Edievale is a small settlement in West Otago , in New Zealand 's South Island . It lies equidistant between Heriot , which lies to the west, and Raes Junction , which lies to the east, on State Highway 90 .
31-540: Though the settlement is now home to only a few residents, it was formerly larger, and between 1905 and the 1970s served as the terminus of the Tapanui Branch railway. With the closure of that line due to repeated flooding, the settlement dwindled to its current size. Edievale was named after pioneering settler John Edie. 45°48′00″S 169°21′45″E / 45.80000°S 169.36250°E / -45.80000; 169.36250 This Otago geography article
62-483: A layer of coal dust covering them and the bed". Another key requirement of the steam engine is a supply of water which is carried in the tenders or tanks of the engines. In Australia, water was also carried in water gins (a water tank mounted on a wagon) due to longer distances covered and scarcer water resources. In depots where the limescale content of water was high (known in some areas as ‘Hard Water'), water softening plants were introduced. At Norwich engine shed in
93-533: A locomotive the engine had to be balanced quite precisely on the turntable and it could then be literally pushed around. Some turntables could be powered by fixing the vacuum brake of the engine to the turntable and using that to turn the engine. Later turntables were electrically operated. Many diesel locomotives in the UK have a cab at each end removing the need for the turntables. However, in Australia and America, there are
124-536: A number of shunting locomotives. Normally 0-4-0T or 0-6-0T tank engines, they would be allocated to shunting duties in goods yards, carriage sidings, goods depots and docks. Many large rail connected industrial sites also had engine sheds, primarily using shunting locomotives. Each railway company had its own architectural design of engine shed, but there were three basic designs of shed: The turntables for straight and dead end sheds were generally outside. Those in roundhouses could be inside, such as those at York in
155-426: A number of single ended locomotives and turntables are still in use. Engine sheds would carry out basic maintenance and the bigger sheds would carry out more complex repairs. Locomotives that required further repair were sent to the company's locomotive works. Withdrawn locomotives could often be found at some depots before their final trips to the scrapyard. In the UK, the general practice is that one shed would have
186-485: A number of smaller sub-sheds where there were fewer facilities. When engines allocated to sub-sheds required repairs, they were often exchanged for a similar engine or perhaps just visiting the main depot on a Sunday when traffic levels were considerably lower. In terms of locomotive allocation, it seems to have been the practice that for some railways locomotives were all allocated to the main shed but in others each shed had its specific allocation of locomotives. A list of
217-677: A route to Central Otago via Tapanui, but this proved unpopular outside of Tapanui and its immediate surrounds. However, approval was granted for the construction of a branch line in the area and construction began in 1878, leaving the Main South Line at Waipahi , located 50 kilometres west of Balclutha . The first locomotive for the line was delivered on 8 July 1880 and the Public Works Department began operating trains to Tapanui three days later. The official opening ceremony in Tapanui
248-539: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tapanui Branch The Tapanui Branch was a railway line located near the border of the regions of Southland and Otago , New Zealand . Although the name suggests that it terminated in Tapanui , its furthest terminus was actually in Edievale . Construction of the line began in 1878 with the first section opened in 1880, and it operated until 1978, when it
279-576: Is the Bahnbetriebswerk or Bw , which has similar functions, with major repairs and overhauls being carried out at Ausbesserungswerke . The number of those was reduced drastically following the changeover from steam to diesel and electric traction, and most modern Bw in Germany are specialised depots, often responsible for a single locomotive class . Engine sheds could be found in many towns and cities, as well as in rural locations. They were built by
310-419: The 1950s and 1960s, the rise of manufacturing industry saw many staff leaving the railway for better working conditions (and pay) and many railways started to modernise as a result. The maintenance of the new diesel locomotives in filthy steam sheds soon proved difficult and, although some old sheds survived, many new diesel depots were built on new sites or on the sites of the old steam sheds. The major problem
341-449: The British sub-sheds can be found here . The drivers and fireman were the visible face of the engine shed and, as such, certain sheds had reputations for clean locomotives thanks to the dedication of those men. Many companies allocated a specific main line locomotive to a crew and they would usually take a personal interest in the cleanliness of their engine; some companies offered a prize to
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#1732869414814372-582: The UK, or outside, such as that at the East Broad Top Railroad & Coal Company in Rockhill, Pennsylvania , USA. There were six primary activities that took place at sheds. When a steam engine arrived on shed, it would drop its fire and the ash that had built up would be removed. Disposal of the ash was a filthy job and carried out at quiet times, although some bigger depots had facilities for disposing of ash more efficiently. Study of photographs from
403-400: The UK, the sludge was discharged into a tank and emptied every three years or so with the sludge being dumped into the sea at Lowestoft. Tender locomotives required turning so they were facing the right way before their next duty. In the early days, these were typically around 45 feet long. As the technology improved and engines got bigger, then the turntables got longer. In order to turn
434-511: The aged A class steam locomotives that typically ran trains on the branch were replaced by D class diesel-electric engines (steam locomotive power fully disappeared from New Zealand's railway system by the end of 1971). Catastrophe hit the line in mid-October 1978. Extremely severe flooding along the Pomahaka River demolished bridges and washed out the trackage in many places, and costly repairs would not have been economic. Formal closure
465-602: The crew of the best kept engine. Many drivers would spend their own time on improving their knowledge and sharing best practice with younger drivers. The footplate staff (as drivers and fireman were known) were unionised from the 19th century and in the UK were generally in the ASLEF whilst other shed staff tended to be in the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (later National Union of Railwaymen ). Many engine shed workers put up with very poor conditions for many years. In
496-503: The doors. There was "still plenty to see" in the 1990s, and "the flood markings alone are sobering". The large Heriot goods shed is understood to have been removed in the late 1990s. Motive power depot A motive power depot ( MPD ) or locomotive depot , or traction maintenance depot ( TMD ), is where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds" or just "sheds". Facilities are provided for refuelling and
527-456: The junction in Waipahi. The line was indispensable before the expansion of decent road networks, but as improvements came in road transport in the 20th century, traffic began to decline. The Great Depression did not help the line's fortunes, with revenue dropping as fast as expenditure was rising in 1930. To save money, passenger services on the line were cancelled and replaced by buses, thus making
558-578: The line for a few more years, with tonnages varying between 30,000 and 60,000 tonnes in the 1970s. The freight carried at this time was mainly from the State Forest's Conical Hill Sawmill located nine kilometres up the line, and phosphate from the Southland Co-op Phosphate Co.'s works near Bluff to West Otago Transport in Heriot. In March 1969, trains were re-organised to operate from Gore , and
589-459: The mixed trains goods-only, and the Edievale locomotive depot closed on 1 January 1934. The freight service was run when required, operating regularly on weekdays for many years, but it continued to lose money. The under-utilised section from Heriot to Edievale was closed on 1 January 1968 as it only saw 4,000 tonnes of traffic a year, but enough traffic existed to justify the existence of the rest of
620-443: The outer walls constructed of dry blocks much in the style of a dry stone wall with smaller pieces behind these. As technology advanced and the bigger sheds got busier, this process became mechanised and huge coaling towers above the neighbourhoods indicated where the engine shed was. The sheds were not clean places to work. The large east London depot of Stratford had an engineman's dormitory and its occupants would "wake up with
651-678: The railway companies to accommodate the locomotives that provided their local train services. Each engine shed would have an allocation of locomotives that would reflect the duties carried out by that depot. Most depots had a mixture of passenger, freight and shunting locomotives, but some, such as Mexborough , had predominantly freight locomotives, reflecting the industrial nature of that area in South Yorkshire . Others, such as Kings Cross engine shed in London, predominantly provided locomotives for passenger workings. Nearly all depots at that time had
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#1732869414814682-533: The replenishing of water, lubricating oil and grease and, for steam engines , the disposal of ash. There are often workshops for day-to-day repairs and maintenance, but locomotive building and major overhauls are usually carried out at locomotive works. (Note: In American English , the term depot is used to refer to passenger stations or goods (freight) facilities, not to vehicle maintenance facilities.) The equivalent of such depots in German-speaking countries
713-514: The stands of macrocarpa trees that once defined its limits, although the station building is gone. The hump in Station Rd that was the level crossing and an old commercial building beside the level crossing also remain. Flooding almost entirely destroyed Kelso and it is now abandoned, though the railway's second goods shed still exists. On lower ground is the ruins of the town's former service station, with sombre viewing created by flood levels marked on
744-422: The steam era show it was not uncommon for piles of ash to be scattered around the depot site. After completing their last duty and arriving on shed, locomotives would have a regular boiler washout to remove scale, improve efficiency and protect safety. Locomotives generally ran on coal. Initially this job was done by hand and many depots had significant coal stacks on site. These would be neatly constructed with
775-658: Was confirmed two months later in December. Before its closure in 1962, the Waikaka Branch ran in a valley parallel to that occupied by the Tapanui Branch, and trivia associated with operation of the lines is that locomotive crews in one valley claimed they were sometimes able to see smoke from a steam engine operating in the other valley. Relics of this branch survive today, though as time progresses, remnants of old railways deteriorate and in some cases disappear entirely, so what
806-526: Was destroyed by flooding from the Pomahaka River . In the second half of the 19th century, farmers in the region desired a railway connection to enhance the value of their land and provide easier access to markets, and received support from interests in Dunedin , who, in the days before the abolition of provinces in 1876, feared a loss of trade to Invercargill . In 1877, district engineer W. N. Blair proposed
837-607: Was held on 24 November 1880, though the actual line, at 25.13 kilometres in length, was opened to a settlement just beyond Tapanui named Kelso on 1 December 1880. In this year, it was proposed to build a line westwards to the Waikaia area from Kelso, but the proposals came to nothing and the Waikaia Branch was built from Riversdale on the Waimea Plains Railway instead. An extension of 7.11 kilometres from Kelso to Heriot
868-576: Was opened on 1 April 1884. The local newspaper, the Tapanui Courier , believed that only a short tunnel and some clay cuttings in the Dunrobin Hills stood in the way of extending the railway line to the Clutha River and then on to Roxburgh . In 1900, the government chose to extend the railway from Heriot to Edievale pending a final decision on the route to Roxburgh, and this ten kilometre extension
899-561: Was opened on 18 February 1905, bringing the branch's total length to 42.3 kilometres. Edievale proved to be the final terminus when the line from Milton via Lawrence was extended to Roxburgh instead. The following stations were located on the Tapanui Branch (in brackets is the distance in kilometres from the junction in Waipahi): In the early days, a mixed train operated from Edievale daily. These mixed trains connected with mainline expresses and local Invercargill - Clinton services at
930-415: Was previously evident may no longer exist. Bridges sans rails are believed to still exist in the early stages of the line, notably including a truss bridge across the Pomahaka River . The Tapanui railway station and yard were never in Tapanui township; they were situated approximately 2 km away in a field adjacent to the Station Rd level crossing. The Tapanui railway yard precinct remains obvious, as are
961-458: Was the disposal of oil, which initially was left lying around causing pollution and safety issues. The new depots were equipped to deal with diesel fuel and the ability to access the underside, as well as upper body work, was improved. The tasks were not that much different in that diesel locomotives were fuelled rather than coaled, although they did require water as early diesels were equipped with steam generators for train heating purposes. Since