Thames Branch

The Thames Branch railway line connected Thames, New Zealand, with Hamilton and was originally part of the East Coast Main Trunk railway. Part of the line between Morrinsville and Waitoa remains open and is in use as the Waitoa Branch line, connecting to the Fonterra Dairy Factory at Waitoa.

Thames Branch
The former station in Thames
Overview
StatusClosed, section to Waitoa open, renamed the Waitoa Branch
OwnerNew Zealand Railways Corporation
TerminiMorrinsville
Thames
Service
Operator(s)KiwiRail
Rolling stockNone
History
Closed1991 (from Waitoa—Thames)
Technical
Line length74.07 km (46.02 mi) Morrinsville - Thames
11 km (6.8 mi) Open[1]
Number of tracksSingle
CharacterRural
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Thames Branch
46.02 mi
74.06 km
Thames North
45.06 mi
72.52 km
 Thames
43.92 mi
70.68 km
 Parawai
41.79 mi
67.25 km
 Kopu
39.3 mi
63.2 km
 Matatoki
37 mi
60 km
 Puriri
36.64 mi
58.97 km
 Omahu
33.54 mi
53.98 km
 Wharepoa Rd
32.49 mi
52.29 km
 Hikutaia
29.46 mi
47.41 km
 Komata N
27.41 mi
44.11 km
 Paeroa
26.81 mi
43.15 km
 Paeroa Township
25.23 mi
40.6 km
 Paeroa S
 former ECMT
21.3 mi
34.3 km
 Tirohia
18.4 mi
29.6 km
 Waitoki
15.36 mi
24.72 km
 Mangaiti
14.36 mi
23.11 km
 Tui Pa
12.81 mi
20.62 km
 Te Aroha
12.34 mi
19.86 km
 Herriesville
9.83 mi
15.82 km
 Waihou
6.74 mi
10.85 km
 Waitoa
4.3 mi
6.9 km
 Tatuanui
1.78 mi
2.86 km
 Piako
 ECMT
0 mi
0 km
 Morrinsville

History

The discovery of gold in the Thames area in 1852[2] provided the impetus for building a railway line from Auckland to Thames.[3] In 1872 the Auckland Provincial Council recommended a rail connection to Thames, primarily due to issues associated with barging coal from North Auckland coal mines to Thames to serve the gold mining industry. Surveys were completed in 1878, despite opposition from local Maori, putting the cost of the 54 km line at £178,000. The 32 mi (51 km) Thames-Te Aroha section had cost £159,340[4] (about $30m in 2018 values)[5] when opened. Premier Sir George Grey turned the first sod of the line at Thames on 21 December 1878,[4] but 18 months later work from Thames was stopped by the 1880 Royal Commission ordered by Grey's successor.[3] The track bed had been built as far as Kopu by 1884,[6] employing about 30 men.[7]

However, construction of the section from Hamilton continued, albeit slowly. The line crossed the Waikato River and was opened from Morrinsville to Te Aroha on 1 March 1886, to Paeroa on 20 December 1895, and finally to Thames on 19 December 1898.[8] The Minister of Railways, Alfred Cadman, drove the first train into Thames, headed by an F class locomotive.[3]

One of the lines first major traffic sources was A & G Price of Thames, who started producing locomotives for NZGR from 1904.

Following the completion of the North Island Main Trunk in 1908, the government began planning the East Coast Main Trunk in 1909, eventually to connect to Gisborne. Work began in 1911 on a link from Paeroa through the Karangahake Gorge to Waihi. From this stage the Thames Branch was defined as Paeroa to Thames, with the Morrinsville - Paeroa section being designated as part of the East Coast Main Trunk.

In 1928 the passenger service was being provided by a steam railcar.[9] Freight was declining by 1930, leading to the loss of the porter at Puriri.[10]

The opening of the Kaimai Tunnel in 1978 and the closure of the Paeroa - Katikati section of the East Coast Main Trunk led to the re-designation of the Morrinsville - Thames section as the Thames Branch.[3]

Scheduled trains to Thames ceased 1985. The line closed on 28 June 1991. The track was lifted during May 1995,[11] between Thames and the dairy factory at Waitoa. In 2004 the section of the line as far as Waitoa (still in place) was re-opened for dairy traffic, as part of Fonterra's policy of reviewing its transport links.[12]

The Thames Railway Station building of 1898 survives as it was listed by NZHPT Category II in 1982.[13] It is a standard Vintage station, with gables, finials and scalloped bargeboards.[14]

Services

Currently services to Waitoa consist of unscheduled shunts to Morrinsville carrying dairy products, usually powered by a DSJ class shunting locomotive, or by a DC class mainline locomotive when higher tonnages are being moved.

Stations

Stations were at Thames North, Thames, Parawai, Kopu, Matatoki, Puriri, Omahu, Wharepoa Rd, Hikutaia, Komata North, Paeroa (junction for Tauranga), Tirohia, Waitoki, Mangaiti, Tui Pa, Te Aroha, Herriesville, Waihou, Waitoa (current terminus), Tatuanui, Piako and the present junction with the ECMT at Morrinsville.[15]

Cycleway

Most of the former rail alignment is now part of the Hauraki Rail Trail of the New Zealand Cycle Trail network, with the local councils in 2011 securing a 20-year lease, though the option of prior termination remains should KiwiRail intend to relay the railway to run trains along the corridor again.[16]

References
  1. Waikato Regional Land Transport Strategy - Transport Baseline Report, May 2005 Archived 23 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. The History of gold mining on "The River Thames" Archived 15 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine - Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 1, June 1964, A.M. Isdale B.A.
  3. Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 107.
  4. "Thames Railway". Auckland Star. 19 December 1898. p. 5. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  5. "Inflation calculator". RBNZ.
  6. "D-01 PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT, BY THE MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS, THE HON. EDWARD RICHARDSON, 24th OCTOBER, 1884. (Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1884-01-01)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  7. Zealand, National Library of New. "Papers Past | Thames to Kopu Railway. (Thames Star, 1884-10-01)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  8. Morrinsville - Te Ara, Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 1966
  9. "Local And General News". The New Zealand Herald. 7 January 1928. p. 8. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  10. "LESS TRAFFIC BY RAIL. (New Zealand Herald, 1930-02-05)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  11. New Zealands Branch Railways (from a private website)
  12. "Fonterra and Toll Sign 20-year Rail Agreement | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  13. NZHPT listing with photo
  14. Rail Heritage Trust - Thames
  15. Yonge, John Roger; Company, Quail Map (1993). New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas. Quail Map Company. ISBN 9780900609923.
  16. Thames Line Handed To Cycleway - AKT Blog, 15 May 2011

Further reading
  • 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; North Island Branch Lines pp 19–24 (2007, New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society, Wellington) ISBN 978-0-908573-83-7
  • Mulligan, Barbara (2000). New Zealand Rail Trails: A Guide to 42 Ghost Lines. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-86934-126-8.
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