Waimate Branch

Waimate & Waimate Gorge Branches
Overview
Other name(s)	Waihao Downs Branch
Status	Closed
Owner	Railways Department
Locale	Canterbury, New Zealand
Termini	Studholme Waihao Downs
Stations	6
Service
Type	Heavy Rail
System	New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR)
Services	2
Operator(s)	Railways Department
History
Opened	19 March 1877 (1877-03-19)
Extended to Waihao Forks	2 February 1883 (1883-02-02)
Extended to Waihao Downs	24 April 1883 (1883-04-24)
Closed beyond Waimate	12 November 1953 (1953-11-12)
Closed	31 March 1966 (1966-03-31)
Technical
Line length	7.42 km (Waimate Branch) 13.32 km (Waimate Gorge Branch)
Number of tracks	Single
Character	Rural
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Route map Legend km Main South Line 0.00 Studholme 7.42 Waimate ↑ Waimate Branch ↓ Waimate Gorge Branch Arno McLeans 11.27 Waihao 20.74 Waihao Downs This diagram: view talk edit

Map

The Waimate Branch was a branch line railway built in southern Canterbury, New Zealand to link the Main South Line with the town of Waimate, the centre of the surrounding rural area. It opened in 1877 and operated until 1966; for some of this time, it included an extension to Waihao Downs that was known as the Waimate Gorge Branch or Waihao Downs Branch. When the line closed, Waimate received the dubious distinction of being New Zealand's first major town to lose its railway line.^[1]