First wagons of coal leaving the Cascade mine in 1927.

My Story

DescriptionKay Walsh
First wagons of coal leaving the Cascade mine in 1927. My Grt Grandfather, Charles Betts, who I think was Deputy Mayor of Westport at the time, is standing 3rd from left. A great old photo.

Brian Wheatley
This photo was taken in the Buller Gorge, near Cascade Creek. It shows the first trainload of coal from the Cascade Mine 20th July 1927, hence the row of dignitaries which includes the Deputy Mayor of Westport and the Cascade Mine paymaster. The mine was on the Denniston plateau and a 14km flume was built to wash the coal down to bins near Cascade Creek, from which the train took the coal to Westport. My uncle Jack Shaw was a maintainer on the flume, and my grandfather George Wheatley was an engine driver for NZ Govt Railways. Source: Phil Walsh's book 'Conquering Cascade'.

Seddonville is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is most famous for the historical role it played in New Zealand's coal mining industry.Seddonville was named after Prime Minister of New Zealand Richard Seddon. It was established in the late 19th century as a mining community after the discovery of significant coal reserves in the area. On 23 February 1895, the last section of the Seddonville Branch railway from Westport was opened from Mokihinui to Seddonville and included an extension to the Mokihinui Coal Company's mine. Passengers were catered for by mixed trains; after 12 June 1933, they ceased to carry passengers past Seddonville, and on 14 October 1946 they were cancelled. Coal was the predominant traffic, especially after the late 1930s when increasingly developed roads allowed most other freight to be carried by road. In 1974, the Mokihinui Coal Company's mine closed, as did the railway beyond Seddonville. Coal from other mines provided some freight for the rest of the decade, but mining production was in decline and demand had dropped, and by 1980 the maintenance cost was well in excess of revenue. The railway closed beyond Ngakawau on 3 May 1981.Date of story events1st December 1927Map^[1]

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First wagons of coal leaving the Cascade mine in 1927.

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First wagons of coal leaving the Cascade mine in 1927.