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Coal being unloaded into railway wagons, Rapahoe.
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DescriptionCoal being unloaded into railway wagons, Rapahoe.Date of Photo1940'sMap[1] ContributorMaye Dunn
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Location (city or town)RapahoeLandmark (Place)Rapahoe Coal binsEventCoal being unloaded into railway wagons, Rapahoe.
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Category TagCoal Mining
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Date Created7th May 2017CommentsJoan Orchard We lived in Westport and my father Bill Lambert worked as a welder in the Railways. We used to get a load of slack delivered to Peel Street for 10 shillings. It kept the fires in the range in all night as coke.
Heather Newby yes.. slack was good for the open fire as well as the coal range.
Wendy Bruce Reefton coal for the open fire and Roa slack for the shacklock
Charlie Blanchett Those trucks unloading at Rapahoe were Duns trucks
Geoffrey King or Greenhills?
Charlie Blanchett Geoffrey King only Duns taildoors dropped from the topColin Pattinson Yeap he did and after that he drove the mine Bedford
Karen Potter Dad delivered coal for roddy inglis.
Gypsy Rover My grandparents got coal delivered inblackball at the side gate
Linda Sinclair Gypsy Rover my family too
Brent David Something young’ns will never know (thankfully), the smell of coal smoke on a winters evening. It was (to me), a very homely smell. Reminds me of cooking the evening meal, relaxing with a beer after work, last cuppa before bed....
Des Kennedy We received both Strongman and Rewanui coal
Jean Mehrtens Strongman for a hot fire to heat the water, rewanui for banking the fire for the morning. Very technical this carbon burning ...
Carol Cook Working at NZ State Coal the coal wasn't free - it actually cost 60c a tonne to miners, retired miners and widows. Entitlement was six tonne, and could have another two tonne at $3.50. The most expensive part was the $5 delivery fee !
Dean R McLaughlin I remember in the 70s it wasn't legal to drive from Canterbury to the West Coast to get a load of coal privately. Am I correct?
Les Bryce Trucks were not allowed to go more than 30 mile from their depot if there was a rail link in your town. It had to be carted by rail.
Pete Prue I used to love toasting a marmite sandwich over the hot coals of the living fire before bed.
Pete Prue I can remember the very first time I was strong enough to bring in a bag of coal from the gate to the coal box without dad having to help. I felt like a man that day, can't have been more than 8 or 9.
Noeline McCaughan I remember staying with my Nana Patterson on Pitt street in Runanga and Grandad Bill wheel barrowing the coal up the steep path to the bin at the back of the house. The coal had been dumped of the truck in the clear space across the road and it all had to get to the house on the barrow.
John Rosanowski Anyone remember that many people just left the load at the side of the road and filled their buckets from there ??
Jock Allen you are right Carol about the six ton of coal be it slack or screened we never paid for delivery Bill [Plugger] Rae drove our mine truck great memories the years have gone by to quick CHEERS
Ian A Cox Now we can't burn any coal or the world will die
Heather Newby coal is the least of our problems
Tony Shirley Watters Ours came from Bert Stuart who owned the mine at ten mile .A fishing mate of dads ,they both had batches at Woodpecker Bay
Heather Newby that was the hot coal.. from the coast road area.. strongman and pike river and 8 mile etc
Trevor Molloy I drove the coal delivery truck for Molloy Bros up until the mine closed , from the Dobson mine , my father Ted Molloy and Owen Phillips , were drivers before me , we had other drivers when we were stockpiling the slack coal , Dad also delivered Wallsend coal .
Charlie Blanchett Tony Shirley Watters when they relaxed that rule of driving a truck load of coal alongside rail the boss wanted some hay we stopped at a farm and bought some and told the farmer we will have to go to Chch to get rid of the load first he said drop the coal here and you can have the hay for nought good deal cheers
Shona Ratana yes our Dad worked at Dobson and I remember the truck delivering our coal for cooking,n warmth, hot water and drying clothes in the winter months Great having the firers on. Kept the house warm Just extra hot in summer?
Colin Pattinson Correct Heather RIP Harold and Trev Molloy a correct statement
Vern Pattinson Owen Phillips was another driver
Ian N Leona Dixon Laurie Allen used to delivery coal around Runanga from Q wagons at the Runanga railway siding (near the Post Office), and would sometimes take you for a ride in his truck during school holidays --- such treasured memories
Heather Newby yes.. slack was good for the open fire as well as the coal range.
Wendy Bruce Reefton coal for the open fire and Roa slack for the shacklock
Charlie Blanchett Those trucks unloading at Rapahoe were Duns trucks
Geoffrey King or Greenhills?
Charlie Blanchett Geoffrey King only Duns taildoors dropped from the topColin Pattinson Yeap he did and after that he drove the mine Bedford
Karen Potter Dad delivered coal for roddy inglis.
Gypsy Rover My grandparents got coal delivered inblackball at the side gate
Linda Sinclair Gypsy Rover my family too
Brent David Something young’ns will never know (thankfully), the smell of coal smoke on a winters evening. It was (to me), a very homely smell. Reminds me of cooking the evening meal, relaxing with a beer after work, last cuppa before bed....
Des Kennedy We received both Strongman and Rewanui coal
Jean Mehrtens Strongman for a hot fire to heat the water, rewanui for banking the fire for the morning. Very technical this carbon burning ...
Carol Cook Working at NZ State Coal the coal wasn't free - it actually cost 60c a tonne to miners, retired miners and widows. Entitlement was six tonne, and could have another two tonne at $3.50. The most expensive part was the $5 delivery fee !
Dean R McLaughlin I remember in the 70s it wasn't legal to drive from Canterbury to the West Coast to get a load of coal privately. Am I correct?
Les Bryce Trucks were not allowed to go more than 30 mile from their depot if there was a rail link in your town. It had to be carted by rail.
Pete Prue I used to love toasting a marmite sandwich over the hot coals of the living fire before bed.
Pete Prue I can remember the very first time I was strong enough to bring in a bag of coal from the gate to the coal box without dad having to help. I felt like a man that day, can't have been more than 8 or 9.
Noeline McCaughan I remember staying with my Nana Patterson on Pitt street in Runanga and Grandad Bill wheel barrowing the coal up the steep path to the bin at the back of the house. The coal had been dumped of the truck in the clear space across the road and it all had to get to the house on the barrow.
John Rosanowski Anyone remember that many people just left the load at the side of the road and filled their buckets from there ??
Jock Allen you are right Carol about the six ton of coal be it slack or screened we never paid for delivery Bill [Plugger] Rae drove our mine truck great memories the years have gone by to quick CHEERS
Ian A Cox Now we can't burn any coal or the world will die
Heather Newby coal is the least of our problems
Tony Shirley Watters Ours came from Bert Stuart who owned the mine at ten mile .A fishing mate of dads ,they both had batches at Woodpecker Bay
Heather Newby that was the hot coal.. from the coast road area.. strongman and pike river and 8 mile etc
Trevor Molloy I drove the coal delivery truck for Molloy Bros up until the mine closed , from the Dobson mine , my father Ted Molloy and Owen Phillips , were drivers before me , we had other drivers when we were stockpiling the slack coal , Dad also delivered Wallsend coal .
Charlie Blanchett Tony Shirley Watters when they relaxed that rule of driving a truck load of coal alongside rail the boss wanted some hay we stopped at a farm and bought some and told the farmer we will have to go to Chch to get rid of the load first he said drop the coal here and you can have the hay for nought good deal cheers
Shona Ratana yes our Dad worked at Dobson and I remember the truck delivering our coal for cooking,n warmth, hot water and drying clothes in the winter months Great having the firers on. Kept the house warm Just extra hot in summer?
Colin Pattinson Correct Heather RIP Harold and Trev Molloy a correct statement
Vern Pattinson Owen Phillips was another driver
Ian N Leona Dixon Laurie Allen used to delivery coal around Runanga from Q wagons at the Runanga railway siding (near the Post Office), and would sometimes take you for a ride in his truck during school holidays --- such treasured memories
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West Coast New Zealand History (17th Jan 2022). Coal being unloaded into railway wagons, Rapahoe.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 11th Jun 2026 06:30, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/20091