The Teviot Goods Shed and Loading Bank, built in 1928, are remnants of the Roxburgh Branch Railway that ran from Clarkes Junction on the main trunk line to Roxburgh in Central Otago, reminders of the historical and social significance of branch railways.
Transport was vital for isolated inland areas like Teviot. Miners needed to get their equipment to their claims and farmers needed to get their produce to market. Local business people and politicians successfully lobbied the government for a railway link with the main trunk line. Construction was slow, delayed by politics and by World War One. The ninety-five kilometre Roxburgh Branch Railway was built between 1873 and 1928. The first section to Lawrence opened in 1877 but it was not until 1928 that the Roxburgh section opened. The line opened to Beaumont in 1914, to Millers Flat in 1925 and to Teviot and Roxburgh in 1928. Teviot Station, located between Millers Flat and Roxburgh, opened on 19 April 1928 – one of 20 stops on the line.
Teviot (initially known as Andersons Flat Siding) was typical of a small branch railway siding. Plans show a ramped platform and shelter shed on one side of the line, and the loading bank, goods shed (measuring 20 feet by 30 feet/ 6.1 by 9.14 metres) and stockyards on the other.
The Roxburgh Branch Line ran at a loss from the start, its steep winding track slowing the locomotives, making rail less competitive than road. New Zealand Railways ran special event trains to encourage passengers – an Autumn excursion train taking people to the fruit-laden orchards, a Spring train to Wetherston’s famous daffodils, a special train for the Teviot Stock Sale – but traffic remained slow. By 1932, the Roxburgh Branch was considered the ‘worst performing branch line in New Zealand’, and while the value of the freight service was recognised, the Railway Commission recommended that the passenger service be abandoned. The passenger service ended in May 1936, though the special event trains continued.
The line’s fortunes temporarily revived with the Roxburgh Hydro Dam project in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but its future remained shaky. On 20 June 1961, the government announced that it was closing the line. The subsequent outcry delayed the closure but the last straw was the Apple and Pear Board’s 1967 decision to transport fruit by road. The last official trains ran on 31 May 1968, and workers began to lift the line on 14 June 1968. The Lands and Survey Department disposed of the rail corridor to adjoining landowners in the early 1970s.
Remnants of the Roxburgh Branch Line can still be seen – loading banks remain at several places (including Manuka, Evans Flat and Bowlers Creek), and the goods shed remains at Teviot. Some of the alignment is included in the Clutha Gold Cycle Trail, though not the Teviot section. In 2014, the Teviot Goods Shed and Loading Bank stand unused in a paddock, reminders of the importance of railways to rural communities in mid-twentieth century Otago.
Transport was vital for isolated inland areas like Teviot. Miners needed to get their equipment to their claims and farmers needed to get their produce to market. Local business people and politicians successfully lobbied the government for a railway link with the main trunk line. Construction was slow, delayed by politics and by World War One. The ninety-five kilometre Roxburgh Branch Railway was built between 1873 and 1928. The first section to Lawrence opened in 1877 but it was not until 1928 that the Roxburgh section opened. The line opened to Beaumont in 1914, to Millers Flat in 1925 and to Teviot and Roxburgh in 1928. Teviot Station, located between Millers Flat and Roxburgh, opened on 19 April 1928 – one of 20 stops on the line.
Teviot (initially known as Andersons Flat Siding) was typical of a small branch railway siding. Plans show a ramped platform and shelter shed on one side of the line, and the loading bank, goods shed (measuring 20 feet by 30 feet/ 6.1 by 9.14 metres) and stockyards on the other.
The Roxburgh Branch Line ran at a loss from the start, its steep winding track slowing the locomotives, making rail less competitive than road. New Zealand Railways ran special event trains to encourage passengers – an Autumn excursion train taking people to the fruit-laden orchards, a Spring train to Wetherston’s famous daffodils, a special train for the Teviot Stock Sale – but traffic remained slow. By 1932, the Roxburgh Branch was considered the ‘worst performing branch line in New Zealand’, and while the value of the freight service was recognised, the Railway Commission recommended that the passenger service be abandoned. The passenger service ended in May 1936, though the special event trains continued.
The line’s fortunes temporarily revived with the Roxburgh Hydro Dam project in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but its future remained shaky. On 20 June 1961, the government announced that it was closing the line. The subsequent outcry delayed the closure but the last straw was the Apple and Pear Board’s 1967 decision to transport fruit by road. The last official trains ran on 31 May 1968, and workers began to lift the line on 14 June 1968. The Lands and Survey Department disposed of the rail corridor to adjoining landowners in the early 1970s.
Remnants of the Roxburgh Branch Line can still be seen – loading banks remain at several places (including Manuka, Evans Flat and Bowlers Creek), and the goods shed remains at Teviot. Some of the alignment is included in the Clutha Gold Cycle Trail, though not the Teviot section. In 2014, the Teviot Goods Shed and Loading Bank stand unused in a paddock, reminders of the importance of railways to rural communities in mid-twentieth century Otago.
