Midland Line Construction Camp near Cass

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DescriptionOtira Tunnel Ghost
By Barbara Caisley
I heard an intriguing story while doing the Transalpine Rail trip between Christchurch and Greymouth recently.
The onboard commentary tells of a ghost who is sometimes seen on the Old Coach Road. Apparently the male ghost walks with his swag along the road beside the tracks. It is considered that the man was a Scotsman who was one of the workers killed during the construction of the 8.5km Otira Tunnel. He is always seen travelling east on the Old Coach Road and is thought to be trying to get to reach Lyttelton so he can catch a ship home.
The Old Coach Road was once a Cobb & Co coach track and can still be seen running alongside the railway tracks for part of the Transalpine rail journey.
Various people have reportedly spotted the ghost on the road between Arthurs Pass, Bealey and Cass over the years.

30/05/2017
Map^[1]This photo was taken near Cass on what was to become SH73. It is not Otira as the land is flat and the vegetation tussock grassland, not native forest. It is probably a temporary construction village for the Midland Railway, therefore about 1905 as the Cass station opened in 1910.External LinkOtira Tunnel GhostContributor Barbara Caisley

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Location (city or town)OtiraEventOtira Tunnel Ghost

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Category TagTunnel

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Date Created13th June 2021CommentsShiree Couch
Interesting wee read

Graeme Tucker

Early 80s I think I saw one morning about 5:30 in a truck carting some timber against rail over to Christchurch

Sandra Douglas
I was also told that story many years ago from a train driver.

Dorothy Wills
Interesting story
Paul Rennie
Shades of late Paddy Freenie. Hi hi

Arthur Bass
Paul Rennie Paddy kissing the Blarney Stone sure put The Bealey Pub on the world map.

Paul Rennie
Arthur Bass have seen people kissing that stone.
It's not cleaned after every person so what r u going to catch. Yuk.

Peter Warren
Paul Rennie I have watched the kissing process... the stone surface IS most definately cleaned between each kissing !!

Edited
Paul Rennie
Peter Warren not cleaned the day I watched .

Rhonda Glasson
Paul Rennie Mother Nature cleans it

Paul Rennie
Rhonda Glasson yeah right.

Richard Butcher
I have not heard that one, but there was supposed to be one in the Otira tunnel but I worked mainly in the the tunnel in my day I did not see any, there was a Railcar driver who was supposed to have seen one, I Think it may have been around Christmas time there was a bit of doubt about it.

Jan Gerritsen-Molloy
Richard Butcher pm me Richard pls tks

Garry Jackson
Richard Butcher I was told of that story back in the 70s - Train Drivers had mentioned - The Man with the Lantern- Who tries to wave the Train down when passing through the Tunnel-towards the Arthurs end.Apparently there had been an accident in there Years ago.

Cynthia McCaughan
Garry Jackson if you look up Papers Past there is a story of men trapped "entombed for 85 hours" during the tunnel construction

Geoffrey Bell
Garry Jackson My uncle was killed in the tunnel in 1950.

Colleen Yee
Interesting - thanks for sharing. It must have benn a tough life for those tunnerlers.

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Midland Line Construction Camp near Cass

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