| Raetihi Branch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Raetihi branch 1918 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Closed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Termini |
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| Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | New Zealand Railways Department | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1917 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 13.7 km (8.5 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of tracks | Single | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character | Rural | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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. [1]
A combination of political pressure and the economic potential of the forestry in the Raetihi area motivated the construction of this line. A start on a tramway from Raetihi to Rangataua seems to have been made in 1908, with some of the route cleared and rails put in place. [2] In 1911, the government granted approval to construct the line, with the line intended to diverge from the North Island Main Trunk in Rangataua. A proposal to electrify the line was investigated by the government's electrical engineer in 1911. [3] The Minister of Public Works (R. McKenzie) [4] turned the first sod, beside the railway at Ohakune, [5] on Monday 19 February 1912, when 20 workers were about to start building the line. [6] However, a more recent book said construction did not commence until 1913, when the site of the junction was changed to Ohakune. The change required redesign of the 2 mi (3.2 km) closest to the North Island Main Trunk. [7] The outbreak of World War I a year later caused delays in both supplies and finding available manpower; nonetheless, work progressed steadily through the war years and the line was opened on 18 December 1917. [1] Despite proclamations that it was the start of a new route to Whanganui, the line was never extended beyond Raetihi. [8]
The following stations were located on the Raetihi Branch (in brackets is the distance from Ohakune):
The line fulfilled its intended purpose to carry timber to markets further afield, with large quantities railed in the branch's early years. As the forests were removed, land became available for farming and agriculture became important to the line's economic fortunes. Livestock was of particular seasonal importance. Passenger trains did not operate, but passenger carriages were attached to goods services to create what were known as mixed trains. A 1930 Royal Commission into the state of New Zealand's railway network recommended the termination of passenger services, but this was not actually done until 16 December 1951. Another Royal Commission had taken place in 1950, but the line had remarkably been excluded.
By the late 1950s, timber traffic had declined sharply, and road transport was creating strong competition for the branch line. From 1965 speed was limited to 15 mph (24 km/h), [10] because maintenance on the line had been deferred, as it was not seen as a necessity or financially justifiable, but as repairs became more necessary, the line's future was put under review in 1967. Financial losses had been steadily increasing, and the review called for closure of the line. Accordingly, this took place on 1 January 1968. [1]
Two significant relics from the Raetihi Branch still exist. The Raetihi station building has been relocated from its old site to a new location in the town and has been restored as part of the Waimarino Museum. [11] At the other end of the branch, near Ohakune's famous big carrot, an old truss bridge remains in place. For the rest of the line's length, notable remnants are absent, but the formation can be sighted at points, especially where embankments or cuttings were required. [12]
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 Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. It began life as a tramway, reopened as a railway on 27 April 1876, and operated until 18 July 1959. At Himatangi there was a junction with the Sanson Tramway, a line operated by the Manawatu County Council that was never upgraded to the status of a railway.
The Te Aro Extension, also known as the Te Aro Branch, was a short branch line railway in Wellington, New Zealand continuing the Wairarapa Line southwards. It operated from 1893 until 1917.
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The Thames Branch railway line connected Thames, New Zealand, with Hamilton and was originally part of the East Coast Main Trunk railway. Part of the line between Morrinsville and Waitoa remains open and is in use as the Waitoa Branch line, connecting to the Fonterra Dairy Factory at Waitoa.
The Cape Foulwind Railway was a branch railway line west of Westport to Cape Foulwind. In 1886 the Westport Harbour Board built the line to their quarry to transport rocks to their breakwaters in the Buller River. In 1888 it was linked to Westport by a road-rail bridge over the Buller River. The iron bridge was planked with kauri forming a 12 ft (3.7 m) wide road. The bridge cost £13,794 and was 1,040 ft (320 m) long. By 1888 it was said to be carrying a considerable passenger traffic, using two coaches. In 1914 a new section of line including a tunnel was built to a new quarry south of the Cape.
The Moutohora Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network in Poverty Bay in the North Island of New Zealand. The branch ran for 78 km approximately North-West from Gisborne into the rugged and steep Raukumara Range to the terminus at Moutohora. Construction started in 1900, and the line was opened to Moutohora on 26 November 1917.
The Ngatapa Branch was a secondary branch line railway 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) long that for a short time formed part of the national rail network in Poverty Bay in the North Island of New Zealand. The Ngatapa branch diverged from the Moutohora branch line about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Gisborne and ran a further 12.5 kilometres (7.8 mi) across the coastal flat to a terminus at Ngatapa. It was sometimes referred to as the Ngapata branch.
Rangataua is a small village in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of both the Tongariro National Park and Rangataua State Forest, adjacent to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu. Part of the Manawatū-Whanganui region, the town is 5 kilometres east of Ohakune, 75 kilometres northeast of Wanganui, and 20 kilometres west of Waiouru.
Palmerston North railway station is a main station on the North Island Main Trunk serving the city of Palmerston North in 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.
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 Paeroa-Pokeno railway line or deviation in the upper North Island of New Zealand between Paeroa on the East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) and Pokeno on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) was a proposed route with construction started but abandoned. The proposal has been revived in recent years as part of a more direct route between Auckland and Tauranga.
The Makatote Viaduct takes the North Island Main Trunk railway (NIMT) across the Makatote River. It is 335.7 km (208.6 mi) from Wellington, at the foot of Ruapehu, in northern Manawatū-Whanganui, between Erua and Pokaka.
Te Kauwhata was a flag station on the North Island Main Trunk line, in the Waikato District of New Zealand, 54 mi (87 km) south of Auckland. It was 591.52 km (367.55 mi) north of Wellington, 3.32 km (2.06 mi) north of Rangiriri, 6.72 km (4.18 mi) south of Whangamarino and 12 m (39 ft) above sea level.
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.
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.
Horopito was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line, 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.
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.
