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Whitecliffs Branch
The Whitecliffs Branch was an long branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's Rail transport in New Zealand, national rail network in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of the South Island. It was more industrial than the many rural branches on the South Island's east coast whose traffic primarily derived from agriculture, and it operated from 1875 until 1962. Construction What would have been the first portion of a branch line to Whitecliffs has now become part of the Midland Line, New Zealand, Midland Line. The original plan was for a straight line running directly from Rolleston, New Zealand, Rolleston to Sheffield, New Zealand, Sheffield and Springfield, New Zealand, Springfield, with a branch built from Kirwee to Darfield, New Zealand, Darfield. When the railway reached Kirwee, the line to Darfield was built first, and it was from here that construction of two lines began. One line was built towards Sheffield and Springfield, and one towards Whitecli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passenger Rail Terminology
Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: Rapid transit A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid acceleration. It uses passenger railcars operating singly or in multiple unit trains on fixed rails. It operates on separate right-of-way (transportation), rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded (i.e. is fully grade separation, grade-separated from other traffic). The APTA definition also includes the use sophisticated railway signalling, signaling systems, and railway platform height, high platform loading. Originally, the term ''rapid transit'' was used in the 1800s to describe new forms of quick urban public transportation that had a right-of-way separated from street traffic. This set rapid transit apart from horsecars, trams, streetcars, bus, omnibuses, and other forms of public transport. A variant of the ter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coalgate, New Zealand
Coalgate is a small town in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located roughly an hour west of Christchurch on State Highway 77. The town's name stems from it being the "gateway" to the lignite coal fields around Whitecliffs, the Rakaia Gorge, and The Acheron River. Coal mining declined in the 20th century and has now ceased, but since the 1950s, commercial processing of nontronite has taken place in Coalgate. Demographics Coalgate is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. It is part of the Glentunnel statistical area. Before the 2023 census, the settlement had a smaller boundary, covering . Using that boundary, Coalgate had a population of 339 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 24 people (7.6%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 111 people (48.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 13 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coalgate Railway Yard Plan
Several settlements have been named Coalgate: * Commerce, Alberta, Canada, originally named Coalgate * Coalgate, New Zealand * Coalgate, Oklahoma Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2010 census, a 1.9 percent decrease from the figure of 2,005 recorded in 2000. The town was founded in 1889 ..., USA * Coalgate, West Virginia, USA Coalgate may also refer to: * Indian coal mining controversy, a corruption scandal See also * Colgate (other) {{geodis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homebush, New Zealand
Homebush is a settlement in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand. It has had a long association with the pioneering John Deans (pioneer), Deans family. History Due to the area's surrounding industry, Homebush was connected to the Whitecliffs Branch, which operated from 1875 until 1962. The railway station (built in 1875) was located on Yeomans Road. The building is now located in Darfield, New Zealand, Darfield at the Whitecliffs Branch historical site, branch's memorial site. 2010 Canterbury earthquake The historic Homebush Homestead owned by the Deans family was destroyed during the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, earthquake. It was rebuilt four years later. Film Homebush's forests (located in the homestead gardens) were used as a filming location for the 2005 The Chronicles of Narnia, Narnia film, ''The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.'' Landmarks A number of historic farms buil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hawkins, New Zealand
Hawkins is a rural settlement located in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on State Highway 77, and is west from Darfield and east of Glentunnel. Rata Lovell-Smith's most famous painting, ''Hawkins'', painted in 1933, was of the railway station here. The painting is now owned by the Christchurch Art Gallery, having purchased it in 1981. The Hawkins River traverses through the western end of the settlement. However, the river does not flow here, only doing so during periods of heavy rain and flooding. Hawkins is part of the Glentunnel statistical area. History Hawkins was served by the Whitecliffs Branch, a branch line railway, from the line's opening on 3 November 1875 through to its closure on 31 March 1962. Apart from embankments around the Hawkins River, no evidence of the railway remains. Facilities Bangor Estate Named after Viscount Bangor, the estate was established in the 1850s. It now hosts a we ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canterbury Interior Main Line
The Canterbury Interior Main Line was a proposed railway line that would have linked many of the branch lines in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. Although it was never built in full, its most northerly portion was constructed. The proposal The proposal was created and developed in the 1870s and 1880s as branch lines began to fan out from the then under-construction Main North Line and Main South Line (which together form the South Island Main Trunk Railway). These lines ran from coastal centres inland and were intended to provide better communication and transport for young, fledgling communities and to open up parts of Canterbury for greater, more intensive economic activity – mainly agriculture. The Canterbury Interior Main Line proposal intended to link these branch lines together. It was to leave the Main North Line in Rangiora, head inland to Oxford and Sheffield and then link a number of branch lines at or near their termini before returning to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Acheron River (Canterbury)
The Acheron River is a river in Canterbury, New Zealand, that flows from Lake Lyndon south into the Rakaia River. Small deposits of coal are found near the river. In the 1870s, a proposal existed to extend the Whitecliffs Branch, a branch line railway, through the Rakaia Gorge to the Acheron River to access these coal deposits. An 1880 Royal Commission on New Zealand's railway network was in favour of this extension, but it never came to fruition.David Leitch and Bob Scott, ''Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways'', rev. ed. (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998), pg. 71. See also * List of rivers of New Zealand * Acheron River (Marlborough) * Acheron The Acheron ( or ; ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ''Acherontas'') is a river in the Epirus (region), Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and has a drainage area of . The river's source is located near the vil ... (river in Greece) References Rivers of the Canterbury Region River ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rakaia Gorge
The Rakaia Gorge is located on the Rakaia River in inland Canterbury in New Zealand's South Island. Like its neighbour, the Waimakariri River, the Rakaia runs through wide shingle beds for much of its length, but is forced through a narrow canyon as it approaches the Canterbury Plains. In the 1870s, there were proposals to extend the Whitecliffs Branch railway into the Rakaia Gorge, and an 1880 Royal Commission on New Zealand's railway network was in favour of this proposal, but it never came to fruition. The Rakaia Gorge bridge was completed in 1882 and provides an inland alternative to the more frequently used Rakaia River bridge just north of the town of Rakaia. The bridge carries State Highway 77 and the Inland Scenic Route and connects the settlements of Glentunnel and Methven Swimming at the top bridges of the gorge is a favoured pastime for locals and tourists alike. Swimming in the main river can be done but only by strong swimmers. There is a perfect swimm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Commission
A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equivalent entity may be termed a commission of inquiry. Such an inquiry has considerable powers, typically equivalent or greater than those of a judge but restricted to the terms of reference for which it was created. These powers may include subpoenaing witnesses, notably video evidences, taking evidence under oath and requesting documents. The commission is created by the head of state (the sovereign, or their representative in the form of a governor-general or governor) on the advice of the government and formally appointed by letters patent. In practice—unlike lesser forms of inquiry—once a commission has started the government cannot stop it. Consequently, governments are usually very careful about framing the terms of reference a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur's Pass
Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for exploring Arthur's Pass National Park. Arthur's Pass township is about south of the mountain pass with the same name. At an elevation of above sea level, the settlement is surrounded by beech forest. The Bealey River runs through the township. The town is located from Christchurch, a two-hour drive on State Highway 73. Naming and history The township and the pass take their names after Arthur Dudley Dobson (1841–1934, Sir Arthur from 1931). The Chief Surveyor of Canterbury Province, Thomas Cass, had tasked Arthur Dobson to find out if there was an available pass out of the Waimakariri watershed into valleys running to the West Coast. In 1864, Arthur's brother Edward Henry Dobson joined him and accompanied him over the watershed into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cass, New Zealand
Cass is a small locality in inland Canterbury on New Zealand's South Island, near Arthur's Pass. It is known for its small railway station which was the subject of the 1936 painting ''Cass'' by Rita Angus, voted in 2006 New Zealand's favourite work of art. It is also the location of a University of Canterbury field station established in 1914. Cass currently has a single permanent resident. Geography Cass is in the Cass River basin, which is in turn in the Waimakariri River basin in western Canterbury, Selwyn District, of the South Island. It is 22 km from Arthur's Pass, and 105 km from Christchurch via State Highway 73 and the Midland Line. The settlement is on a plain surrounded by mountains 1200–1800 m above sea level, predominantly in the Black Range, Polar Range, and Craigieburn Range. To the east of the settlement is Cass Hill and Sugar Loaf, and to the west are Mount Misery and Mount Horrible; two hills on the floodplain are named Romulus and Remus. The topogr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Lyndon
Lake Lyndon is a small lake in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located near Porters Pass, New Zealand, Porters Pass on New Zealand State Highway 73, State Highway 73 after Springfield, New Zealand, Springfield heading into the Southern Alps (New Zealand), Southern Alps. The lake regularly freezes in winter due to its elevation and location on the outer border of the Southern Alps. It is roughly an hour from Christchurch and is a popular site for rainbow trout fishing as the trout population in the lake is thriving due to the dense oxygen weed beds that provide a plentiful food source. The lake is largely surrounded by Korowai / Torlesse Tussocklands Park,Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands Park, Department of Conservation. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/canterbury/north-canterbury-and-arthurs-pass/korowai-torlesse-tussocklands-park/ and the Acheron River, Canterbury, Acheron River flows from the lake to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
