Kinleith Branch

  • Morrinsville, Waikato
  • Kinleith Mill
StationsWalton (East Coast Main Trunk)

Waharoa

Matamata

Hinuera

Okoroire

Tīrau / Oxford

Taumangi

Putāruru (for Rotorua Branch)

LichfieldServiceOperator(s)KiwiRailRolling stockNoneHistoryOpened6 October 1952 (as a heavy-rail line)TechnicalLine length65 km (40 mi)Number of tracksSingleCharacterRuralTrack gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map

Legend
East Coast Main Trunk
← Hamilton │ Kawerau →
Waharoa
Waharoa Road West
Pohlens Road
Broadway
Matamata
SH27
Hinuera
SH29
Gore Road
Rangipai Road
Totman Road
Okoroire
SH27
Okoroire Road
Tirau Railway Station
SH1
Taumangi
Taumangi Road
Scott Road
Main Road (Putaruru)
Putaruru
Princes Street
Rotorua Branch
to Rotorua
 Baldwin Road
Kinloch Road
Lichfield
Vosper Road
Lichfield dairy plant
Wiltsdown Road
Pokaiwhenua Stream
Rollett Road
Baird Road
Bridge Street
SH32
Balmoral Drive
Campbell Road
Galaxy Road
Kinleith Mill
Kinleith Road
Wawa Road
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Map
Map

The Kinleith Branch railway line is located in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The line was constructed by the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company, Taupo Totara Timber Company and rebuilt by the Public Works Department primarily to serve the Kinleith Mill in 1952.[1] It is 65 kilometres (40 mi) in length.

History

The New Zealand Government Railways line to Thames was opened to Morrinsville on 1 October 1884. Taking advantage of enabling legislation, the Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company originally built the line from Morrinsville as part of its planned route to Rotorua as far as Lichfield.[2] The Morrinsville-Oxford section opened without any ceremony on 8 March 1886.[3] NZGR took over the company on 8 March 1886, instead building the Rotorua Branch railway line from Putāruru. The 8 km (5 mi) section between Putāruru and Lichfield was closed by NZGR in 1897 as it served no purpose. The Taupo Totara Timber Company (TTT Company) then used the disused railway formation from Putāruru for its lightly constructed bush tramway line to Mokai, near Lake Taupō.[4]

Following the exhaustion of native timber in the region, the TTT Company line closed on 26 October 1944. The government saw that the line had greater potential and in September 1946 acquired the 29 km (18 mi) section between Putāruru and Kinleith. This line formed part of a proposed railway line to Taupō. The section of line reopened on 9 June 1947 under the control of the Public Works Department, using geared steam locomotives purchased from the TTT Co. The Public Works Department eventually rebuilt the line with heavier rail, some of it brought from Taranaki after opening of the Turakina deviation,[5] wider curves and slighter grades, reaching Tokoroa in 1949 and Kinleith in 1952.[6]

Bridges

There were 14 bridges on the original Morrinsville to Oxford section. No 1 bridge, over the Piako River at Morrinsville, was realigned from the original plans to be a 7-span, 220 ft (67 m) skew bridge, 54 ft (16 m) above river, made of kauri and totara.[7]

Services

AB class steam locomotive 608 on an excursion at Matamata in June 2015.

From 1913 the Morrinsville to Putāruru service was operated by a motor train.[8]

Since the withdrawal of the Geyserland Express to Rotorua in 2001, all services on the line are freight trains. The line from Putāruru - Kinleith Mill has only seen regular freight trains since being rebuilt in 1952. Occasional excursion passenger trains have operated, some being hauled by preserved steam locomotives.

The branch sees eight trains in and out of Kinleith each weekday, two on Saturdays and four on Sundays.[9] Tokoroa Road Rail Terminal opened in 2015 and handled an average of about 11 containers a day in its first 6 months.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hermann 2007, p. 25–29.
  2. ^ "Thames Valley and Rotorua Railway Company". New Zealand Herald. 1 March 1886. p. 6. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Tuesday, March 9, 1886". Waikato Times. 9 March 1886. p. 2. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  4. ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 118.
  5. ^ "Putaruru-Tokoroa Railway". Bay of Plenty Times. 31 December 1947. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. ^ Robin Bromby (2003). Rails That Built A Nation - An Encyclopedia of New Zealand Railways. Grantham House. ISBN 1-86934-080-9.
  7. ^ "Morrinsville. (held Over from Last Issue.)". Te Aroha News. 26 April 1884. p. 7. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives — 1913 Session I — D-02 Page 2". atojs.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  9. ^ "North Island Master Plan" (PDF). 24 May 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011.
  10. ^ "R J Lincoln". South Waikato. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

Bibliography

  • Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
  • Hermann, Bruce J (2007). North Island Branch Lines. Wellington: New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. pp. 25–29. ISBN 978-0-908573-83-7.

External links

  • 1886 Lichfield-Auckland timetable
  • Ministry of Works progress report 1950 (page 15)
  • Morrinsville Museum photos of station and bridges
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See also: New Zealand railway museums and heritage lines