Beach Railway Station, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Beach railway station was a station on the privately owned but government operated Hutt Park Railway
in Petone
, a suburb of the city of Lower Hutt
in the Wellington
region of New Zealand
’s North Island. It was located at the junction of the Wairarapa Line
and the Hutt Park Railway, a short distance south of the government-owned Petone Railway Station
.
It was established by the privately held Hutt Park Railway Company to serve race trains between Wellington and the Hutt Park Racecourse, and was intended to be used by patrons living in the vicinity, as well as those wishing to connect with government run services on the Wairarapa Line.
at the racecourse.
Facilities provided were always meagre, initially consisting simply of some levelled ground next to the railway line, a ticket booth, and a telephone. By 1895 the alignment of the junction of the Hutt Park Railway with the Wairarapa Line had been altered, moving the line closer to the shoreline and thus also the station. A missive from the Traffic Manager on 6 February 1895 noted that the ground at the station site was no longer even which could result in passenger injuries and thus land the Railways Department
with liability for any mishaps. An improved ticket booth and telephone office was also requested. There were several other requests for improvements, including for the construction of a platform, largely without success. However, the Traffic Manager noted on 11 March 1896 that the company had erected a new ticket booth at the station site, and that he considered the line suitable for working race traffic.
The unwillingness of the company to make any further improvements to the station resulted in a request of the District Traffic Manager on 15 November 1897 to have race day trains stop at the foot of Victoria Street as an alternative to the Beach station. The ground beside the line at this location was far more suitable for disembarkation, and it was felt that this move would be much more convenient for Petone passengers, and also advantageous for the Railways Department, obviating the need to stop trains on a grade and curve. The request was approved on 18 November, affecting services run for the next race meetings on the 24th and 26th of the same month. This marked the end of the use of Beach station for passenger trains though it continued to exist for signalling purposes until closure in 1950.
A ticket booth was erected at the Victoria Street site to handle passengers for the race trains and remained in use until the line was abandoned by the company. By late 1910 the ticket booth had been overturned and destroyed, resulting in a request from the Petone Borough Council for its removal. Though race trains had ceased using the line several years earlier, Victoria Street remained an official stopping place until 1915.
Hutt Park Railway
The Hutt Park Railway was a private railway in Petone at the southern end of the Hutt Valley in New Zealand's North Island. It operated from 1885 as a branch from the Hutt Valley section of the Wairarapa Line, from 1915 truncated as an industrial siding....
in Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
, a suburb of the city of Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
in the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
’s North Island. It was located at the junction of the Wairarapa Line
Wairarapa Line
The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
and the Hutt Park Railway, a short distance south of the government-owned Petone Railway Station
Petone Railway Station
Petone railway station is a dual platform, suburban railway station serving Petone, a suburb of Hutt City in the Wellington region of New Zealand’s North Island. Facilities at this station include a bus terminal, carpark, ticket office, and cycle storage...
.
It was established by the privately held Hutt Park Railway Company to serve race trains between Wellington and the Hutt Park Racecourse, and was intended to be used by patrons living in the vicinity, as well as those wishing to connect with government run services on the Wairarapa Line.
History
The station saw its first traffic on 6 February 1885 when the inaugural race trains on the Hutt Park Railway were run to a meeting of the Wellington Racing ClubWellington Racing Club
The Wellington Racing Club is a racing horse racing club based in Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand.Founded as the Wellington Jockey Club in 1854, the first race meetings held by the club were at Hutt Park in 1854 and at Burnham Water on the Miramar Peninsula.The Club first ran its signature...
at the racecourse.
Facilities provided were always meagre, initially consisting simply of some levelled ground next to the railway line, a ticket booth, and a telephone. By 1895 the alignment of the junction of the Hutt Park Railway with the Wairarapa Line had been altered, moving the line closer to the shoreline and thus also the station. A missive from the Traffic Manager on 6 February 1895 noted that the ground at the station site was no longer even which could result in passenger injuries and thus land the Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
with liability for any mishaps. An improved ticket booth and telephone office was also requested. There were several other requests for improvements, including for the construction of a platform, largely without success. However, the Traffic Manager noted on 11 March 1896 that the company had erected a new ticket booth at the station site, and that he considered the line suitable for working race traffic.
The unwillingness of the company to make any further improvements to the station resulted in a request of the District Traffic Manager on 15 November 1897 to have race day trains stop at the foot of Victoria Street as an alternative to the Beach station. The ground beside the line at this location was far more suitable for disembarkation, and it was felt that this move would be much more convenient for Petone passengers, and also advantageous for the Railways Department, obviating the need to stop trains on a grade and curve. The request was approved on 18 November, affecting services run for the next race meetings on the 24th and 26th of the same month. This marked the end of the use of Beach station for passenger trains though it continued to exist for signalling purposes until closure in 1950.
A ticket booth was erected at the Victoria Street site to handle passengers for the race trains and remained in use until the line was abandoned by the company. By late 1910 the ticket booth had been overturned and destroyed, resulting in a request from the Petone Borough Council for its removal. Though race trains had ceased using the line several years earlier, Victoria Street remained an official stopping place until 1915.