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Railway through Doyleston
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TitleRailway through Doyleston
DescriptionThe first stage of the Racecourse Junction (now Hornby) to Southbridge branch railway line was opened as far as Ellesmere Station (Christchurch bank of the Selwyn River) on the 26 April 1875.
The second stage (through Ellesmere District) from Ellesmere Station, through Doyleston, to Southbridge followed 3 months later on 13 July 1875.
This was one the last sections of railway to be constructed by the Canterbury Provincial Government before the abolition of the Provinces in 1876.
In contrast to the initial wide gauge (1600mm) of the South Line, from which it branched, the Southbridge line was the same gauge as all the railways in NZ today (1067mm) so goods and passengers had to switch trains for a time.
The railway meant that the large amounts of grain and animal products produced in Ellesmere could be moved more easily into Christchurch and the port, Lyttelton.
Outward freight from Doyleston included chaff, grain and other agricultural products, while inward freight included firewood, timber and general merchandise.
Doyleston Station had a loop and a backshunt with a goods shed and cattle yard. The station loop held 22 waggons, plus locomotive and guard’s van, with a passenger carriage being counted as two wagons.
At the turn of the century there were 14 staff on the branch line with Doyleston having a staff of one.
There were two houses on the site, the stationmaster’s and one other. It is thought that there may have been an increase of staff after WW1 to account for the extra house.
The rail service was slow from the beginning, being restricted initially to 29 kph, with reports of cyclists travelling faster than the train.
Later, with heavier rails and new locomotives, the passenger journey was cut from 130 minutes to 82 minutes.
According to the timetable of 1879, two passenger trains which left Christchurch at 7.20am and 3.50pm passed through Doyleston and two passenger trains left from Southbridge at 7.40 and 4.00pm and passed through Doyleston in the opposite direction.
Two goods trains leaving Christchurch and Southbridge at 11.00 am and 11.15 am respectively also ran through Doyleston.
A year later passenger and goods trains were changed to mixed trains. On the eve of the war in 1914, two mixed trains and one goods trains passed through Doyleston daily.
Coal shortages of 1917 and after reduced the service to one train in each direction three days a week.
After the war the timetable returned to normal.
Around 1900 the population of Doyleston was around 160 and of the 13,446 passengers per year carried on the branch, Doyleston contributed 14%.
Passenger numbers peaked at 34,000 in 1926, but the change from horses to motors meant a decrease in farm workers and increasing use of the roads.
In April 1951, as a result of coal shortages and industrial disputes, passenger trains were stopped permanently and a single goods train passed through Doyleston 3 or 4 times per week in both directions until the line was closed in 1962.
During 87 years, trains through Doyleston loaded and unloaded a large amount of freight and numerous passengers.
Material from David Foley, Publicity and Advertising Manager, New Zealand Railways, 1983
Mike Noonan
Ellesmere Historical Society
Date12 December 2019SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDoyleston
DescriptionThe first stage of the Racecourse Junction (now Hornby) to Southbridge branch railway line was opened as far as Ellesmere Station (Christchurch bank of the Selwyn River) on the 26 April 1875. The second stage (through Ellesmere District) from Ellesmere Station, through Doyleston, to Southbridge followed 3 months later on 13 July 1875.
This was one the last sections of railway to be constructed by the Canterbury Provincial Government before the abolition of the Provinces in 1876.
In contrast to the initial wide gauge (1600mm) of the South Line, from which it branched, the Southbridge line was the same gauge as all the railways in NZ today (1067mm) so goods and passengers had to switch trains for a time.
The railway meant that the large amounts of grain and animal products produced in Ellesmere could be moved more easily into Christchurch and the port, Lyttelton.
Outward freight from Doyleston included chaff, grain and other agricultural products, while inward freight included firewood, timber and general merchandise.
Doyleston Station had a loop and a backshunt with a goods shed and cattle yard. The station loop held 22 waggons, plus locomotive and guard’s van, with a passenger carriage being counted as two wagons.
At the turn of the century there were 14 staff on the branch line with Doyleston having a staff of one.
There were two houses on the site, the stationmaster’s and one other. It is thought that there may have been an increase of staff after WW1 to account for the extra house.
The rail service was slow from the beginning, being restricted initially to 29 kph, with reports of cyclists travelling faster than the train.
Later, with heavier rails and new locomotives, the passenger journey was cut from 130 minutes to 82 minutes.
According to the timetable of 1879, two passenger trains which left Christchurch at 7.20am and 3.50pm passed through Doyleston and two passenger trains left from Southbridge at 7.40 and 4.00pm and passed through Doyleston in the opposite direction.
Two goods trains leaving Christchurch and Southbridge at 11.00 am and 11.15 am respectively also ran through Doyleston.
A year later passenger and goods trains were changed to mixed trains. On the eve of the war in 1914, two mixed trains and one goods trains passed through Doyleston daily.
Coal shortages of 1917 and after reduced the service to one train in each direction three days a week.
After the war the timetable returned to normal.
Around 1900 the population of Doyleston was around 160 and of the 13,446 passengers per year carried on the branch, Doyleston contributed 14%.
Passenger numbers peaked at 34,000 in 1926, but the change from horses to motors meant a decrease in farm workers and increasing use of the roads.
In April 1951, as a result of coal shortages and industrial disputes, passenger trains were stopped permanently and a single goods train passed through Doyleston 3 or 4 times per week in both directions until the line was closed in 1962.
During 87 years, trains through Doyleston loaded and unloaded a large amount of freight and numerous passengers.
Material from David Foley, Publicity and Advertising Manager, New Zealand Railways, 1983
Mike Noonan
Ellesmere Historical Society
Date12 December 2019SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDoylestonConnections
CollectionHistory of DoylestonOrganisationEllesmere Historical Society
OrganisationEllesmere Historical SocietyAttribution
Researched ByMike NoonanWritten ByMike Noonan
Written ByMike NoonanClick on the image to add
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Railway through Doyleston (12 December 2019). Selwyn Stories, accessed 15/06/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5287