Omoto locomotive dump
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Omoto locomotive dump is a New Zealand Railways locomotive and rolling stock dump site located near Greymouth, New Zealand. The dump site is located on the southern bank of the Grey River, close to the Midland Line and State Highway 6.
History of locomotive dumps
All locomotives and rolling stock inevitably reach obsolescence. When the cost of scrap metal dropped below an economic level, the New Zealand Railways found other uses for withdrawn locomotives and rolling stock. Some were discarded in locomotive dumps to protect the railway formation against erosion or soft ground. The railway line at Omoto suffered from severe erosion caused by flooding of the adjacent Grey River. During the 1950s, many obsolete locomotives and wagons on the South Island's West Coast were, accordingly, dumped here. Since disposal, Omoto, along with other locomotive dumps, has provided a treasure trove to many people interested in Railway archaeology.
The first conclusive locomotive dumpings to occur at Omoto began in 1957 and continued up to 1961. It is believed, however, that the dumpings started at an earlier date, as LA 312 was dumped in 1929, while the remains of P 135 were dumped in 1933. Large scale dumping did not take place until 1957, when a number of withdrawn locomotives, components of locomotives, and withdrawn wagons of various classes were dumped there.
Locomotives dumped at Omoto
Class and Road number | Type | Builder | Builder's number | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
F 5 | 0-6-0ST | Robert Stephenson and Company | 2611 | |
F 277 | 0-6-0ST | Robert Stephenson and Company | 2597 | Built for Hungerford & McKay Ltd, to NZR stock 1895. Fitted with a larger cab in the 1920s. |
LA 312 | 4-4-0T | Nasmyth Wilson | 322 | Ex NZ Midland Railway Co, NO 3. Recovered 2005. Awaiting restoration at Midland Rail Heritage Trust, Springfield, NZ. |
P 135 | 2-8-0 | Nasmyth Wilson | 275 | |
UB 330 | 4-6-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 18576 | Located beneath UC 365. |
UB 331 | 4-6-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 18577 | |
UC 361 | 4-6-0 | Sharp, Stewart and Company | 4745 | |
UC 362 | 4-6-0 | Sharp, Stewart and Company | 4746 | |
UC 365 | 4-6-0 | Sharp, Stewart and Company | 4749 | |
UC 369 | 4-6-0 | Sharp, Stewart and Company | 4753 | Recovered 2005. Awaiting restoration at Midland Rail Heritage Trust, Springfield, NZ. |
UC 370 | 4-6-0 | Sharp, Stewart and Company | 4754 | Recovered 2005. Awaiting restoration at Midland Rail Heritage Trust, Springfield, NZ. |
WB 298 | 2-6-2T | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 16174 | Boiler only. |
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Other locomotive dump sites
- Westfield, Auckland
- Oamaru
- Beaumont
- Branxholme
- Mararoa
- Bealey River
- Waimakariri River
- Mōkihinui River
References
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- e
Greymouth Central Ward | |
---|---|
Eastern Ward | |
Northern Ward | |
Southern Ward |
- Ahaura River
- Alexander River
- Barrytown Flats
- Big River
- Lake Brunner
- Clarke River
- Crooked River
- Eastern Hohonu River
- Greenstone River / Hokonui
- Grey River / Māwheranui
- Harper Pass
- Kangaroo Lake
- Little Hohonu River
- Nancy River
- Ōrangipuku River
- Otto River
- Paparoa Range
- Lake Poerua
- Poerua River
- Rough River
- Taramakau River
- Upper Grey River
- Waiheke River
- Waikiti River
- Arnold Power Station
- Bell Hill mill tramway
- Blackball Branch
- Blackball Museum of Working Class History
- Greymouth Airport
- Hannah's Building
- History House Museum
- John Sturgeon Park
- Kotuku Model Bungalow
- Left Bank Art Gallery
- Omoto locomotive dump
- Paparoa National Park
- Paparoa Track
- Pike29 Memorial Track
- Pike River Mine
- Rapahoe Branch
- Rewanui Branch
- Ross Branch
- Runanga Miners' Hall
- Shantytown Heritage Park
- Stillwater–Ngākawau Line
- Tyneside Mine
- Wingham Park