Whitecliffs Branch historical site

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Whitecliffs Branch historical site
Whitecliffs Branch historical site is located in New Zealand
Whitecliffs Branch historical site
Location of Whitecliffs Branch historical site
LocationWestview Park, Darfield, New Zealand
CoordinatesCoordinates: 43°29′17.84″S 172°6′22.86″E / 43.4882889°S 172.1063500°E / -43.4882889; 172.1063500
Elevation201 metres
Opened6 February 2015 (2015-02-06)
Built forWhitecliffs Branch
Original useRailway Station
Restored2014–2015
Current useMemorial and museum

The Whitecliffs Branch historical site is an historical site containing the original, restored Homebush station building and a NZR type M wagon. The site was dedicated to the Whitecliffs Branch to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the line closing. It was officially opened on 6 February 2015 by Don Chambers at Westview Park, Darfield, New Zealand, near to the site of the Junction (White Cliffs Junction/Horndon Junction/Darfield Junction).[1]

History[]

The Whitecliffs Branch was an 18.4 kilometres (11.4 mi) long branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network in the Canterbury region of the South Island.[2] It operated from November 1875 until March 1962. The predominant traffic on the line was lignite coal from the mines, with two private lines running to industries from the branch; one in Glentunnel for the Homebush Brick and Tile Company, and the other in Coalgate for the Homebush Coal Company.[3]

Construction[]

Homebush Station[]

The Homebush Station building was built in 1875 and was located on Yeomans Road.[4] It was donated by the Slattery Family estate and restored to its 1947 appearance, with help from Jack Blair and Brian Marsh.[1]

NZR M Wagon[]

The NZR M type Wagon (No. M141) was built in 1900 at the Hillside Workshops in Dunedin. It was decommissioned in October 1970 and then used at the Islington New Zealand Electricity Department (NZED) substation yard to transport electricity department poles and equipment. The wagon was purchased by Matthew Williams in 1992 from Transpower after the siding was removed from the substation.

The wagon originally had an Australian hard wood deck, but was replaced with pinus during restoration. Restoration of the wagon was completed by Matthew Williams.

Other features[]

Two other features included in the memorial site are:

  • Points lever donated by the Russell Williams Museum
  • Rail set donated by the Canterbury Steam Preservation Society (McLeans Island Steamscene)

References[]

  1. ^ a b 3650446. "Tr feb 11 15". Issuu. Retrieved 1 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Bromby 2003, p. 86.
  3. ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 183.
  4. ^ "Homebush, New Zealand". The Reader Wiki, Reader View of Wikipedia. Retrieved 1 October 2021.

External links[]

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