Driving Creek Railway

Tunnel No 3, just beyond the fourth reversing point at Horopito. The railcar Linx can just be seen at the far end of the tunnel.

Locale| Coromandel, New Zealand, New Zealand
Terminus| 'Eyefull Tower'
Commercial operations
Built by| Barry Brickell[1]
Original gauge| 15 in (381 mm)
Preserved operations
Stations| Two
Length| ca 3 km[2]
Preserved gauge| 15 in (381 mm)
Commercial history
Opened| 1975 (initially for private use only)[2]

The Driving Creek Railway is a narrow gauge bush and mountain railway on the outskirts of the provincial town of Coromandel on the northwestern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island. The railway leads up the mountain to a viewing platform building 165 m high above the surrounding Coromandel west coast country.[1]

## History

[edit]

The original line was built by the potter Barry Brickell on his 22-hectare property, which he had acquired in 1961, aiming to start a pottery collective.[3] He started construction of the 15-inch gauge rail line in 1975, originally mainly using it to transport clay and pine wood fuel to his kiln.[2]

In 1975, Brickell purchased a larger 60ha block of land, and began working on what would become the Driving Creek Railway and Potteries. The new line would be of 15 in (381 mm) gauge instead of 10+1⁄2 in (267 mm) gauge, and would serve the same purpose as the original, to bring clay and firewood down from the slopes above the potteries. It would also be used to help re-plant the hillsides on Brickell's property with kauri and other native plants.

The Driving Creek Railway (DCR) was slowly expanded over the next 25 years to become one of the very few completely new railway lines in New Zealand in recent years. The project required significant civil engineering works due to the steep and complex terrain that the line traverses. Among these are the famous Double-Deck viaduct, three tunnels, ten bridges (including the Double-Deck Viaduct) and inclines as steep as 1 in 14. There is also a short branchline from the potteries to a firewood drying shed, including a short bridge, bridge No 1A, just behind the workshops at Driving Creek; this line is not used by passenger trains, although passengers will see the drying shed as their train climbs from No 1 bridge towards the Lower Spiral. The trip takes approximately 1 hour return.[2]

The line terminates at the Eyefull Tower, completed in 2004 as the final terminus of the railway. The design of the building was based on the Bean Rock Lighthouse in Auckland, and includes a large viewing deck which was added in 2005 at Brickell's suggestion. The view from the Tower has been compared to the Kereta Hill layover just north of Coromandel, although Brickell maintained that the view from the Eyefull Tower was better than that from the Kereta layover.

The attraction now brings over 30,000 people to the railway per year, with much of the proceeds funding nature conservation works.[2]

### 2004 washout

[edit]

In 2004, unseasonally heavy rain caused a major slip on the approaches to the Double-Deck Viaduct, damaging the track leading to the bridge from No 2 'Taniwha' tunnel and the higher-level track above leading into the Hoki Mai loop. A further slip occurred just above the No 3, or Cascade, switchback. Due to the damage, trains were forced to terminate just beyond the 'Taniwha' tunnel, where passengers could see the damage.

The line was repaired shortly after; this entailed the construction of two bridges, one on the lower level and one on the higher level, which included the points at the southern end of the Hoki Mai loop. A concrete retaining wall was constructed at Cascade to prevent further slips from blocking the railway.

## Trains

[edit]

Carriages of Snake awaiting departure

The line operates a number of items of rolling stock, the most important of which are the three diesel railcars, which were built on site by the railway's own workshops. Possum (1999) is a 14-seater one-car unit, and Snake (1992) and Linx (2004) are 36-seater, three-unit articulated Railcars.[4]

The railway also operates two diesel locomotives; Dieselmouse, an 0-4-0DM built in 1979 and the first locomotive used on the DCR, and Elephant, an 0-4-4-0DM built in 1980. In his book Rails toward the Sky, Barry Brickell stated that Dieselmouse is harder to drive, and is used as a shunting engine around the potteries and firewood drying shed. Elephant, being more powerful, is used on work trains and to haul Possum, Snake, and Linx in the event of a mechanical failure. It can also haul the line's solitary passenger carriage, nicknamed the 'Vintage Train', in times when extra capacity is required.

## Site features

[edit]

The line climbs the hill behind Brickell's pottery, changing direction five times at reversing points to zigzag across the face of the hill. At the terminus is a wooden building, the "Eyefull Tower".[1] Although this is a pun on the name Eiffel Tower (and on the wide land and sea views from the tower), its octagonal design[2] is based on a much nearer landmark, the Bean Rock Lighthouse in Auckland Harbour.[5]

There are a variety of other features on the site, such as a growing areas of re-planted native forest (including kauri), a wildlife sanctuary and a sculpture park (throughout the site and along the rail line, varying pottery and brick artworks abound, and also include retaining walls made of glass bottles).[2][3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Lawrence, Sarah (16 August 2010). "Coromandel: Like taking a step back in time". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
2. ^ a b c d e f g Lang, Sarah (7 June 2009). "Coromandel: Water world". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
3. ^ a b Linnell, Amanda (26 January 2009). "Road trip: Free-range foray". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
4. ^ "Building Driving Creek Railway". Driving Creek Railway. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
5. ^ MacKay, Janetta (14 August 2005). "New life in Coromandel town". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2011.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Driving Creek Railway.

* Driving Creek Railway
* Map of the railway at OpenRailwayMap

* v
* t
* e

Railway preservation in New Zealand
New Zealand railway heritage and preservation groups

Nationwide|

* Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand (FRONZ)
* Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand
* New Zealand Model Railway Guild

Upper North Island|

* Bay of Islands Vintage Railway
* Bush Tramway Club
* Driving Creek Railway
* Glenbrook Vintage Railway
* Goldfields Railway
* Helensville Railway Station Precinct
* Mainline Steam Heritage Trust
* Museum of Transport and Technology
* Papatoetoe Railway Station Preservation Trust
* Railway Enthusiasts Society
* Rotorua Ngongotaha Railway Trust
* Waikino Victoria Battery Tramway and Museum
* Whangarei Steam and Model Railway Club

Lower North Island|

* East Coast Museum of Technology
* Feilding and District Steam Rail Society
* Fell Locomotive Museum
* Gisborne City Vintage Railway
* Mainline Steam Heritage Trust
* Main Trunk Rail Ohakune
* New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society
* Ormondville Rail Preservation Society
* Paekakariki Station Precinct Trust
* Pahiatua Railcar Society
* Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust
* Silver Stream Railway
* Steam Incorporated
* SteamRail Wanganui
* Tramways Whanganui Trust
* Tokomaru Steam Museum
* Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
* Waitara Railway Preservation Society
* Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust
* Wellington Heritage Multiple Unit Preservation Trust
* Wellington Tramway Museum

South Island|

* Blenheim Riverside Railway
* Canterbury Railway Society
* Canterbury Steam Preservation Society
* Diesel Traction Group
* Ferrymead Railway
* Ferrymead Two Foot Railway
* Kingston Flyer
* Lumsden Heritage Trust
* Mainline Steam Heritage Trust
* Midland Rail Heritage Trust
* National Railway Museum of New Zealand
* Nelson Railway Society
* Oamaru Steam and Rail Restoration Society
* Ocean Beach Railway
* Ohai Railway Board Heritage Trust
* Pleasant Point Museum and Railway
* Project Steam
* Reefton Historic Trust Board
* Dunedin Railways (inc. Otago Excursion Train Trust)
* The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum
* Tramway Historical Society
* Waimea Plains Railway
* Weka Pass Railway
* West Coast Historical and Mechanical Society (inc. Shantytown)
* Westland Heritage Park
* Westport Railway Preservation Society

* v
* t
* e

Railways and tramways of 15-inch (381 mm) gauge

Asia|

* Bal Bahran Park (Delhi, India)
* Sakuradani (Japan)
* Shuzenji Romney (Japan)

Europe|

* Anse (France)
* Donaupark (Austria)
* Dresdner Park (Germany)
* Killesberg Park (Germany)
* Park Auensee (Germany)
* Prater Park (Austria)

| United
King-
dom|

* Alton Towers (defunct)
* Bellevue Park (defunct)
* Blackpool Zoo
* Blenheim Park
* Bure Valley
* Cleethorpes Coast
* Conwy Valley
* Combe Martin Wildlife Park
* Craigtoun
* Duffield Bank (defunct)
* Eaton Hall (defunct)
* Evesham Vale
* Gulliver's Land
* Gulliver's World
* Haigh Country Park
* Heatherslaw
* Knowsley Safari Park
* Lakeside (Southport)
* Lappa Valley
* Lightwater Valley
* Liverpool Garden Festival (defunct)
* Longleat
* Markeaton Park (defunct)
* Marwell Zoo (defunct)
* Oakwood Park
* Paradise Park
* Paultons Park
* Perrygrove
* Ravenglass & Eskdale
* Rhiw Valley (defunct)
* Rhyl
* Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch
* Saltburn
* Sand and Hutton (defunct)
* Sherwood Forest
* Waveney Valley
* Whistlestop Valley
* Windmill Farm
* Wotton

|

North
America|

* Bear Creek Park (Canada)
* Pindal Electric (Canada)
* Springbank Express (Canada)

| United
States|

* American Heritage
* B.A.D. Great Northern
* Gage Park
* Glenwood South Park
* Hillcrest & Wahtoke
* Joshua Tree & Southern GSD
* Laurel Run
* Little Toot
* Look Park
* Milwaukee County Zoo Safari
* Nickel Plate
* Northwest Ohio
* Orland, Newville and Pacific
* Paradise and Pacific
* Phoenix & Holly
* Redwood Valley
* Riverside and Great Northern
* Riverview & Twin Lakes
* Sonoma TrainTown
* Tiny Town
* Waterman & Western

|

Oceania|

* Bush Mill (Australia)
* Driving Creek (New Zealand)
* Whangaparaoa (New Zealand)

Arlesdale (fictional) · Fairbourne (now re-gauged) · Far Tottering and Oyster Creek (temporary exhibition line)

* v
* t
* e

Thames-Coromandel District, New Zealand

Seat: Thames

Populated places|

| Coromandel-Colville Ward|

* Cape Colville
* Colville
* Coromandel
* Kennedy Bay
* Manaia
* Motutakapu

|

Mercury Bay Ward|

* Cooks Beach
* Coroglen
* Hahei
* Hot Water Beach
* Kūaotunu
* Matarangi
* New Chums Beach
* Otama Beach
* Rings Beach
* Te Rerenga
* Whangapoua
* Whenuakite
* Whitianga

Thames Ward|

* Hikutaia
* Kauaeranga Valley
* Kopu
* Matatoki
* Ngarimu Bay
* Puriri
* Tapu
* Te Mata
* Te Puru
* Thames
* Thornton Bay
* Waiomu

South West Ward|

| Whangamatā C.B.|

* Onemana
* Opoutere
* Whangamata

|

Tairua-Pauanui C.B.|

* Hikuai
* Pauanui
* Tairua

Islands|

* Aldermen Islands
* Castle Island
* Mahurangi Island / Goat Island
* Mercury Islands
* Motueka Island / Pigeon Island
* Motukawao Islands
* Poikeke Island
* Slipper Island
* Whanganui Island

Geographic features|

* Cape Colville
* Castle Rock
* Cathedral Cove / Te Whanganui-A-Hei
* Colville Channel
* Firth of Thames
* Hauraki Gulf
* Kauaeranga Valley
* Mercury Bay
* Moehau Range
* Thames Valley
* Whangapoua Harbour

Facilities and attractions|

* Coromandel Forest Park
* Driving Creek Railway
* Hauraki Rail Trail
* Kopu Bridge
* Pauanui Aerodrome
* Siamese Kauri
* Square Kauri
* Thames Aerodrome
* Thames railway station
* Thames School of Mines
* Whangamata Beach Hop
* Whitianga Aerodrome
* Whitianga Festival of Speed

Government|

* District Council
* Mayor
* Regional Council

Organisations|

* The Mercury Bay Informer
* Ngāti Rongoū
* Thames High School

36°44′13″S 175°30′14″E﻿ / ﻿36.7369°S 175.5040°E﻿ / -36.7369; 175.5040
*[DM]: Diesel-mechanical
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template