The 13km section of line that is now the Weka Pass Railway, started life in 1882 as part of the Waiau branch, not being completed until 1919, with its final length being 66.5km from the junction at Waipara. This line was part of the growth of railways on New Zealand's South Island, in the region of Northern Canterbury. The line lost its passenger traffic in January 1939, but remained open to freight and logging traffic until official closure in January 1978, when it succumbed to competition by road transport. That seemingly should have been the end of Canterbury's last remaining branch line, but union officials put a 5 year embargo on the line, refusing to dismantle it. They hoped that local farmers would pressure the Government to reopen it, but whilst that didn't happen, it bought enough time for preservationists to become interested!
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