It has been suggested that this article should be split into articles titled Horopito railway station , Taonui Viaduct and Hapuawhenua Viaduct . (discuss) (December 2021) |
Horopito railway station | |||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||
Location | New Zealand | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°20′37″S175°22′41″E / 39.343657°S 175.378017°E | ||||||||||
Elevation | 752 m (2,467 ft) | ||||||||||
Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
Distance | Wellington 327.5 km (203.5 mi) | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
Opened | in use from 31 May 1907 goods 12 August 1907 passengers 15 February 1909 | ||||||||||
Closed | goods 19 September 1986 passengers before December 1975 | ||||||||||
Electrified | June 1988 | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
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Horopito was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, [1] in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the small village of Horopito and lies just to the north of two of the five largest NIMT viaducts. It and Pokaka also lay to the south of Makatote Viaduct, the late completion of which held up opening of the station.
A passing loop remains at the station site. [2]
Surveying for the route between Hīhītahi and Piriaka began in 1894. [3] The line opened from Waiouru to Rangataua for goods traffic on 12 August 1907 [4] and a mail coach ran between the railheads at Raurimu and Rangataua, serving Horopito on the way. [5] A stationmaster was appointed by March 1908. [4]
A telephone line from the north was in place by 1907, but a link to Mataroa was not installed until 1909.
In August 1908 Horopito was the point where engines were changed on the first through train, to reduce its weight to negotiate the still unballasted track to the north. [6]
Work on the station building began in November 1908. [7] A 5th class station was built by September 1909 for around £3,340. [4] When opened, Horopito had rooms for a stationmaster, lobby, luggage, urinals and ladies, on a 300 ft (91 m) by 15 ft (4.6 m) platform. There was also an engine shed, a 40 ft (12 m) by 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed with verandah, two 4,000 imp gal (18,000 L; 4,800 US gal) water tanks, a loading bank, cattle and sheep yards and a cart approach. There was a tablet and fixed signals. Railway workers cottages were built from 1907. A crossing loop could take 60 wagons, extended to 80 in 1955. Electric lighting was installed after 1924. [4]
The station building was replaced by a prefabricated shelter shed in 1971. On 19 September 1986 the station closed to all traffic. [4]
Like the other stations along this part of NIMT, Horopito had freight from several timber mills.
R A Wilson & Co had a mill about 3 mi (4.8 km) from the station, [8] linked by a private siding from 1908. [4] Berg Brothers had a mill from at least 1908 [9] to 1921, [10] with a horse-drawn tramway. [11] A tramway to the Mangaturuturu valley was still in use in 1938. [12] Mr Harland built a mill for cutting manoao into sleepers in 1909. [13] In 1912 Silver Pine Timber Co opened a mill for the same timber about 1 mi (1.6 km) from the station. [14] Cowern & Co had several tramways east of the station. Another sawmill had a short tramway south of the station. [15] Orata Mill burnt down in the 1918 Raetihi fire, [16] but was still working in 1924. [17]
Taonui viaduct | |
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Coordinates | 39°22′06″S175°22′18″E / 39.36842°S 175.37166°E |
Carries | Single track of the North Island Main Trunk |
Crosses | Taonui Stream |
Owner | Department of Conservation |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 400 feet (120 m) |
Height | 111 feet (34 m) |
History | |
Engineering design by | PWD |
Construction start | 1906 |
Opened | February 1908 |
Replaced by | 29 June 1987 reinforced concrete viaduct 100 metres (330 ft) long and 20 metres (66 ft) high |
Designated | 27 March 2009 |
Reference no. | 9266 |
Two of NIMT's main viaducts are to the south of Horopito, where the line crosses valleys descending steeply from Mount Ruapehu. Both were designed by Peter Seton Hay, supervised by Resident Engineer, Frederick William Furkert, both had 201 m (659 ft) radius curves, and both were replaced on 29 June 1987 by a 10 km (6.2 mi) deviation, begun in 1984. As early as the 1960s there had been calls to bypass the viaducts, as they'd had a 20 mph (32 km/h) speed restriction, due to their tight radius, since the 1930s. Hapuawhenua Viaduct would have also required costly underpinning. The old viaducts were transferred to the Department of Conservation, in a like for like swap of land between DoC and the Railways Department. [18] From Saturday 14 February 2009 [19] they became part of the Mountains to Sea Trail. [20]
Both viaducts are made up of lattice steel piers on concrete footings, supporting 36 ft (11m) plate steel spans, interspersed with 64 ft (20m) Pratt truss steel girders. The lattice piers were built a tier at a time, using guy lines attached to derricks. Access to the pier heads was by ladder. The pier head girders weighed about 3½ tons, and the truss girders 9½ tons. They were positioned with derricks. The steelwork was prepared at PWD's Mangaonoho workshop, near the southernmost of the main viaducts. It was railed northwards to the Hapuawhenua valley floor, over a temporary, sharply curved and graded, [21] 1 mi 48 ch (2.6 km) line from Ohakune, which was built in 1906. [22] Material for Taonui was then carted along the coach road. [18]
There are also bridges over one of the tributaries of the Toanui, and a, bridge over the Makotuku River, [23] which is just south of Horopito. [24] Makotuku Viaduct was one of those on NIMT built by Andersons of Christchurch. [25] Hapuawhenua, or Mole, Tunnel was 10.3 ch (680 ft; 210 m) long and also bypassed in 1987. [26]
About 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of Horopito, [27] Taonui Viaduct is a straight concrete viaduct, 100 m (330 ft) long and up to 20 m (66 ft) high. [15] It replaced the original curved viaduct, to the west. [28]
That viaduct, further down the Taonui Stream, opened in February 1908. It is 400 ft (120 m) long and up to 111 ft (34 m) above the stream, on a 1 in 60 gradient. It has 3 steel piers supportlng the central spans. The southern end has a concrete pier and abutments. [18] Taonui was decked by February 1908, allowing coach passengers to walk across, while their coach wound around the road below. It was the first of 5 viaducts in the last portion of the NIMT to be finished, but the rails couldn't be linked to Ohakune until Hapuawhenua was ready in April 1908. [18]
On 18 and 19 March 1918 the Raetihi Fire damaged 70 ft (21 m) of sleepers, some of the parapet and set a truck on a goods train alight. The only significant additions were strengthening in 1934 and 1971. [18]
After the deviation opened, the rails and decking were removed and some of the cuttings leading to it were filled with spoil from the new deviation. When the listing report was done in 2009, almost all the red-lead primer, last applied in 1964, was exposed and there was some rusting. There was also a comment that the footings could be adversely affected by moisture trapped by the vegetation. [18] Plans to route the cycle trail over the viaduct have been shelved. [29]
Hapuawhenua viaduct | |
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Coordinates | 39°23′06″S175°23′58″E / 39.38503°S 175.39955°E |
Carries | Single track of the North Island Main Trunk |
Crosses | Hapuawhenua Stream |
Owner | KiwiRail |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 284 metres (932 ft) |
Height | 45 metres (148 ft) |
History | |
Engineering design by | PWD |
Construction start | 1906 |
Construction end | April 1908 |
Replaced by | 29 June 1987 reinforced concrete viaduct 414 metres (1,358 ft) long and up to 51 metres (167 ft) high |
Designated | 27 October 1995 |
Reference no. | 7271 |
Location | |
A further 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south, [30] Hapuawhenua Viaduct is built of reinforced and pre-stressed concrete, 414 m (1,358 ft) long and up to 51 m (167 ft) high. It too was rebuilt in 1987. [31]
Further up the Hapuawhenua Stream, to the east, remains the viaduct completed in April 1908. It is 284 m (932 ft) long and up to 45 m (148 ft) high. [15] It used 7,430 cu yd (5,680 m3) of concrete, 1,252 tons of steel and 26,560 board feet (62.7 m3) of timber. [32]
By August 1907 the preparation of the Hapuawhenua site was complete and excavation of the footings began. Abutments and 13 concrete piers were complete by December 1907. Work had also begun on the 4 central steel piers, which were finished in January 1908. [33]
Strengthening was done between 1925 and 1934, and again in 1971. It was painted in 1964, and telephone wire insulators were added to the western side. [33]
When the deviation opened in 1987 the rails were removed and a walkway created using old sleepers and a new handrail. [33]
In 1988 the viaduct was used by AJ Hackett for what may have been the first commercial bungy jumping in the world. [33]
15 km (9.3 mi) of the Makatote-Ohakune Old Coach Road has been restored between Horopito and Ohakune. [20] It mostly followed the route (with the exception of the section to Taonui Viaduct) of a bridle track completed in 1886, which had been upgraded to a dray road in 1895. It was mostly paved between 1904 and November 1906, mainly with setts to create an all-weather road for construction material along the line. From 11 November 1906 [34] it was also used to carry passengers and goods between the northern and southern railheads, though as late as May 1907 there were complaints of mud making some parts impassable. [35] However, a month later the road was described as very good [36] and a daily coach was covering the 28 mi (45 km) between Raurimu and Rangataua. [37] From 1 November 1907 Ohakune became the southern terminal. [38] Early in 1908 the northern terminal advanced to Waimarino (National Park), reducing the coach distance to 22 mi (35 km). [39] In May 1908 the northern terminus became Makatote, with the coach trip reduced to 10 mi (16 km). [40] About 2 mi (3.2 km) of the road was not paved, [41] being covered only with pumice. [42] After the opening of SH49 it fell into disuse. Like the viaducts, it has a Category I Historic Places status, though much later, from 5 October 2004, [34] and was re-opened from 2009 as part of a cycle trail. [29]
The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is 682 kilometres (424 mi) long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of 1,067 mm and serves the large cities of Palmerston North and Hamilton.
The Raetihi Branch was a branch line railway in the central North Island of New Zealand. It formed part of New Zealand's national rail network and operated from 1917 until 1968.
Tokomaru railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk. It served Tokomaru in Horowhenua District the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand.
Utiku railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand, and in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. It opened in 1904 and closed in 1986. It was part of the 13+1⁄2 mi (21.7 km) Mangaweka to Taihape section, officially opened by the Prime Minister, Richard Seddon, on 21 November 1904. It closed in 1986. A passing loop remains.
Mangaonoho railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand. For almost a decade, from 1893 to 1902, Mangaonoho was important as the northern terminus of the NIMT's southern section; even a refreshment room was planned. The route north was delayed by construction of major viaducts, the first being Makōhine. To build Makōhine a railway workshop was set up just north of Mangaonoho. Unlike many other NIMT construction camps, Mangaonoho gradually declined after the line was completed. By 1911 the population was down to 167. Decline continued, with removal of the stockyards in 1973 and closure in 1982. There is now only a single line through the former station site.
Taumarunui railway station is the main railway station in Taumarunui, New Zealand, serving the Northern Explorer service between Auckland and Wellington. Historically, it was an important intermediate stop with a refreshment room on the North Island Main Trunk line; the subject of the ballad "Taumarunui on the Main Trunk Line" by Peter Cape.
Ohakune railway station is a station on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT), which serves the town of Ohakune in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. It is served by KiwiRail's Northern Explorer long distance train between Wellington and Auckland. It was called Ohakune Junction from 10 August 1926 until Raetihi Branch closed in 1968, to avoid confusion with Ohakune Town station on that branch. It was the second highest operating railway station in New Zealand, after National Park.
The Makatote Viaduct takes the North Island Main Trunk railway (NIMT) across the Makatote River in New Zealand. It is 335.7 km (208.6 mi) from Wellington, at the foot of Ruapehu, in northern Manawatū-Whanganui, between Erua and Pokaka.
Okahukura railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand.
Raurimu railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk, and in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.
Matapuna had several sidings on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand, serving the east Taumarunui suburb on the north bank of the Whanganui River. It was 2.9 km (1.8 mi) north west of Manunui and 2.95 km (1.83 mi) east of Taumarunui. Work was largely complete by May 1903, and freight was handled from 22 June 1903. A fixed signal was placed at the station and a distant at the bridge in 1917 and the ballast pit siding was interlocked by tablet in 1918. A racecourse opened to the south of the bridge in 1916 and some trains served the course on race days, though no platform appears on aerial photos and only the ballast pit was mapped.
Kakahi was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand, serving Kakahi. It formally opened on 9 November 1908. The rails were laid south of Piriaka by May 1904 and a daily ballast train was running by October, which also carried passengers. Kakahi Bridge has five spans of 44 ft (13 m) and one of 23 ft (7.0 m) supplied by G. Fraser & Sons of Auckland, which delayed construction to the south. It crosses the Kakahi Stream, which was sometimes called the Waitea River.
Mataroa was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the village of Mataroa. Mataroa is part way up a long gradient from Taihape to Waiouru, beginning at 1 in 60, but largely 1 in 70 from Mataroa to Hīhītahi, so that Mataroa is 88 m (289 ft) above Taihape and 110 m (360 ft) below Ngaurukehu.
Hīhītahi was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Rangitikei District of New Zealand, in the Hautapu River valley. The station served the settlement of Hīhītahi, which was big enough to have a store and a school. It was 12.55 km (7.80 mi) south of Waiouru and 3.05 km (1.90 mi) north of Turangarere. Hīhītahi is at the top of a 1 in 70 gradient from Mataroa, so that it is 39 m (128 ft) above Turangarere, but only 73 m (240 ft) below the much more distant Waiouru. A crossing loop remains.
Tangiwai was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. The station served the settlement of Tangiwai. The nearby pulp and saw mills are now one of the main sources of freight on NIMT. In 1953 the Tangiwai disaster occurred when the nearby bridge over the Whangaehu River was swept away.
Karioi was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. A passing loop remains.
Rangataua was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. Like most of the stations on the central part of the NIMT, a large timber trade exploited the native bush until it was largely felled. What is now the small village of Rangataua developed to the south of the station. Just a single track now passes through and virtually nothing remains of the once busy station and workshops.
Pokaka was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the small village of Pokaka and lay to the south of Makatote Viaduct, the late completion of which held up opening of the station.
Erua was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the small village of Erua. For a month in 1908 it was the terminus of the line from Auckland. Makatote Viaduct and tramway are about 3 mi (4.8 km) south of Erua.
Piripiri is a sparsely populated area in the Tararua District, in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region, on State Highway 2 and the Palmerston North–Gisborne line. It is 3 mi 8 ch (5.0 km) north of Dannevirke, and has 150 people scattered over a meshblock of 21.8 km2 (8.4 sq mi).
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