Mount Somers Branch
Encyclopedia
The Mount Somers Branch, sometimes known as the Springburn Branch, was a branch line
railway in the region of Canterbury
, New Zealand
. The line was built in stages from 1878, reaching Mount Somers
in 1885. A further section to Springburn was added in 1889; this closed in 1957, followed by the rest of the line in 1968. A portion has been restored as the Plains Vintage Railway
.
coal
and limestone
in the hills behind the town of Mount Somers. Construction commenced in May 1878, with the line leaving the Main South Line
at Tinwald
, not far south of Ashburton
. With the onset of the Long Depression
looming, the construction work on the line provided valuable employment, and as it was built, it was progressively opened. The first 13.39 km to Westerfield were opened on 15 April 1880, followed by Anama
, 30.9 km from the junction, on 3 October 1882, and then Cavendish on 1 March 1884, 35.02 km from Tinwald.
Although it had been decided to terminate the line on the south bank of the South Ashburton River, another 2.58 km was built to Mount Somers, opening on 4 October 1885. An extension of 5.57 km to Springburn was opened on 9 September 1889, bringing the line to its full length to 43.17 km.
In 1886, a privately-owned narrow-gauge bush tramway was built into the hills behind Mount Somers to serve coal mines and a limeworks. This line operated until 1963, though after 1943 it was closed beyond the limeworks.
operated on the line. Besides coal and limestone, important commodities on the line were grain, livestock, and silica sand
that was railed to a glassworks in the Christchurch
suburb of Hornby
, served by the Southbridge Branch. At one point in the 19th century, as tractors displaced horses on farms in the area, substantial traffic came from the transport of horses to the North Island
, where the terrain was too steep for tractors of the era to handle.
As road transportation improved in the 20th century, the line's importance slipped. Passenger traffic in particular had markedly declined from a peak of 18,000-25,000 passengers per annum in the late 19th century, and as it was no longer viable, the passenger service was withdrawn on 9 January 1933. World War II
generated increased traffic for the line, especially as there was a military camp located in Westerfield, but after the war ended conditions returned to their pre-war status. In 1951, the freight trains were reduced to twice a week and they now commenced in Ashburton rather than at the branch's terminus. Closure of the short section to Springburn had been suggested as early as 1930 and this finally occurred on 29 March 1957, with full closure of the line on 1 January 1968. Wheat was railed from Valetta
until April 1968.
The first two kilometres of the line from the junction at Tinwald to the Frasers Road crossing survive as the Plains Vintage Railway
.
, including embankments
and cuttings, survive, while in other places it has been obliterated, often by farming activity. Goods shed
s survive at Mount Somers, along with a couple of loading banks, and at Valetta, where some ballast
is still in place on the formation of a siding. The site of the Westerfield yard retains a couple of loading banks, there are bridge abutments at various points, and about a kilometre from Westerfield School a couple of sleepers
can be found.
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 in the region of Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
, 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...
. The line was built in stages from 1878, reaching Mount Somers
Mount Somers
Mount Somers is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand, nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The population in the 2001 census was 2,307. Due to its scenic location, it has seen growth in the number of holiday homes....
in 1885. A further section to Springburn was added in 1889; this closed in 1957, followed by the rest of the line in 1968. A portion has been restored as the Plains Vintage Railway
Plains Vintage Railway
The Plains Vintage Railway is a heritage railway near Ashburton, New Zealand that operates on three kilometres of trackage that was once part of the Mount Somers Branch before it closed...
.
Construction
Unlike many other rural branch lines in New Zealand, this line was not built for the sole purpose of opening up land for agriculture, as there were significant deposits of ligniteLignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and 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....
in the hills behind the town of Mount Somers. Construction commenced in May 1878, with the line leaving 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...
at Tinwald
Tinwald, New Zealand
Tinwald is a town in Canterbury, New Zealand, now little more than a suburb of Ashburton. It lies to the south of the larger town, separated from it by the Ashburton River...
, not far south of Ashburton
Ashburton, New Zealand
Ashburton is a town and district in the Canterbury Region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru. The area around Ashburton is frequently referred to as Mid Canterbury, which is also the name of the...
. With the onset of the Long Depression
Long Depression
The Long Depression was a worldwide economic crisis, felt most heavily in Europe and the United States, which had been experiencing strong economic growth fueled by the Second Industrial Revolution in the decade following the American Civil War. At the time, the episode was labeled the Great...
looming, the construction work on the line provided valuable employment, and as it was built, it was progressively opened. The first 13.39 km to Westerfield were opened on 15 April 1880, followed by Anama
Anama
Anama is a sparsely populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is on the Hinds River, with the Ashburton River not far to the north in nearby Mount Somers. Other nearby settlements include Valetta to the east, Mayfield to the south, and Montalto to the west. ...
, 30.9 km from the junction, on 3 October 1882, and then Cavendish on 1 March 1884, 35.02 km from Tinwald.
Although it had been decided to terminate the line on the south bank of the South Ashburton River, another 2.58 km was built to Mount Somers, opening on 4 October 1885. An extension of 5.57 km to Springburn was opened on 9 September 1889, bringing the line to its full length to 43.17 km.
In 1886, a privately-owned narrow-gauge bush tramway was built into the hills behind Mount Somers to serve coal mines and a limeworks. This line operated until 1963, though after 1943 it was closed beyond the limeworks.
Stations
The following stations were on the Mount Somers Branch (in brackets is the distance from the junction at Tinwald):- Lagmhor (8.13 km)
- Westerfield (13.39 km)
- Hackthorne (17.92 km)
- Punawai (21.69 km)
- ValettaValetta, New ZealandValetta is a lightly populated locality in the mid-Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located in an agricultural area on the southern side of the Ashburton River. Another river, the Hinds River, is to Valetta's southwest. Nearby settlements include Mount Somers to the...
(26.56 km) - AnamaAnamaAnama is a sparsely populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is on the Hinds River, with the Ashburton River not far to the north in nearby Mount Somers. Other nearby settlements include Valetta to the east, Mayfield to the south, and Montalto to the west. ...
(30.9 km) - Cavendish (35.02 km)
- Mount SomersMount SomersMount Somers is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand, nestled in the foothills of the Southern Alps. The population in the 2001 census was 2,307. Due to its scenic location, it has seen growth in the number of holiday homes....
(37.6 km) - Buccleugh (?? km)
- Springburn (43.17 km)
Operation
For roughly half a century a daily mixed trainMixed 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...
operated on the line. Besides coal and limestone, important commodities on the line were grain, livestock, and silica sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
that was railed to a glassworks in the Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
suburb of Hornby
Hornby, New Zealand
Hornby is a major residential and retail suburb at the western edge of Christchurch, New Zealand.-Naming and history:Hornby was apparently named by Frederick William Delamain, who came to Christchurch from England in 1852. The name reportedly refers to Hornby-with-Farleton in Lancashire...
, served by the Southbridge Branch. At one point in the 19th century, as tractors displaced horses on farms in the area, substantial traffic came from the transport of horses to the 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...
, where the terrain was too steep for tractors of the era to handle.
As road transportation improved in the 20th century, the line's importance slipped. Passenger traffic in particular had markedly declined from a peak of 18,000-25,000 passengers per annum in the late 19th century, and as it was no longer viable, the passenger service was withdrawn on 9 January 1933. World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
generated increased traffic for the line, especially as there was a military camp located in Westerfield, but after the war ended conditions returned to their pre-war status. In 1951, the freight trains were reduced to twice a week and they now commenced in Ashburton rather than at the branch's terminus. Closure of the short section to Springburn had been suggested as early as 1930 and this finally occurred on 29 March 1957, with full closure of the line on 1 January 1968. Wheat was railed from Valetta
Valetta, New Zealand
Valetta is a lightly populated locality in the mid-Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located in an agricultural area on the southern side of the Ashburton River. Another river, the Hinds River, is to Valetta's southwest. Nearby settlements include Mount Somers to the...
until April 1968.
The first two kilometres of the line from the junction at Tinwald to the Frasers Road crossing survive as the Plains Vintage Railway
Plains Vintage Railway
The Plains Vintage Railway is a heritage railway near Ashburton, New Zealand that operates on three kilometres of trackage that was once part of the Mount Somers Branch before it closed...
.
The branch today
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....
, including embankments
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
and cuttings, survive, while in other places it has been obliterated, often by farming activity. Goods shed
Goods shed
A 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...
s survive at Mount Somers, along with a couple of loading banks, and at Valetta, where some ballast
Track ballast
Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
is still in place on the formation of a siding. The site of the Westerfield yard retains a couple of loading banks, there are bridge abutments at various points, and about a kilometre from Westerfield School a couple of sleepers
Railroad tie
A railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
can be found.