Abandoned railway down the main street - Ohai

The abandoned Ohau to Invercargill railway at Ohai, Southland, New Zealand.
The railway has the unusual feature of the track going down the main street of Ohai.
Ohai township was founded in 1917 following the discovery of large amounts of high quality coal in the area. However, the early days of mining were restricted by poor roads. Coal production boomed in the area in 1925, when the Ohai Railway Board opened a new line linking Wairio to the Ohai Railway District. This line also carried workers between Wairio and Ohai on a passenger steam train called the ‘Piecart’.
In order to provide convenient transport of the coal to markets beyond the local area, a privately owned railway extension from the New Zealand Railways Department's Wairio Branch was opened by the Ohai Railway Board in January 1925. In 1934, this line was further extended beyond Ohai to Birchwood, but the terminus had reverted to Ohai by the time the line was incorporated into the national rail network in 1990. The line is now called the Ohai Line and is one of the very few survivors of a formerly extensive rural branch line network. The Ohai Railway Board Heritage Trust, which had no connection with the Ohai Railway Board, was involved in the restoration of steam locomotives including members of the P and V classes and a railway museum was established, but the trust has been dissolved.
Assistants : Cayleb Clayton, John Wylie, De Rowe, Jake White.

[@GeoffSeeley]

Someone had fun with the sound effects library on the drone footage! 😆

[@geoffmackley]

Yes, videos should be amusing as well as informative

[@Transferexternal]

Thanks for this, it's good to take a tour along the line again. We spent a lot of time messing around along the tracks when I was a kid in the 50s.

[@Transferexternal]

Haven't been back for 30 years, need to go again

[@tonymckeage1028]

Great Video Geoff, there are 100s of these old railways arround NZ, good luck!

[@huibertlandzaat1889]

Thank you for uploading

[@millsyinnz]

I remember seeing this line on Lush's series in 2004. (I got the DVD in 2007 and watched it then). Sad that the line is closed, I hope it doesnt get dismantled. Would make a good heritage operation. Perhaps resurrect the Kingston Flyer on there. Ohai has the cheapest houses in the country though, looks like a nice place to live

[@GEHDunedin]

LOLOL - sound effects (Is that you Steve Austin?) really make this!! Well done.

[@geoffmackley]

Haha, yes, I was bored and you win first prize, it was Steve Austin

[@arlingtontrains7]

Very cool!

[@chriskiwi2601]

Great video Geoff. Always interesting exploring yesteryear, especially old railways. A Bit hazardous flying the drone as well it would appear?😅

[@geoffmackley]

Drone was flown away from people and some of the point of view footage is actually vehicle, not drone :-)

[@barryhansen6854]

Lucky with the pine trimming their Geoff.

[@carstoncrew1]

Great footage there and that line would make a great tourist ride like the Forgotten highway rail rides. Can someone tell me what those trees are, never see those in the North Island

[@TheForsakenExplorerNz]

Hey Geoff i hope you found the tunnel ok, i was the one who mention on Abandoned NZ 😎👍

[@geoffmackley]

Hi mate, not yet, we will have to make another trip back for that tunnel and the rest of the line.

[@faew1ld]

That whole area reeks of deliverance.

[@DB-thats-me]

You all says that round here and my mother and sister (same person) will have you for dinner! 🥷☠️
As main corse! 😳

[@peterfinucane8122]

At 3:24 it's "Oh hi, I'm in Ohai"

[@DB-thats-me]

HEY! When was this taken? I’m in the next village, Nightcaps. 😳

[@geoffmackley]

About 2 weeks ago DB, you're in Nightcaps, what did you do to end up there, no offence meant :-)

[@DB-thats-me]

Railways divested themselves of my services. I divested myself of my mortgage. 👍

[@Timmo737]

😢