Nelson section

The Nelson section was an isolated government-owned railway line between Nelson and Glenhope in the Tasman district of New Zealand's South Island. While part of the New Zealand Government Railways, the section was never connected to the national railway network, although there were plans to do so. The line operated for years between 1876 and 1955. Unusually for an isolated line, there were passenger and freight services for most of its existence, with freight outlasting passenger services by just a year. This line is noteworthy for several reasons, including being the last completely isolated section of the government-owned railway network; gaining a reprieve after being closed for the first time until being closed for a second – and final – time; and, its route was chosen to serve existing communities in Nelson's hinterland rather than being constructed to open up new areas for development or serve specific industries.

The Nelson section was an isolated government-owned railway line between Nelson and Glenhope in the Tasman district of New Zealand's South Island. While part of the New Zealand Government Railways, the section was never connected to the national railway network, although there were plans to do so. The line operated for years between 1876 and 1955. Unusually for an isolated line, there were passenger and freight services for most of its existence, with freight outlasting passenger services by just a year. This line is noteworthy for several reasons, including being the last completely isolated section of the government-owned railway network; gaining a reprieve after being closed for the first time until being closed for a second – and final – time; and, its route was chosen to serve existing communities in Nelson's hinterland rather than being constructed to open up new areas for development or serve specific industries. ====Opening of the Line==== As the line neared completion, trial runs were conducted and on 17 November 1875 30 passengers were conveyed to the Wakefield terminus as guests of Austin. In early December, another group was conveyed to Richmond to evaluate seven recently completed carriages. With only minor work still to be completed, the line was due to be opened in January 1876. There was little local enthusiasm, and with a Mail report on 27 January exclaiming: "People have been so deceived, misled and disappointed with regard to this line that its opening is not likely to call forth any great display of enthusiasm", it is no surprise that there was such little effort put into marking the occasion. Accounts of the opening were reported in both the Nelson Evening Mail and The Colonist . The Evening Mail reported, ″That portion of the Nelson and Foxhill railway commencing at the Toi-Toi Valley mudflat and terminating at Wakefield, a distance of about 20 miles, was formally opened by his honor the Superintendent [ ] on Saturday″ (January 29, 1876). An initial service for invited guests only departed Nelson at about 11am, and ″arrived at the Wakefield terminus at a quarter to one″ (Evening Mail) or ″arrived at the station called Fox Hill at about twenty minutes to one o'clock″ (The Colonist). A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the station. After lunch, the return train journey began at 3:30pm, arriving back in Nelson at 4:45pm. Another Nelson Evening Mail article states, ″The Nelson and Wakefield Railway is to be opened to the public on Monday″ (31 January 1876). The article continues with a table of stations and fares: The Wairoa station was later renamed Brightwater (along with the town that it served). The Foxhill station was located some distance from the locality of . When the line was extended further south, a new Foxhill station was built, and the original station re-named Wai-iti. The initial schedule had two round-trips from Nelson to Fox Hill, and a third service from Nelson to Richmond. The lack of enthusiasm for the railway continued to be expressed in the Evening Mail. A letter from a Richmond resident complained about the 2s 6d fare, ″at the rate of nearly fourpence per mile. By coach now the fare is only 2s.″ In another letter , by Francis Holder, advocates for his coach service over the railway; his many issues including a dig at the location of the original Foxhill station, ″I don't pretend to take you to Foxhill and drop you two miles short of it.″ ==References== ===Citations=== ===Bibliography=== 1954 photos of Glenhope, Wf at Glenhope, Glenhope yard, Belgrove windpump, Motupiko, Wakefield, Stoke, Richmond, Nelson yards, Nelson goods shed,

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