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I first became interested in the history of the ghost Nelson section when I has doing some work for a Contracting company in Richmond. At the end of their property was a stack of railway iron, some of which was dated (IIRC) 1872. Just around the corner was a road bridge over nothing. The underside of the bridge, in the centre, was stained black. Ghosts! | |
| The Nelson Provincial Museum have a collection of photographs called the "Geoffrey C Wood Collection". If you happen to be in Nelson, go and have a look at the Museum, you'll have to ask to have a look at the Railway related photographs. I purchased a photograph (Frame 38) and sought permission to re-produce it on the net, which they have kindly granted. Many thanks to the Museum for this priviledge. |
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| Here we see the group of protesters trying to publicise and stop the demolition of the Goods shed at Kiwi. NZR sent a locomotive to try and scare them, but to no avail. Standing up defiantly is Sonja Davies, who was labelled a political activist because of the protest. Not a title to be ashamed of! Sitting on the platform is Ruth Page. The trials (literally) and tribulations of this courageous group of woman have been documented well in Roy Sinclair's "Journeying with Railways in New Zealand", and Sonja Davie's autobiography "Bread and Roses". There is a uniformed Policeman in the background, the SIS also turned up. |
(c) The Nelson Provincial Museum. Geoffrey C Wood Collection, 8830 Frame 38. |
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This is the remarkable remains of the Tui Railway station. Nearest the camera is the tiny Station building, then the Goods Shed, and the stock yard. It was on private property, so we sought permission of the owner, a very helpful farmer who's name now escapes me. Tui is a bit further up the track from Kiwi, shown in the previous photo. The two yards must have been pretty similar, but Kiwi didn't survive. These buildings are now at Founders Park in Nelson - see my opening note. |
The buildings had been left to the elements for over 40 years, and were in surprisingly good condition. They had been used to store hay, but no maintenance had been carried out, prior to their removal for restoration. |
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The Goods shed with the stock yard in the background. This scene begs for a "Wf" and train sitting in the foreground, although some rails wouldn't go astray! Both buildings were infested with bees, it looks like they've made beehives in the roofs. Watch out! It was a long, dusty, road in to Tui, but brilliant scenery. |
| The Terminus for the whole line was at one stage at Kawatiri, but I should really check the spelling! This is the tunnel just before the terminus, this whole area is now a walkway. The whole area is very pretty and well worth the twenty or so minutes that it takes. The tunnel is through a hill in the middle of a loop in the river, so that there was a railway bridge on either side of the tunnel. The southern most bridge is now a footbridge to gain access to the walkway. |  |
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This is the view from the northern portal, looking down in to the river showing the piers from the northern-most rail bridge. | |
| This is the loading bank at Kawatiri. Just to prove that the old TR7 and a half made it. | 
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