A View of Broken River showing the Railway Station.1907.

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DescriptionA view of Broken River, showing the railway station. Coaches convey the passengers from this point of the West Coast journey to Otira, where railway transit is resumed. Broken River is the present terminus of the Midland line from the Canterbury side of the ranges.
In 1887 the New Zealand Midland Railway Company was contracted by the government to build a railway across to the West Coast and on to Nelson, all to be completed within 10 years. This was quite unrealistic in view of the lack of funding and ignorance of the conditions by the company’s London directors, and it is not surprising that the venture failed within a decade. About 120 kilometres of track was laid in Westland, but in Canterbury only the Kowai River bridge and a short stretch to Otarama at the entrance to the Waimakariri Gorge had been constructed. After much legal argument, the Crown took over and work was resumed in 1898 by the Public Works Department.
Construction Begins
The next section, around the edge of the gorge and across Broken River, was described by the district engineer as ‘very rough, the mountain slope rises from the riverbed while the river runs in a fearful gorge all the way’. In just 13 kilometres the line passes through 16 tunnels and crosses four major viaducts. The Staircase Gully viaduct is 73 metres high, the loftiest in the South Island, and the Broken River viaduct is almost as tall. With little in the way of machinery to relieve the labour, construction of this section was very slow and difficult. Most of the workers, often with their wives and families, lived in tents pitched on the nearby hillsides.
Government Completion
By 1906 trains were able to run to a temporary terminus at Broken River, where coaches took over to complete the journey to the West Coast in a single day in favorable conditions. Date of Photo4th December 1907Map^[1]External LinkMidland Rail Heritage TrustContributorHeather Newby

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Location (city or town)Broken RiverOrganisation (eg business)Railways

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Category TagRailways

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A View of Broken River showing the Railway Station.1907.

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