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Town of Selwyn Railway vs The Selwyn River
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TitleTown of Selwyn Railway vs The Selwyn River
DescriptionIn September 1862, a Provincial Engineer’s Report said that the plan was to “make the southern railway as far as the south bank of the Rakaia, bridging that river, and thus overcoming all the real obstacles between Christchurch and the southern districts of the province.”
By September 1864, it was reported, that a 4 acre (1.6ha) reserve in the middle of Selwyn Town had been accepted by the Government as a railway station and depot.
However it was not until May 1865 that the first sod of the south railway was turned.
The contract was for the construction of the line from Christchurch to the Rakaia River.
In October 1866 there was an iron girder bridge on a ship from England that was destined to be used to cross the Selwyn River and then by May 1867 the line had reached the Selwyn River and the bridge over the Selwyn was being constructed.
The railway bosses went by special train in August 1867 to inspect the serious damage done to the railway works at the Selwyn and so two months later while the station was open, the river had changed course leaving the bridge high and dry, so the train ran to the north bank and horse-drawn coaches took passengers from there to the station and Timaru.
By November 1867 there were three return trains running on each weekday.
As there was no money to extend the line to Rakaia, Selwyn became the terminus until early 1873.
In 1870, the N.Z. Government took over the railways from the Provincial Government (PG) and Vogel had managed to borrow money.
He planned to ask authority to extend the line to Rakaia.
The PG was given authority to continue the line to Rakaia using the wide gauge but eventually this had to be converted to narrow gauge from Rakaia back to Christchurch.
This held up the building of stock yards, but the conversion reached Dunsandel in September 1874 and Selwyn later.
The Great Flood occurred in Christchurch in February 1868 and this flood swept the Selwyn railway bridge (Mr Doyne’s costly structure) away and destroyed 200 yards (180m) of the embankment.
£150 was granted by the Provincial Council for a temporary store at the Selwyn Station in March 1868 and in the same month a special train was run to transport wheat and a store to hold 1200 sacks was to be built.
A grain store capable of holding 1500 sacks was reported to be near completion in the same month. The building must have been very rapidly constructed.
Part of the railway embankment was again washed away in 1870 but this was rapidly repaired.
Unfortunately, 2 years later, floods again carried away a portion of the Selwyn Railway bridge.
Then again in 1876, in a large flood, the 150ft (45m) embankment which filled in between two pile bridges near the banks, was completely washed away.
At last, it was thought that having pile work right across the bed of the river would solve the problem, and this proved to be the best idea.
In the absence of a foot and vehicle bridge, there was a move to have the railway bridge planked between the rails to make it easier for people to walk across the structure when the river was flowing.
Mike Noonan
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date2 February 2023SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationSelwyn Village
DescriptionIn September 1862, a Provincial Engineer’s Report said that the plan was to “make the southern railway as far as the south bank of the Rakaia, bridging that river, and thus overcoming all the real obstacles between Christchurch and the southern districts of the province.” By September 1864, it was reported, that a 4 acre (1.6ha) reserve in the middle of Selwyn Town had been accepted by the Government as a railway station and depot.
However it was not until May 1865 that the first sod of the south railway was turned.
The contract was for the construction of the line from Christchurch to the Rakaia River.
In October 1866 there was an iron girder bridge on a ship from England that was destined to be used to cross the Selwyn River and then by May 1867 the line had reached the Selwyn River and the bridge over the Selwyn was being constructed.
The railway bosses went by special train in August 1867 to inspect the serious damage done to the railway works at the Selwyn and so two months later while the station was open, the river had changed course leaving the bridge high and dry, so the train ran to the north bank and horse-drawn coaches took passengers from there to the station and Timaru.
By November 1867 there were three return trains running on each weekday.
As there was no money to extend the line to Rakaia, Selwyn became the terminus until early 1873.
In 1870, the N.Z. Government took over the railways from the Provincial Government (PG) and Vogel had managed to borrow money.
He planned to ask authority to extend the line to Rakaia.
The PG was given authority to continue the line to Rakaia using the wide gauge but eventually this had to be converted to narrow gauge from Rakaia back to Christchurch.
This held up the building of stock yards, but the conversion reached Dunsandel in September 1874 and Selwyn later.
The Great Flood occurred in Christchurch in February 1868 and this flood swept the Selwyn railway bridge (Mr Doyne’s costly structure) away and destroyed 200 yards (180m) of the embankment.
£150 was granted by the Provincial Council for a temporary store at the Selwyn Station in March 1868 and in the same month a special train was run to transport wheat and a store to hold 1200 sacks was to be built.
A grain store capable of holding 1500 sacks was reported to be near completion in the same month. The building must have been very rapidly constructed.
Part of the railway embankment was again washed away in 1870 but this was rapidly repaired.
Unfortunately, 2 years later, floods again carried away a portion of the Selwyn Railway bridge.
Then again in 1876, in a large flood, the 150ft (45m) embankment which filled in between two pile bridges near the banks, was completely washed away.
At last, it was thought that having pile work right across the bed of the river would solve the problem, and this proved to be the best idea.
In the absence of a foot and vehicle bridge, there was a move to have the railway bridge planked between the rails to make it easier for people to walk across the structure when the river was flowing.
Mike Noonan
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date2 February 2023SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationSelwyn VillageConnections
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Researched ByMike NoonanWritten ByMike Noonan
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Town of Selwyn Railway vs The Selwyn River (2 February 2023). Selwyn Stories, accessed 29/05/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5374