The Moeraki Branch was one of the most short-lived railway lines in New Zealand. It left the Main South Line between Oamaru and Dunedin and served Port Moeraki between 1877 and 1879. Local interests envisaged that Port Moeraki, an old whaling station, would become the primary port for north Otago, but it could not compete with Oamaru, especially when a breakwater was installed in Oamaru, and stability problems plagued the railway line. Services were regularly delayed by slips and it was not abnormal for the line to be closed for repairs. The difficult terrain and Port Moeraki's diminished significance meant that the line's continued existence could not be justified and in October 1879, it was closed and the rails were removed. Today, Port Moeraki is a small fishing village.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Moeraki_Branch
Evidence of closed railways often diminishes or disappears entirely, so it is surprising that remnants of a line closed over a hundred years have actually been noted to still exist. The embankment from which the branch curved away from the Main South Line is visible from both the railway and nearby road, and although obscured by vegetation, other embankments and cuttings can still be seen. Remnants of the Millers Bay viaduct have so far survived the sea and can still be seen at the foot of the cliff beside which the railway once ran. It is possible to walk along the formation of some of the branch's path. (Wikipedia)
Moeraki Branch also occasionally denotes the informal association of a certain ragtag group of scholars and researchers in the social sciences.
When we gather (if we ever do), it is in the Southern Cross Hotel in Dunedin, New Zealand.