Some of the images can be clicked on to enlarge. Click here for the South Island map.
I have joined these two locations on one page because, well, I felt like it. And they both start with 'R'. Please note that all photos are copyright to me (unless otherwise attributed).
The Rewanui Incline was opened in 1889 to bring coal down from the Paparoa Range coal mines. It was a relatively conventional line except that it was very steep in places (1:26, thanks for the info Patrick!) and required a third Fell type rail for breaking. Unlike the other Fell line in New Zealand, the Rimutaka Incline, the third rail was not used for traction. In the late 60's the centre rail was removed and the incline was operated by locomotives with twin brake systems (I presume this means two Westinghouse pumps).
The line wound it's way up a valley side, and included two short tunnels. After the Liverpool State Coal mine was closed in 1984, the operation ceased. The track was removed in October 1985.
The area is very picturesque, being covered in native bush. There are ferns and pungas everywhere.
In 1988 my mother and a friend visited the place to have a look around. The caretaker, Keith Butler, very kindly showed them around the station and the unused minors' bath house and facilities. The next day a heavy rainstorm caused a landslide which destroyed the bath house and caretaker's house, and killed Mr Butler. His body and car were never found.
When I went there I was unaware that the line crossed a bridge at the end of the valley and continued back along the other side. We didn't make it down to the bridge and had to forward the creek to discover the interesting bits. I really had no idea of the layout, and have got my crayons and scratched out the map (below) to help anybody else who may visit. It will hopefully get updated with more exact locations and descriptions as I learn more about it.
The road, for the most part, is on the old track bed and (despite not being sealed) is very good. The sign at the beginning of the road, just out of Dunollie, said that we had to ring ahead and get permission to proceed. Luckily we had a cell phone with us so we complied. I didn't expect that they would let us as it had been announced the week before that the mine was to close. However the mine staff were very nice, and nothing was a problem. There is a private coal mine (Moody Creek, IIRC) which turns off to the left which we mistook for the one that we had to go to, but the friendly staff put us right. We drove on until we got to the mine administration area at the very end. The admin lady issued us with a visitor's permit and hard hats and told us not to hurt ourselves. They were all very friendly.
This is a very beautiful, peaceful valley. Well worth the visit just for the scenery.
This is a *very* rough diagram of the Incline. If this image is not easily viewable, click on it for a larger version. The road is built on the old track bed.
July 2001 Update:
I had a very good e-mail from Andrew Palmer, who had some excellent comments on my rough map. As I don't have the time to re-draw it at the moment, I've reproduced his comments here:
"Having just stumbled upon your excellent trains site via a search for Rewanui, I have a couple of comments on the mine layout 'map' that you have drawn. My Father in Law was a miner at Rewanui in the 1950s and we had a walk up there a few weeks ago for a bit of an explore. The railway line didn't curve around the top of the valley like you have shown it. The actual layout was a bit more complex. The line went into the station, then one track went further on, and across a wooden bridge (Still in situ but very overgrown) and up alongside the creek to a place called Siberia, which was much further up the hill. The bins and workshops on the North side of the valley at Rewanui were accessed by setting back, down the hill, whereupon a junction just west of the station led across a truss girder bridge and on to the north bank of the creek. The rails fanned out into a yard which extended about half a mile or so back down the valley. The mine entrances that you saw were for Liverpool No. 3 mine, which shut in 1984. My brother in law was the Mine Manager here when it closed. The entrances are sealed to prevent people going in and killing themselves. Liverpool No. 2 and Liverpool No. 1 mines were higher up the hill, served by a rope worked inclined tramway which went through a long tunnel on its way up the hill. The book 'Siberia to the Sea' has lots more detail. The Mt Davey Mine closed in 1999 after three fatalities. Pretty much all the mine infrastructure has been removed. A large gate over the first tunnel on the road prevents vehicle access up the old railway line/road. There is still plenty to see though, especially further up the hill, beyond Rewanui. I hope this helps."
It certainly does help, many thanks Andrew! One day I'll update things and re-scan the photo's. A better scanner has helped things lately, for some reason I could never get the contrast and brightness right (even after the scan) on the previous one. Maybe! |