Exploring the old Rotorua Branch Line
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
- A slideshow of pictures from the time I went exploring the abandoned railway line to Rotorua, New Zealand. The line first opened in 1893, and trains kept running there until 2002. While there is a railway park in Ngongohata, nearly the entire Rotorua Branch is still abandoned today.
This is an ongoing tragedy. Rail transport is the most fuel efficient for freight and passengers, yet for some reason, it seems that NZ can't be bothered. Rotorua is a fantastic place. I have visited it several times, but of course, I have had to go by road.
Many people, especially tourists, like to travel in comfort without having to drive. The Silver Fern railcars were perfect in that respect, but truncating the line outside the city centre does not help at all.
New Zealand needs to rethink its entire transport policy, with KiwiRail getting managers who have a passion for developing the industry, attracting passenger and business customers, and not for sitting on their backsides enjoying an easy time. Jacinda is gone so there should be nothing holding them back.
It defies belief that this has been Un operational for 23 years. Looks longer. The abandonment of the line is a damning insult to the hard work of those who created this route. We've become so short sighted in New Zealand.
I explored part of this on my trip to Putaruru back in October. The Railway line at the Domain Road crossing has since been removed.
It is about time a serious group of local citizens and such formed a proper organisation to advocate for restoration of the Rotorua Branch Railway. All over the world, Railways and tourism go together. In New Zealand we have a stupid mindset of, "cheapest is best" and "she'll be right". Well "Cheapest is not best" and "she wont be right" Fred.
I agree... 😅
This is quite a cool branch line
Those Railcarts are cool! It has quite a steep gradient, one factor they closed it and won't reopen it. They are considering building a new line from Paengaroa through Rotorua and ending in Taupo. It will be for logging so it probably won't be able to carry passengers because that requires more health and safety but they could upgrade it in the future. I think the most important thing to do is maintain the overhead bridge in Putaruru so they can extend the Railcarts out there because that's the only thing that line is good for currently.
At point 6.37 in the video, the loco on the left is a 1907 Andrew Barclay and Sons. Originally it was a Duplex but the two half parted company in the 1920's. The other half was converted to diesel and has now been scrapped. This half has been rebuilt to a static and now resides in private ownership in Tauranga. The other engine is a Fowler and is now in private ownership in Horotiu Hamilton.
the last train came in 1983 all I remember there back in the days it was sad they closed the line down and old rail crossing not in used today but the station is long gone ☹️😟🚂
Great vid. Thanks very much. So pleased someone is making NZ rail vids like these. Love the honky tonk.
As a resident, it's quite sad to see this branch mothballed when a profitable tourist train could definitely have been run on this branch. However, I am hoping that the Te Huia train is successful enough to perhaps get people to consider bringing back passenger rail to Tauranga and Rotorua. The reason the line was brought out of the CBD is because it simply wasn't paying for itself, and the council wanted a place to put a mall.
My understanding is that a local Maori Iwi (the Tuhoe perhaps?) have always owned the land that the station and the approaching track sat upon.
Given the cuts to passenger services that the station had, and that it was subjected to vandalism, and that freight trains could cause traffic jams at the adjacent crossing: I can't blame them in getting rid of the station and getting a mall built and returns on the valuable land.
Who knows? With malls generally dying slow deaths: Maybe the Iwi will allow the land to be redeveloped as a station again?, if it was developed as a dual station & retail complex?
@@danieleyre8913 It should never have been demolished in the first place. They could have integrated a passenger terminal with a shopping complex. As for freight trains holding up traffic, they could have just relocated the freight yard to the outskirts and only had passenger trains go into the CBD.
I used to volunteer for the Ngongotaha Railway Park driving the miniature diesel locomotive known as little blue, I was unfortunately dismissed due to an altercation between me and the older members of staff but the adjacent museum and yard if you can even call it that was home to some rare artifacts of the old NZR, and at least one of the old diesel locomotives parked there was still operational but never really used for anything.
It was sold during my time as a volunteer either for scrap or restoration I can't remember which, I don't have a whole lot of information about the other remains in the yard, I do know there was a little red railway cart that visitors could ride on back and forth through the yard but we rarely got visitors either way, on a good day we'd probably see 10-18 people and on a slow day we would close 2-3 hours early.
And while technically the museum was separate from us at the park it did rely on us to draw in visitors as we had a running 16" gauge steam locomotive by the name of Sir Roy, there's an incredibly funny story behind the creation of that engine too, it's not based on anything and it is completely home built, the steam dome and sand dome atop the locomotive were kitchen bowls and the regulator was an old handbrake out of a car.
There were big plans to expand the park's 16" track to go around the entire plot at the park including either around or over the pond at the far end, bits of railway track were laid down but as far as I know it was never completed.
6:47 That steam locomotives was operated from 1894 until 1959 and run by Rotorua express from Auckland. This service takes 8 hours and 40 minutes to reach Rotorua from Auckland and traveled at an average speed of less than 30km per hour.
I can just remember as a young boy going down to the crossing on Kawaha Point Road and putting a penny on the tracks and waiting for the steam train passing over it. The fun part was then trying to find it haha
Should be reinstated, isn't that what we pay tax for... going by train to rotorua and back would be cool trip being that it is a a nice holiday spot and attracts tourists...
Good film, great sounds.
Why did the line close ? Excuse / Reason given by NZR at the time. Not enough freight. Then Council jumped in REAL QUICK, and built a mall over it ! Remember ? Have checked out the accessible parts from roads at Puataruru end through to Ngatira. Now . . . howzabout a Scenic from Hobbiton ( Matamata ), through to Rotorua . ( Lindsay Mac, Tirau. ) .
Walked this line a few times and ridden my old jigger down
Of all the towns that should have a passenger station-Rotorua! Foreign tourists arrive in NZ. They want to go to Rotorua. The fastest, easiest, most scenic way would be by train, as they are used to travelling such distances by train.
Why did the line from Auckland to Rotorua close?
Mainly due to decline in passenger and freight volumes. It was typical of the attitudes of the government at the time and of NZ Railways to shut down any line that wasn't profitable. Hence we lost other significant lines such as the old ECMT through Te Aroha and on to Paeroa and Thames around this time (90s / early 2000s).
The Kingston branch which ran from Invercargill to Kingston at the bottom of Lake Wakatipu was another line that was lost to stupid decisions by those in power. If it had been left intact, they could run tourist trains from Picton to Invercargill and on to Kingston, then passengers could take the ferry across the lake to Queenstown.
Only in NZ could we make a direct link from our biggest city to one of our top tourist destinations an unviable proposition 🤦🏽♂️
Everyday i pass over bridge that where rotorua branch lineis I can see some few track already remove off
Maybe a cycle trail? 🙃
Nice vid!
Is it possible to purchase these old lines and refurbish them for private use?
You can lease part of the line like the Rotorua Railcarts do.
Feel free to come up to the mamaku’s or Ngatira plenty of Iron rails to purchase long buggers too
there a old Tr class
Ngongotaha is not a town it's part of Rotorua dude get it right 🤣
We use to call it Ngongladesh.
Absolutely agree that the line should be reinstated for passenger and freight services.
Here's a little more info about the history of the line:
The new passenger station at Koutu was intended as temporary measure until the line could be relaid to a proposed new passenger station in the central city on the corner of Ranolf and Amohau Streets, which was being pursued by the Second Chance Train Trust and the Rotorua District Council.
In June 1995 the Rotorua District Council considered a report for building a new terminal, but the new station never eventuated.
Photo of the old Railways Road Services depot in the middle of town: www.westonlangford.com/media/photos/103948.jpg