Carterton Railway Station
Encyclopedia
Carterton Railway Station, in the Wairarapa
district of New Zealand
, is a single platform railway station in the town of Carterton
. It is located at the corner of Cnr Broadway, Davy and Wheatstone Streets, near the main shopping precinct on State Highway 2 (SH 2)
. It is on the Wairarapa Line
, three stops and 17 minutes' journey time to Masterton
, eight stops and 1 hour 19 minutes journey time to Wellington
, on Wairarapa Connection trains.
This station retains its original station building (built in 1879-80), freight yard and loading bank, though freight is no longer accepted. A ticket office operates in the station building prior to the departure of commuter trains bound for Wellington. Heritage rolling stock is stored in the yard.
The Carterton Railway Museum, operated from the station building by the Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
, is open every Sunday between 10am and 4pm.
The first train to depart was a special goods train carrying a load of timber, on 5 July 1880. It was another three months before goods consignments were accepted, on 11 October 1880, with the first goods train running to Masterton two days later. The first passenger train ran on 30 October 1880. The line between Woodside and Masterton was officially opened on 1 November 1880.
In 1884 Carterton was recorded as having a five-room station building with a 60 by goods shed and watering facilities. Cattle and sheep yards and a loading bank were installed prior to 1890. There were three loops, holding 56, 23, and 9 wagons; a goods shed road holding 9; and a siding behind it with capacity of 32. In 1884 the station sold 6,530 passenger tickets, and handled 13,610 tons of goods outward and 1,583 tons inward and 20,875 head of livestock, mostly sheep and mostly outward.
Carterton was a manned station until 1989 when the last staff positions were withdrawn. This move led to a decline in the condition of the station buildings, a situation which in part prompted the formation of the Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
. The goods shed and some unused track which was used for marshalling purposes were removed in the late 1980s.
The Society has saved the Waingawa station
building in the early 1990s, its now located beside the loading bank in the Carterton Station Yard.
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
district 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...
, is a single platform railway station in the town of Carterton
Carterton, New Zealand
Carterton is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District. It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. It is located southwest of Masterton and northeast of Wellington...
. It is located at the corner of Cnr Broadway, Davy and Wheatstone Streets, near the main shopping precinct on State Highway 2 (SH 2)
New Zealand State Highway 2
State Highway 2 is one of New Zealand's eight national highways. With the exception of State Highway 1, which runs the length of both of the country's main islands, SH 2 is the longest highway in the North Island...
. It is on 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...
, three stops and 17 minutes' journey time to Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
, eight stops and 1 hour 19 minutes journey time to 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...
, on Wairarapa Connection trains.
This station retains its original station building (built in 1879-80), freight yard and loading bank, though freight is no longer accepted. A ticket office operates in the station building prior to the departure of commuter trains bound for Wellington. Heritage rolling stock is stored in the yard.
The Carterton Railway Museum, operated from the station building by the Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
The Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society is a railway heritage and preservation community group in the town of Carterton, in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand's North Island...
, is open every Sunday between 10am and 4pm.
History
Construction of buildings for use by railway staff and the station itself was underway in May 1880, with the station master’s house (used initially as the resident engineer’s office), followed a month or two later by the station building.The first train to depart was a special goods train carrying a load of timber, on 5 July 1880. It was another three months before goods consignments were accepted, on 11 October 1880, with the first goods train running to Masterton two days later. The first passenger train ran on 30 October 1880. The line between Woodside and Masterton was officially opened on 1 November 1880.
In 1884 Carterton was recorded as having a five-room station building with a 60 by goods shed and watering facilities. Cattle and sheep yards and a loading bank were installed prior to 1890. There were three loops, holding 56, 23, and 9 wagons; a goods shed road holding 9; and a siding behind it with capacity of 32. In 1884 the station sold 6,530 passenger tickets, and handled 13,610 tons of goods outward and 1,583 tons inward and 20,875 head of livestock, mostly sheep and mostly outward.
Carterton was a manned station until 1989 when the last staff positions were withdrawn. This move led to a decline in the condition of the station buildings, a situation which in part prompted the formation of the Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
The Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society is a railway heritage and preservation community group in the town of Carterton, in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand's North Island...
. The goods shed and some unused track which was used for marshalling purposes were removed in the late 1980s.
The Society has saved the Waingawa station
Waingawa Railway Station
Waingawa railway station is a station on the Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand’s North Island. It is located about south of the Waingawa River and is situated in a heavy industrial area...
building in the early 1990s, its now located beside the loading bank in the Carterton Station Yard.
Services
There are five Wairarapa Connection trains each way Monday to Thursday, six Friday and two Saturday and Sunday. There are occasional excursions, such as the Daffodil Express and the Tararua Tourer run by Mainline Steam.External links
- Timetables from Metlink and Tranz Metro.
- Photo and article on Carterton Station