 The line operated for years between 1876 and 1955.Unusually for an isolated line, there were both passenger and freight services for most of its existence, with the latter outlasting the former by only a year.This line is noteworthy for several reasons, including being the last completely isolated section of the government-owned railway network; gaining a reprieve after being closed for the first time until being closed for a second – and final – time; and, its route was chosen to serve existing communities in Nelson's hinterland rather than being constructed to open up new areas for development or serve specific industries.