Omoto locomotive dump

LA NO 312 is one of many locomotives and wagons that New Zealand Railways dumped at Omoto.

Omoto locomotive dump is a locomotive and rolling stock dump site located on the banks of the Grey River, near Greymouth, New Zealand. The dump site is located on the southern banks of the Grey River, close to the Midland Line and State Highway 6.

History of locomotive dumps

During the history of New Zealand Railways, all locomotives and rolling stock have reached or will reach a state of obsolescence. When the cost of scrap metal drops below an economic level, other uses for locomotives and rolling stock are found. Some were dumped in locomotive dumps to aid protection of the railway 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 dumped at the worst point of erosion, Omoto. Since disposal, Omoto, along with other locomotive dumps have provided a treasure trove to many interested in Railway archaeology.

The first conclusive locomotive dumpings to occur at Omoto began in 1957 and continued up to 1961. However, it is believed 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. However, large scale dumping is not known to have started until 1957 when a number of withdrawn locomotives, components of locomotives, and withdrawn wagons of various classes were dumped there.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
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 Buried beneath UB 330.
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.

[1][2]

Other locomotive dump sites

References

  1. ↑ New Zealand Railfan. Wellington: Triple M Publications. 1999. pp. 46–54. ISSN 1173-2229.
  2. ↑ "OMOTO LOCOMOTIVE DUMP". Retrieved 24 January 2013.
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