Bell Hill mill tramway

Bell Hill mill tramway
Johnson steam locomotive of Bell Hill mill tramway
Nyberg steam hauler, locomotive and workers
Technical
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)

Bell Hill mill tramway was a bush tramway at Bell Hill in the Moana Region of the Grey District on the West Coast of New Zealand. The tramway with a track gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) was used in the 1910s.

History

The Bell Hill mill was owned by Brownlee and Company and opened in the second decade of the 20th century.[1] At times the mill closed down due to lack of water for the mill's boilers and for dampening down sawdust.[2][3] In 1947 the mill was threatened by fire.[4]

Locomotives

The Johnson locomotive was built in Invercargill in 1906.[5]

  • Timber mill workers on a 0-6-0 Johnson loco, Bell Hill mill, ca 1910
    Timber mill workers on a 0-6-0 Johnson loco, Bell Hill mill, ca 1910
  • A sawmill at Bell Hill, possibly Jack Bros' Sawmill
    A sawmill at Bell Hill, possibly Jack Bros' Sawmill
  • Abandoned 0-4-0T Gibbons & Harris loco No 3 at Bell Hill
    Abandoned 0-4-0T Gibbons & Harris loco No 3 at Bell Hill

Further literature

References

  1. ^ Orchard, John (1987). "A short history of sawmilling in the Nydia Bay Area". Journal of the Nelson and Marlborough Historical Societies. 2 (1) – via New Zealand Electronic Text Centre.
  2. ^ "Local and general". Grey River Argus. 17 January 1928. p. 4. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  3. ^ "News in brief". Otago Daily Times. 21 January 1928. p. 24. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Untitled". Press. 15 February 1947. p. 6. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. ^ Timber workers by a Johnson steam locomotive, West Coast. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. Reference Number: 1/2-058143-F.

42°33′28″S 171°32′48″E / 42.557753°S 171.546746°E / -42.557753; 171.546746