Graeme Williams
A little history about the bridge. The bridge across the Grey river from Ngahere to Blackball was completed in 1904, with the railway line reaching Blackball in November 1909
The bridge suffered severe damage during heavy flooding in the Grey River. During May 1926 sections of the bridge was destroyed and again in December that year piers 17 and 19 were washed away, resulting in 320 feet length of bridge being completely wrecked.
As the bridge was the sole means of access to the busy mining centres of Blackball and Roa, work to restore the bridge was commenced and completed during January 1927 and trains commenced running again, four weeks after the washout.

During another storm in May 1950 the bridge again was damaged when two spans fell into the flooded Grey River. It was repaired but again destroyed during severe flooding in February 1966, when another two spans were washed away.

It was decided that repairs would not be economic and the rail link was closed, but repairs kept the bridge in operation as a road only bridge until 1968, and then for pedestrians only for several more years, until further flood damage made it impractical to repair. It was finally dismantled in 2002.

Alan Sheehan
My Grandfather was a bridge keeper there sometime in the 40's, they lived in the house near the bridge on the Ngahere side.