Author(s): W J Cowan

NZ Railways | Secondhand | Otago

Built as an extension of the Lawrence railway, the Roxburgh Branch, opened in 1928, barely survived the Depression of the 1930s. Always vulnerable to road competition the line's ''finest hour' was transporting materials to the Coal Creek Hydro Scheme. Its last decade was characterised by declining traffic and reduced train services. Politics played a major role in the final route chosen to Roxburgh. Invercargill and Dunedin interests vied with each other for Roxburgh business. The Roxburgh district didn't care where their railway came from, they just wanted a railway. Using many previously unpublished photos and drawing heavily on contemporary newspaper accounts Rails to Roxburgh tells the story of how a provincial railway contributed to the development of Otago's hinterland.