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The Moutohora Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network in Poverty Bay in the North island of New Zealand. The branch ran for 78 km approximately North-West from Gisborne into the rugged and steep Raukumara Range to the terminus at Moutohora. Construction started in 1900, and the line was opened to Moutohora on 26 November 1917.〔Hermann, Bruce J; ''North Island Branch Lines'' pp 56-58 (2007, New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society, Wellington) ISBN 978-0-908573-83-7〕 Built to the New Zealand standard gauge the line was originally intended to become part of a railway to Auckland via Rotorua, and later as part of an East Coast Main Trunk Railway running from Gisborne to Pokeno by way of Opotiki, Taneatua, Tauranga, and Paeroa. This comprehensive scheme never came to pass, and the branch line it subsequently became was closed in March 1959.〔Leitch D. & Scott B., 1995, ‘Exploring New Zealand’s Ghost Railways’, Grantham House Publishing, Wellington, New Zealand, ISBN 1-86934-048-5〕 The branch had four names during its lifetime. Initially it was authorised as a Gisborne to Rotorua line, and labelled as such in the Public Works Statement until 1910.〔Churchman, G. and Hurst, T., 1990, ‘The Railways of New Zealand; a Journey Through History (2nd edition 2001), Transpress New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand, ISBN 0-908876-20-3〕 From then, while isolated from the rest of the NZR system, it was known as the ‘Gisborne section’ of the NZR.〔 Once Gisborne was linked to the rest of the NZR network in 1942 the line became the ‘Motuhora Branch’, to be renamed the ‘Moutohora Branch’ in 1952, when the New Zealand Geographic Board decided on this spelling for the line’s terminal locality.〔Wood, C., 1996, ‘Steaming to the Sunrise; a history of railways in the Gisborne region', IPL Books, Wellington, New Zealand, in conjunction with Te Rau Herald Print, Gisborne, New Zealand, ISBN 0-908876-92-0〕 This article uses the final terminology and spelling throughout. ==Construction== The first report on proposals to link Gisborne and the rest of Poverty Bay to the outside world by rail was made in 1886, but nothing eventuated at that time.〔 In April 1897 the East Coast Railway League was established to press for the development of rail connections,〔 and in 1899 the Government announced that Gisborne was to be connected to Auckland by a line of rail.〔 Work on the line started in early 1900. On 14 January the then Minister for Railways, the Joseph Ward, turned the first sod.〔 The first 20 km of the line ran across coastal plains with few obstacles, and the line was opened to Kaitaratahi on 10 November 1902.〔New Zealand Railways Geographical Mileage Table, 1957〕 Once past this point the line required large river bridging works, four tunnels, heavy earthworks and the construction of two large viaducts 18 and 30 metres high. Much of the line was built on steep grades of up to 1 in 30, and many tight curves were required. Despite all earthworks being carried out by pick and shovel, and although hindered at times by floods, washouts and landslips and (in the later stages) a wartime shortage of materials 〔 progress continued at a slow but steady pace, and the line was opened to Moutohora at 78.5 km by 26 November 1917.〔 However once at Moutohora, even though over the main divide, there was no easy way for the railway to link up with the rest of the NZR network, as a definitive line for a connection to the Bay of Plenty had never been identified. By 1920 13 separate surveys had sought a practical route,〔 but the expensive nature of the works required to provide a descent to the Bay of Plenty always deterred politicians from authorising any further extension of the line. With the passing of time it became clear that Gisborne would be connected to the rest of the NZR system via Napier.〔Bromby, R., 2003, ‘Rails That Built a Nation – An Encyclopedia of New Zealand Railways’, Grantham House Publishing, Wellington, New Zealand, ISBN 1-86934-080-9〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Moutohora Branch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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