Koranui Incline

The Koranui Incline was located in the Waimangaroa valley on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It ran from the Koranui Coal Mining Company’s mine on the southern slopes of Mt Frederick and descended to the north bank of the Waimangaroa River – with a total fall of {{convert|700|m}} and a length of {{convert|3.6|km|abbr=off}}. A bridge across the river connected the incline to the Conns Creek branch railway that followed the south bank of the river to the main Westport to Seddonville line.{{cite book|last1=Prebble|first1=Bill|title=Denniston's Incline: Coal from the Clouds|date=2008|publisher=New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Incorporated.|isbn=978-0-908573-84-4|pages=14–20}}

The more famous Denniston Incline, on the other side of the river and further up the valley from the Koranui Incline, was smaller, with a fall of {{convert|518|m|sigfig=3}} and a length of {{convert|1.67|km|abbr=off}}.{{cite book|last1=Prebble|first1=Bill|title=Denniston's Incline: Coal from the Clouds|date=2008|publisher=New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Incorporated.|isbn=978-0-908573-84-4|pages=21–22}}

The survey for the incline was completed by John Rochfort by 19 October 1877,{{cite book|last1=Prebble|first1=Bill|title=Denniston's Incline: Coal from the Clouds|date=2008|publisher=New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Incorporated.|isbn=978-0-908573-84-4|page=18}} construction began in 1879, and the incline opened in November 1882.Grey River Argus Volume XXVI, Issue 4433, 7 November 1882, p. 2.

As originally built, the incline was divided into four stages (of 644, 1207, 1182 and 634 metres in lengthAppendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1883 H-11. Report on Control and Inspection of Mines p. 9.) and the ropes that worked each one were connected at the stage breaks by means of double drums. This allowed one engine to keep the whole length of 3.6 kilometres working. The drum diameters were so proportioned that the sets of trucks would arrive at the stage breaks simultaneously despite the incline stages being of unequal lengths.Otago Daily Times Issue 6350, 19 June 1882, p. 4. Trucks holding about 1.5 tons of coal each were chained together in sets of six, and two sets were operated on each portion of the incline – eight sets in all.Otago Daily Times Issue 6350, 19 June 1882, p. 4. The track gauge was {{convert|2|ft|spell=in}}.

However, the incline did not work well. In 1884, the company chairman reported to shareholders that "one of the greatest difficulties that had had to be overcome in working the mine had been the task of finding a competent mechanical engineer to work the incline." A new engineer, Henry Hughes, was engaged at the end of 1883 and the whole system remodelled.Evening Post Volume XXVII, Issue 76, 29 March 1884, p. 2. George Binns, an Inspector of Mines, had suggested in 1883 that an ordinary endless rope system would be better than the system then being tried for lowering coal on the incline. Mr Hughes adopted this idea and altered the system into five self-acting inclines, each with an endless rope. In 1884, George Binns reported that the new inclines worked very well, but noted it was necessary to stop each incline every time a tub (truck) passed the incline terminus, causing considerable delays. He expected this would soon be resolved.Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1884 Session I, C-05. Report on Control and Inspection of Mines. p. 9.

The incline now worked better, and mine production also improved, but profitability did not.Evening Post Volume XXVIII, Issue 7, 8 July 1884, p. 2. The Koranui Coal Mining Company was bought by one of the main shareholders (Mr Robert Williams) in August 1884,Daily Telegraph 6 August 1884, p. 3. who sold it to the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand on 1 August 1885.Grey River Argus Volume XXXI, Issue 5226, 26 June 1885, p. 2. It was then bought by the Westport Coal Company in about February 1887,Grey River Argus Volume XXXIV, Issue 5830, 26 February 1887, p. 4. which operated the nearby Denniston Incline. The reason for this is probably that the first {{convert|1.6|km|sigfig=1|abbr=off}} of the 2.7 kilometre (1.7 mile) Conns Creek branch railway line (which connected the bottom of the Denniston Incline with the Westport to Seddonville railway) was owned by the Koranui Coal Mining Company.{{cite book|last1=Prebble|first1=Bill|title=Denniston's Incline: Coal from the Clouds|date=2008|publisher=New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Incorporated.|isbn=978-0-908573-84-4|pages=16–20}}

Work at the Koranui mine ceased at the beginning of 1887 as the means of bringing the coal down the lengthy incline was too costly.New Zealand Tablet Volume XIV, Issue 48, 25 March 1887, p. 9. The Westport Coal Company expressed hope in March 1887 that further extensive alterations to the incline would allow operations to resume,New Zealand Tablet Volume XIV, Issue 48, 25 March 1887, p. 9. but by May 1887 the incline had been dismantled.Grey River Argus Volume XXXV, Issue 5909, 31 May 1887, p. 2.

The Koranui mine and incline were worked intermittentlyAppendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1884 Session I, C-05. Report on Control and Inspection of Mines. p. 10. during the incline’s four years of operation, with the overall level of activity indicated by the amount of coal produced: 1882, 196 tons; 1883, 3300 tons; 1884, 5989 tons; 1885, 30,539 tons; and 1886, 44,170 tons.Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1883 H-11. Report on Control and Inspection of Mines p. 24.Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1884 Session I, C-05. Report on Control and Inspection of Mines. p. 28.Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1885 Session I, C-04. Report on Control and Inspection of Mines. p. 13.Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1886 Session I, C-04c. Annual Reports of the Inspectors on Inspection of Mines. pp. 3 and 16.Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives 1887 Session I, C-03. Annual Report of the Inspectors on Inspection of Mines. p. 14.

Traces of the former route of the Koranui Incline can be seen today from a lookout on the road to Denniston, on the opposite side of the valley.{{cite book|last1=Prebble|first1=Bill|title=Denniston's Incline: Coal from the Clouds|date=2008|publisher=New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Incorporated.|isbn=978-0-908573-84-4|page=18}}

There is some potential for the Koranui coalfield to be mined in the future. A 2007 assessment concluded: "The Koranui area contains about 1 million tonnes of coking coal that appears open ended to the east. Low stripping ratios make this coal attractive but access to the coal deposit will be difficult."Gunn, Peter (2007). Kenham Coking Coal Potential of the Buller Coal Field. Ministry of Economic Development New Zealand. Coal Report Series CR3181. p. 9. Retrieved June 2015.

• Denniston Incline
• Rockies Incline
• Millerton Incline

{{Reflist|2}}

• [http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22909031 Photograph of incline at Koranui coal mine, Buller District, West Coast. Ref: PAColl-9487. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand]

{{Buller District}}

Category:Rail transport in the West Coast Region

Category:Buller District

Category:Railway lines in New Zealand

Category:Railway lines opened in 1882

Category:Railway lines closed in 1886

Category:Closed railway lines in New Zealand