West of the Divide: More Memories of the Midland Line

By Stephen and Matt Wright

This book is out of stock and is unlikely to be reprinted.

Through the rugged Southern Alps, the Midland Line stretches from Greymouth on the West Coast to Rolleston on the Canterbury Plains. West of the Divide, the second instalment of the Memories of the Midland Line series, looks at the western section of the railway - primarily from Greymouth to Otira - a line that holds a special place in the hearts of many Coasters.

Profusely illustrated, West of the Divide shares the stories of eight individuals whose lives were impacted by the Midland Line. In addition, the early development of the western portion of the railway is explored, and a separate section is devoted to the West Coast stations and other points of interest along the line. Within these sections, a number of people give their recollections of the railway that was so indispensable to the West Coast communities it served.

Sample pages Additional information Corrections

A4 portrait format, soft-cover
308 page
First published 2010

Note: The first printing of the book was released with an errata sticker, the details of which are not included here.

Page 41: The man beside the dog, holding the lapels of his jacket, is Thomas Jackson.

Page 60, 76: Ron Youngman, not Les Youngman, was the ganger after Les Cowan.

Page 61: As far as Ray Cowan can recall (in 2023), the kegs were positioned on the bar in the Perry Range Hotel, not on a stand at the end of the bar.

Page 63: Two of those known to have preceded the Cowans were Thomas Leamy (before taking over the Perry Range Hotel) and Jack Phillipson (and their families). Ron and Pat Youngman (and family) followed in 1955, then Geordie Lamb in 1961, followed by Colin Jackson and his family who moved out about 1966. In the early to mid-1970s, Colin got the contract to remove it. He contemplated shifting it but discovered that it wasn’t structurally sound, took out what was salvageable and put a match to it. Some of the people who occupied the other railway house at Jacksons (on the upper side of the line) were: ... Fricker; Walter Hardy; Charlie Cowan; Bill Youngman; and Gordon McDonald and Ruby Stephenson (and their families). Colin Jackson purchased that house off the Railways in the early 1960s and was renovating it when it burnt down.

Page 65: Photo evidence indicates that it may have been a Model T that went off the bridge.

Page 68: Amby Griffen should read Amby Griffin. Gerard Fitzgerald should read Gerhard Fitzgerald.

Page 76: The railcar did not enter the brewery but would have stopped at the back door of the brewery on the siding (the old loco depot road).

Page 84: Granny Abbott's husband died in May 1942, aged 68.

Page 123: The Emmerson family lived further down towards the hall than indicated in the text.

Page 131: If the signal for the up-train shone green, the down train had not yet claimed the Rotomanu to Moana section; if yellow it was on the Rotomanu to Moana section; and if red it had claimed the Moana to Kaimata section.

Page 134: Terry Molloy got his first-grade driver's ticket in March 1952.

Page 160: Roly Parker's Rolls Royce was damaged in the flood, but not washed down the river. Part of Roly Parker's house was washed into the river, not the whole house.

Page 161: It was probably around 2 a.m. rather than 3 a.m. when the Otira River broke through. Roly Parker did not have a family.

Page 164: Above the engine shed can be glimpsed the roof of the school. On the right- hand edge of the photo can be seen the district nurse's house (as from 1966). Dave Pearson's ballast crushing operation was later owned by Eddie Evans.

Page 205: Ian Coates finished up as the loco crew supervisor, not road foreman.

Page 213: On that day, there were two race trains. Firstly, K32 returning as K31, then K34 returning as K33. This photo was taken after the return of K31 and before the train left again as K34 to Omoto. Ub 337 is therefore on the rear of Train K 34.

Page 290: This photo was taken after the seizure of the company in 1895 - indicated by the guard's cap (an NZR type). The Government didn't reletter the company's locomotive or other equipment until they took permanent possession of the company's lines in 1900.

Page 299: Caption should read: A 408 ready to leave Otira with the express from Christchurch.