only manned station. 100 m before Inch Valley, a short siding ran to a ballast pit and had a 39-wagon loop. The points faced towards Dunback.
The 1900 opening of the Makareao Branch significantly added to traffic on the line, with large quantities of limestone
transported by rail. This industrial traffic sustained the line, allowing the branch to largely avoid the slow decline that plagued many rural branch lines in New Zealand in the 20th century. However, by the late 1920s, the short section from Inch Valley to Dunback was losing money and passenger services ceased on 10 August 1930. These services had been solely mixed train
s, where a passenger carriage (or more if necessary) was attached to a goods train.
In 1950, five trains operated a week, and with non-limestone traffic dwindling it was inevitable that the Dunback section would be closed and services concentrated on Makareao. Closure of the four kilometres from Inch Valley to Dunback took place on 1 January 1968 and limestone became the line's sole traffic. Services operated thrice weekly to Dunedin's Burnside Cement Works, with the trains of four-wheeled wagons, typically hauled by DJ class
locomotives, nicknamed "stone trains". From at least 1952 trains were limited to 30 km/h for the entire line, and in 1988 this dropped to 20 km/h. During these later years occasional passenger excursions were operated down the line by railway enthusiasts and organisations, notably the Otago Excursion Train Trust.
The end of the Makareao Branch was sudden. Declining demand led to the closure of the Burnside Cement Works in December 1988, removing the limestone traffic that was the line's livelihood. It was kept open for a few months due to hopes that the cement works would be reopened, but this did not come to pass and formal closure came on 1 June 1989, though stone trains had not run since the cement works' closure the previous December.
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...
railways, part 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...
. Located in the Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
region 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...
, both lines were 15km in length and shared the first 11km. The Dunback Branch, also known as the Waihemo Branch, opened in 1885 and closed in 1968; the Makareao Branch, also known as the Inch Valley Railway or the Inch Valley Branch, opened in 1900 and operated for 89 years.
Construction
The first few kilometres of the Dunback Branch were under construction by March 1880 to access a deposit of shingleSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
for use on railway construction and maintenance elsewhere and in operation by 1882. This spur left the Main South Line
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...
just north of Palmerston
Palmerston, New Zealand
The town of Palmerston, in New Zealand's South Island lies 50 kilometres to the north of the city of Dunedin. It is the largest town in the Waihemo Ward of the Waitaki District with a population of 890 residents...
with its points
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
facing south towards Palmerston station. These initial kilometres were built with a further extension in mind, and by 1884 work on completing the line to Dunback
Dunback
Dunback, formerly Waihemo, is a small town in the Otago region of New Zealand. It is located between Palmerston and Ranfurly on Highway 85. It has a population of about 200 people...
was under way. The branch followed the Shag River
Shag River
Shag River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. It rises in the Kakanui Range, flowing southeast for 50 kilometres before reaching the Pacific Ocean near the town of Palmerston...
, and on 29 August 1885 it was formally opened. An extension of this line to Ranfurly
Ranfurly
Ranfurly can refer to the following places:*Ranfurly, Alberta, Canada*Ranfurly, Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, Scotland*Ranfurly, New Zealand, Otago, New ZealandRanfurly may also refer to:...
and beyond was proposed as a possible route for a railway to Central Otago
Central Otago
Central Otago is the inland part of the New Zealand region of Otago in the South Island. The area commonly known as Central Otago includes both the Central Otago District and the Queenstown-Lakes District to the west....
, but the route of the Otago Central Railway ultimately reached Ranfurly by passing through the Taieri and Maniototo
Maniototo
The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to the north and the Rock and Pillar Range to the southeast...
regions.
The Makareao Branch followed approximately 15 years later, with the four kilometres of track constructed by 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...
and opened on 31 March 1900. Its ownership passed through a series of government departments before ultimately coming under the control of 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...
. This line was built through an extremely rural district, serving no towns or localities; it was built solely to access a limeworks and had a steep climb from its junction with the Dunback Branch at Inch Valley to the terminus in Makareao.
Stations
The following stations were on the Dunback and Makareao Branches (in brackets is the distance from Palmerston):- Meadowbank (4.38 km) - loop for 14 wagons, name sometimes spelt "Meadow Bank".
- GlenparkGlenpark, New ZealandGlenpark is a lightly populated rural locality in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is northwest of Palmerston and is on the banks of the Shag River...
(7.23 km) - loop for 31 wagons, goods shedGoods shedA goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
, passenger platform, and loading bank. - Inch ValleyInch ValleyInch Valley is a lightly populated rural locality in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is northwest of Palmerston and Glenpark, east of Stoneburn, on the banks of the Shag River...
(10.17 km) - loop for 15 wagons, passenger platform and shelter shed, and loading bank.
The line then split and had two termini:
- Dunback (14.8 km) - multiple loops, goods shedGoods shedA goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
, water tankWater tankA Water tank is a container for storing water. The need for a water tank is as old as civilized man, providing storage of water for drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemical manufacturing, food preparation as well as many...
for steam locomotiveSteam locomotiveA 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, passenger platform, loading bank. - MakareaoMakareaoMakareao is a lightly populated rural locality in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. To the west is Dunback and to the south is Inch Valley and the nearest significantly populated town, Palmerston.- Economy :...
(15.06 km) - lime bins and loop for 26 wagons.
Dunback was the only manned station. 100 m before Inch Valley, a short siding ran to a ballast pit and had a 39-wagon loop. The points faced towards Dunback.
Operation
The Dunback Branch was the nearest railhead to the Maniototo region at its opening in 1885 and initially catered for traffic from beyond just the local Dunback area. This included providing supplies for the construction of the Otago Central Railway. When the Otago Central was opened to Ranfurly in 1898, the Dunback Branch was deprived of its wider importance and it was relegated to catering for solely local traffic.The 1900 opening of the Makareao Branch significantly added to traffic on the line, with large quantities of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
transported by rail. This industrial traffic sustained the line, allowing the branch to largely avoid the slow decline that plagued many rural branch lines in New Zealand in the 20th century. However, by the late 1920s, the short section from Inch Valley to Dunback was losing money and passenger services ceased on 10 August 1930. These services had been solely mixed train
Mixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
s, where a passenger carriage (or more if necessary) was attached to a goods train.
In 1950, five trains operated a week, and with non-limestone traffic dwindling it was inevitable that the Dunback section would be closed and services concentrated on Makareao. Closure of the four kilometres from Inch Valley to Dunback took place on 1 January 1968 and limestone became the line's sole traffic. Services operated thrice weekly to Dunedin's Burnside Cement Works, with the trains of four-wheeled wagons, typically hauled by DJ class
NZR DJ class
The NZR DJ class locomotive is a class of diesel-electric locomotive used in New Zealand. The class were purchased from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a modernisation loan from the World Bank to replace steam locomotives in the South Island, where most of the class members worked most of their...
locomotives, nicknamed "stone trains". From at least 1952 trains were limited to 30 km/h for the entire line, and in 1988 this dropped to 20 km/h. During these later years occasional passenger excursions were operated down the line by railway enthusiasts and organisations, notably the Otago Excursion Train Trust.
The end of the Makareao Branch was sudden. Declining demand led to the closure of the Burnside Cement Works in December 1988, removing the limestone traffic that was the line's livelihood. It was kept open for a few months due to hopes that the cement works would be reopened, but this did not come to pass and formal closure came on 1 June 1989, though stone trains had not run since the cement works' closure the previous December.