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Railways of New Zealand
The railway pages of Patrick Dunford

Springburn Branch

The Springburn branch was one of Mid-Canterbury's early rural branch lines. Leaving the South Island Main Trunk at Ashburton, it ran for 43 km to the small rural settlement of Springburn, the only major township through which it passed being at Mount Somers, 6 km south of the terminus.

The branch was a little different from other branches in that it was intended to tap natural resources as well as the more usual general functions. There were substantial reserves of native forest in the Staveley, Alford Forest and Bushside areas near Springburn, most of which was milled. Lime reserves also existed in the hills near Staveley and the remains of the burnt lime kilns are still visible today. There were also reserves of coal and line in the Ashburton Gorge to the west of Mount Somers, where a tramway, originally narrow gauge and later widened to 1067 mm, was laid (see the Industrial section of this site).

The Mount Somers to Springburn section of the line was closed in 1957, Mount Somers becoming the new terminus. However in 1968 the remaining 37 km to Mount Somers was closed. After closure, the Ashburton Railway and Preservation Society purchased the first 2 km of the line from Tinwald to the Frasers Road level crossing, which was later established as the Plains Railway Museum.

As with other pages at this site, it is not intended to tell the history of the line, but rather to document some of the more notable remnants that may or may not be visible today. Most of the pictures shown at this site were taken 15 or more years ago, and as is to be expected, remnants gradually disappear over time, so that some of the items depicted in these views may no longer exist in their displayed form. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to read "Discovering New Zealand's Ghost Railways" by David Leitch and Brian Scott. A good history of the area is "Bush, Bullocks and Boulders" by William Vance.

Mount Somers Yard

Mount Somers was the largest population centre through which the branch line passed. It was originally intended to be the terminus and in fact was for four years, from 1885 to 1889. However the forestry and other natural resources in the Springburn area provided compelling reasons for extending the line another 6 km. The original plan was in fact to terminate the line in the vicinity of Cavendish on the south side of the river bank. When the line was extended to Mount Somers a major bridge was needed across the river and another bridge near Buccleugh crossing a tributary. As it turned out in the end, Mount Somers became the terminus again for 11 years from 1957 to 1968 when the line finally closed.

Mount Somers Remnants

Ghost hunters usually can find ample physical remnants in the forms of buildings and other structures around the locations of old branchlines, and Mount Somers was no exception in the mid 1980s. This series of photographs show the remains of four railway carriages that were stored on rural properties around the township.

It is my understanding that the Leslie Wain half-birdcage carriage on the Pleasant Point Railway, which featured in the TV series "Hanlon", was recovered from the Mount Somers area, and that the Plains Railway recovered at least one other carriage from the township, which may have been one of those shown on this page.

Buccleugh 1985	Buccleugh 1985	Buccleugh 1985	Loading bank at Springburn 1985	Mount Somers goods shed 1985	Mount Somers goods shed, loading bank 1985	Mount Somers yard 1985
Mount Somers yard 1985	Old carriage at Mount Somers 1985	Old carriage at Mount Somers public baths 1985	Old carriage at Mount Somers public baths 1985	Old carriage at Mt Somers 1985	Old carriage? near Ashburton River 1985	Rangitata Diversion Race bridge Buccleugh 1985
Rangitata Diversion Race Bridge Cavendish 1985	Road at Springburn, embedded railway sleepers 1985	Springburn platform 1985	Springburn platform or loading bank 1985	Springburn yard 1985

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