This series on the Main South Line is being republished after having been taken off the blog last year. At that time it was necessary to vet all of the previous content and this process is still happening with some 250 posts to check as time permits. I have elected to republish with the current…

Here’s GE of Ravensbourne just to be going on with. The big factory on the left is of course the old Dominion Fertiliser premises. As one may recall from the posting on Seadown, DF was one of the companies merged to form Ravensdown back about 40 years ago. DF’s main rival was Kempthorne Prosser whose…

The first point of note south of Waikouaiti is Merton, which locally is known for the former Cherry Farm psychiatric hospital facility, closed in the 1990s as part of the first wave of de-institutionalisation of major mental health facilities. For the railway interest, Merton has had three distinct operating locations, of which the two known…

The westernmost part of the Port Chalmers siding and the MSL passing through Tunnel 7. Most of the other Port Chalmers track plus their one and only tunnel. The station at various times was named Port Chalmers and Port Chalmers (Lower). Since there were three stations named Port Chalmers at various times there is some…

Seacliff is at 342.19 km and is mainly used as a crossing loop. Like a number of passenger stations previously referenced it appears to have been closed to passengers with the introduction of the Southerner. It was closed to freight in 1981. At 352.37 km, Waitati is unusual because of the curvature, particularly for 90…

Ravensbourne station was an island platform on the double track section from Dunedin to Sawyers Bay, seen here in 1962. It closed in 1981 with the end of suburban passenger trains to Port Chalmers, except for private siding traffic. (Whites Aviation) Dominion Fertiliser’s factory at Ravensbourne in 1962 (the private siding traffic). It was one…

St Leonards in its original location was opened in 1873 as part of the original Dunedin-Port Chalmers line) and closed in 1931. It reopened in its latter location a week after the first station closed. This was probably related to the deviation of the line with the double track causeway straightening and duplicating the route.…

Pelichet Bay was the first station north of Dunedin, and the first of the many bays going north of Dunedin to be bypassed with a causeway. The deviation was opened in 1925. The area has changed a lot over the past 140 years. The original Pelichet Bay was where Logan Park now is, it being…

  1896 map of north of Dunedin, showing the Pelichet Bay railway station. The location to the right of the tidal dock is where Milburn Cement had their plant at the time, and roughly where the causeway was put across to divert the line. The original Pelichet Bay was filled in to become Logan Park…