User:MarkKPH/sandbox

On 9 June 1879, a branch railway from Invercargill to Riverton was opened. The Orepuki line to Riverton via Colac Bay opened in 1885 [Otago Witness, Issue 1746, 9 May 1885, Page 22] the track then using the same bridge constructed in 1874 and was used by the train and towns people alike. With realignment of the line begun in 1902 and opened on 24 July 1905 the track crossed the Jacobs River estuary by a combination of two bridges and a causeway and this line eventually extended to Tuatapere in 1909. [The Hole in the Bush A Tuatapere Centennial Review Complied by Des Williams]. This bridge on the south end consisted of seventeen built beams of 9.2m and two Howe trusses of 18.3 m span, giving a hybrid form of design. The supporting piers were of paired sets of braced timber piles. The bridge provided a good illustration of the timber technology of the period, with it's three elements of truss, built beam and piled piers. [Bridging the gap Early Bridges in NZ 1830-1939, Geoffrey Thornton]. Due to economics the line from Riverton to Tuatapere was in June 1976 was closed. The last train to Riverton (from Invercargill) ran on 20 December 1977 and the line was officially closed on 15 January 1978. [Safe Haven Riverton 1935-1985]. The railway truss bridges and causeway being removed in 2001.