Cape Foulwind Railway

The Cape Foulwind Railway was a branch railway line west of Westport to Cape Foulwind. In 1886 the Westport Harbour Board built the line to their quarry to transport rocks to their breakwaters in the Buller River. In 1888 it was linked to Westport by a road-rail bridge over the Buller River. The iron bridge was planked with kauri forming a 12 ft (3.7 m) wide road.[1] The bridge cost £13,794[2] and was 1,040 ft (320 m) long. By 1888 it was said to be carrying a considerable passenger traffic, using two coaches.[3] In 1914 a new section of line including a tunnel was built to a new quarry south of the Cape.[4]

Omau railway station
Cape Foulwind railway station

In 1921 the line and the three F class locomotives were transferred to the New Zealand Railways. The branch was one of the branch lines closed by the Railway Commission in 1930, although it had been effectively closed from about 1925. But in 1931 the line reverted to the Marine Department, which ran occasional trains until about 1940.[5] In 1958, a new cement works opened at Cape Foulwind.[6]

The original Buller bridge was replaced in 1976 by a concrete bridge, slightly upstream.[7]

Cape Foulwind
Cape Foulwind living up to its name, with the former cement works centre foreground.

Originally the site of a Māori village named Omau, Cape Foulwind has a lighthouse, and a former cement works. Built since the line closed, the cement was trucked from the works to a private siding just south of Westport. The cement works closed in 2016.[6] The name Omau has been reinstated as a proper place name.

References

Citations
  1. "Colonist". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 December 1886. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. "INTERPROVINCIAL. West Coast Times". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 January 1887. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  3. "WEST COAST HARBORS. Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 October 1888. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  4. Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 192.
  5. Leitch & Scott 1995, p. 55.
  6. "End of an era: Cement works in Westport closes after 58 years". New Zealand Herald. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  7. "The Buller bridge all Westport has waited for. PRESS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 December 1976. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

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.
  • Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1995). Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways (1998 ed.). Wellington: Grantham House. ISBN 1-86934-048-5.
  • Mulligan, Barbara (2000). New Zealand Rail Trails: A Guide to 42 Ghost Lines. Wellington: Grantham House Publishing. pp. 90–93. ISBN 978-1-86934-126-8.


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