History
The Kaitangata Railway & Coal Co. built the line to provide a railway link between its mine in Kaitangata and the Main South Line at Stirling, and it was opened for service on 17 June 1876. An engine shed and a station building were located at Kaitangata, 5.95 km from the Main South Line. Although the station bore much resemblance to buildings on the national network operated by the Railways Department, the line was never part of its network. Trains were initially operated by the Railways Department on behalf of the private owners and the line appeared in working timetables as the Kaitangata Branch, but by the 1880s, this practice had ceased and private operation took over. Passenger services were provided until 1937. Until 1963, an extension ran down a road to the Castle Hill Mine, and for much of its life the line was operated by both a tank engine built to the design of a D class engine (built by Scott Brothers Ltd, of Christchurch) and an "Improved F" 0-6-0 tank locomotive, constructed in 1896 by Sharp, Stewart & Co.
In 1956, the Mines Department took over the branch and in August 1968 introduced a diesel shunter to work the trains, although the F was retained as a spare. By the end of the 1960s, the condition of the line had deteriorated markedly; accordingly, on 30 December 1970 it was closed by the Mines Department. The F was donated to the preservation society at Shantytown, near Greymouth on the West Coast, where it continues to operate and is named "Kaitangata" after its former home.
The D class engine was retired and scrapped in 1957.
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