Martinborough Branch
Encyclopedia
The Martinborough Branch was a proposed railway line that would have connected the south Wairarapa
town of Martinborough
to the Wairarapa Line
in New Zealand
’s North Island
. It was to have been used by passengers and by goods traffic for a productive agricultural area that was not well served with reliable transport links. Construction started, but was quickly suspended and never resumed.
Interest in the idea revived around 1905. The Premier, Joseph Ward
, was the guest of honour at a luncheon hosted by the Featherston County Council on 18 December 1907. The Council chairman used the opportunity to impress upon Ward the importance of a railway to Martinborough, and also made clear the inadequacy of the roads in the region which were not expected to cope with future traffic requirements. The Premier responded that the Railways Department
was at present busy with other railway construction projects around the country, but as soon as an engineer was available a preliminary survey would be made of the suggested route to gauge the costs involved. He indicated that he did not see any undue difficulty in eventually getting the project approved. Though this meeting was the beginning of the proposal that came the closest to fruition, it ultimately failed to be realised.
World War I
led to the establishment of a military training camp
north of Featherston
. This camp was served by a siding that was extended from a backshunt
at Featherston. After the war the siding was used on several occasions for race trains to Tauherenikau Racecourse. In evidence presented to the Fay-Raven Commission of 1924, the Minister of Public Works stated that it was his understanding that the siding was to be the start of a branch line to Martinborough. Despite being abandoned by 1 November 1926 by the Department of Defence and offered to the Railways Department, the siding remained unused following the closure of the camp until being lifted in the 1930s.
In 1925, concerned that Martinborough may not receive what it was due in terms of transport links, the town’s administration prevailed upon the Railways Department for improved services. One of the principal concerns was, given that the town was not to receive a direct rail connection as originally envisaged, that merchants and passengers in the town should not be disadvantaged by having to pay the higher rates of private transport operators compared with the cheaper railway rates they would have been able to pay had the railway come to Martinborough. As an alternative to the abandoned idea of a railway line, they suggested that the Department should provide services using an electric tram, trolley bus, or light rail system. The Department never seriously considered these proposals when, after examining the relevant information, it concluded that the revenue to be derived from such a service would not come close to covering the capital and operational costs involved, and that the only viable option was to use petrol-powered lorries and buses.
No further proposals for the line were advocated. The final blow to any chance of a branch line to Martinborough came in 1953 when the Greytown Branch
closed.
The Department did not consider the line to be a matter of urgency, and with plenty of other work for its staff did little to advance the Martinborough project. A new survey was called for by the Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department
on 10 March 1913 following the passage of the Railways Authorisation Bill through parliament the previous year. The District Engineer, in response to a later missive on the subject, stated that he expected the survey to be completed by the end of February 1914 and the plans by 31 March.
The first signs of construction came later that year when a turning-of-the-first-sod ceremony was held in Martinborough on 20 July, following a commitment given by the Government the previous year to begin construction. The route from Martinborough to Featherston had been chosen by the Railways Department, but as the first section of the line to be constructed from the Martinborough end was common to both the Featherston and Greytown routes, the Department continued to receive pleas for it to reconsider the Greytown route as the preferred option.
The Minister of Public Works, William Fraser, represented the Government and officiated at the ceremony. Also present were several members of parliament and around 1,000 locals from both the town and surrounding region. The political party had travelled to Featherston from Wellington by train, and were then conveyed to Martinborough by car, being shown the route of the railway line along the way. On arrival in Martinborough the party were guests at a luncheon, followed by the ceremony. It had been decided to mark the occasion at the site of the future Martinborough railway station, on the north side of Princess Street, near the intersection with Kitchener Street and behind the church. Following the ceremony, the Minister presented the ceremonial wheelbarrow, silver spade, and sod to the local school. While there, he also visited the Tauherenikau Racecourse, whose Racing Club members had requested a siding from the branch line to the racecourse.
It was not long before the future of the line was in jeopardy. By the following year, work on the line had effectively been suspended, with no progress made. Fate had intervened on two fronts. First, the effect of World War I on the line and the Railways Department was to deprive it of the manpower required to continue the work. Second, at around this time the Department was considering options for a deviation of the Wairarapa Line over and/or through the Rimutaka Range
s. It was felt that a decision on the junction of the Martinborough Branch with the main line should be deferred until such time as it was known what route the Rimutaka Deviation would take. However, the Department did affirm in writing to a correspondent that it was still committed to a Featherston – Martinborough route.
After the war, it was clear that little progress had been made since the promising start so many years earlier. By this time a change in Department policy meant that it was no longer in favour of maintaining numerous short feeder lines to its main lines. The cost of completing the line had risen to £150,000, a significant increase from the original quotes. Opposition to the line was growing amongst residents who did not expect that it would be able to earn a sufficient income even if it were built, and local farmers who objected to having their lands bisected by the proposed railway corridor. When, in 1925, the Martinborough Town Board requested that the Railways Department provide improved railway facilities, and met with a representative of the Department to discuss their concerns, they acknowledged that they did not expect any progress to be made on a rail connection for Martinborough, and that private operators were already providing sufficient alternatives to a railway. The Railways Department had begun investigating transport options for Martinborough other than a railway line, and with the strident support of the local member for parliament, the Reform Government
abandoned the idea of a Martinborough Branch line.
. Though this option was the generally preferred route, it was longer and would have involved significant additional construction costs compared with the alternative route, including an expensive crossing of the Tauherenikau River. It would have also involved greater maintenance costs, owing to its longer length and additional permanent structures (bridges, etc.)
The 1913 survey found that the length of the line would be 11 miles (17.70274 km), with a maximum grade of 1 in 60, and a maximum curvature of 9 chains (181.1 m) radius. The most expensive works would be bridges crossing the Tauherenikau River (500 feet (152.4 m) long) and the Ruamahanga River (700 feet (213.4 m) long). Also required would be two flood openings of 330 feet (100.6 m) and 130 feet (39.6 m) respectively. Sidings were called for at 2 miles (3.21868 km) (between No. 1 Line Road and the Tauherenikau Racecourse), at 6 miles (9.65604 km) (west of Ward’s Line Road), and at 7 miles (11.26538 km) (near Moiki Cutting). Estimated costs were provided in the original 1908 survey as follows:
and then on to Martinborough, a distance of 9 miles (14.5 km). It had several advantages over the rival proposal, including a shorter route, lower construction costs, and lower operational costs due to being able to utilise the existing rolling stock and crews from the Greytown Branch. The shorter route was estimated to save between £15,000 to £18,000 in capital costs, but it would have still required the relatively expensive crossing of the Ruamahanga River. The total cost was estimated to be £79,000.
The chief opposition to the Greytown route focussed on the fact that it would mean the railway route to Wellington would be up to 6 miles (9.7 km) longer than via Featherston. However, when investigating options for the Rimutaka Deviation, a route via the Tauherenikau River Valley and directly to Woodside, bypassing Featherston, was considered. Had this deviation been adopted, the rail distance between Martinborough and Wellington would have been 4.5 miles (7.2 km) shorter via Greytown compared with a route via Featherston.
The school to which the wheelbarrow and silver spade were presented following the turning-of-the-first-sod ceremony was destroyed by fire in 1919, a blaze that destroyed the “first sod” and is also believed to have destroyed the ceremonial wheelbarrow. The silver spade was sold at auction in Wellington in June 1964.
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...
town of Martinborough
Martinborough
Martinborough is a town in South Wairarapa, a district in the Wellington region on the North Island of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton...
to 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...
in 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
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It was to have been used by passengers and by goods traffic for a productive agricultural area that was not well served with reliable transport links. Construction started, but was quickly suspended and never resumed.
Advocacy
The first attempt to have a railway constructed to Martinborough was a private effort initiated by a small group of local residents. On learning that the route of the Wairarapa Line would be some distance away, the Waihenga Railway Committee was formed and sought a survey of an appropriate route. The survey was completed, but unfortunately for the members of the committee an attempt to solicit donations to cover their costs met with a less than enthusiastic response. Public indifference doomed the project.Interest in the idea revived around 1905. The Premier, Joseph Ward
Joseph Ward
Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG was the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
, was the guest of honour at a luncheon hosted by the Featherston County Council on 18 December 1907. The Council chairman used the opportunity to impress upon Ward the importance of a railway to Martinborough, and also made clear the inadequacy of the roads in the region which were not expected to cope with future traffic requirements. The Premier responded that 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...
was at present busy with other railway construction projects around the country, but as soon as an engineer was available a preliminary survey would be made of the suggested route to gauge the costs involved. He indicated that he did not see any undue difficulty in eventually getting the project approved. Though this meeting was the beginning of the proposal that came the closest to fruition, it ultimately failed to be realised.
World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
led to the establishment of a military training camp
Featherston prisoner of war camp
Featherston prisoner of war camp was a camp for captured Japanese soldiers during World War II at Featherston, New Zealand. It had been established during World War I as the largest military training camp in New Zealand. At the request of the United States, in September 1942 it was re-established...
north of Featherston
Featherston, New Zealand
Featherston is a town in the north of the Wellington Region region of New Zealand. It lies in the Wairarapa, just north of the Rimutaka Tunnel, in the South Wairarapa District. The population was 2,340 in the 2006 Census....
. This camp was served by a siding that was extended from a backshunt
Backshunt
* A backshunt is a railway track configuration in situations where a change in direction is required and a traditional curve cannot fit.There are two main applications of a backshunt....
at Featherston. After the war the siding was used on several occasions for race trains to Tauherenikau Racecourse. In evidence presented to the Fay-Raven Commission of 1924, the Minister of Public Works stated that it was his understanding that the siding was to be the start of a branch line to Martinborough. Despite being abandoned by 1 November 1926 by the Department of Defence and offered to the Railways Department, the siding remained unused following the closure of the camp until being lifted in the 1930s.
In 1925, concerned that Martinborough may not receive what it was due in terms of transport links, the town’s administration prevailed upon the Railways Department for improved services. One of the principal concerns was, given that the town was not to receive a direct rail connection as originally envisaged, that merchants and passengers in the town should not be disadvantaged by having to pay the higher rates of private transport operators compared with the cheaper railway rates they would have been able to pay had the railway come to Martinborough. As an alternative to the abandoned idea of a railway line, they suggested that the Department should provide services using an electric tram, trolley bus, or light rail system. The Department never seriously considered these proposals when, after examining the relevant information, it concluded that the revenue to be derived from such a service would not come close to covering the capital and operational costs involved, and that the only viable option was to use petrol-powered lorries and buses.
No further proposals for the line were advocated. The final blow to any chance of a branch line to Martinborough came in 1953 when the Greytown Branch
Greytown Branch
The Greytown Branch was a five-kilometre branch line railway off the Wairarapa Line at Woodside in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand's North Island. It followed an almost straight course over flat terrain...
closed.
Construction
Following the meeting with Joseph Ward in 1907, local politician J. Hornsby stated that if the government was unable to commit the necessary funds to the project, he was confident the funds could be raised privately. At his insistence, the Railways Department conducted a preliminary survey of both the Featherston – Martinborough and Greytown – Martinborough routes in 1908, the findings of which were made available internally in a report dated 4 August.The Department did not consider the line to be a matter of urgency, and with plenty of other work for its staff did little to advance the Martinborough project. A new survey was called for by the Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department
New Zealand Ministry of Works
The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...
on 10 March 1913 following the passage of the Railways Authorisation Bill through parliament the previous year. The District Engineer, in response to a later missive on the subject, stated that he expected the survey to be completed by the end of February 1914 and the plans by 31 March.
The first signs of construction came later that year when a turning-of-the-first-sod ceremony was held in Martinborough on 20 July, following a commitment given by the Government the previous year to begin construction. The route from Martinborough to Featherston had been chosen by the Railways Department, but as the first section of the line to be constructed from the Martinborough end was common to both the Featherston and Greytown routes, the Department continued to receive pleas for it to reconsider the Greytown route as the preferred option.
The Minister of Public Works, William Fraser, represented the Government and officiated at the ceremony. Also present were several members of parliament and around 1,000 locals from both the town and surrounding region. The political party had travelled to Featherston from Wellington by train, and were then conveyed to Martinborough by car, being shown the route of the railway line along the way. On arrival in Martinborough the party were guests at a luncheon, followed by the ceremony. It had been decided to mark the occasion at the site of the future Martinborough railway station, on the north side of Princess Street, near the intersection with Kitchener Street and behind the church. Following the ceremony, the Minister presented the ceremonial wheelbarrow, silver spade, and sod to the local school. While there, he also visited the Tauherenikau Racecourse, whose Racing Club members had requested a siding from the branch line to the racecourse.
It was not long before the future of the line was in jeopardy. By the following year, work on the line had effectively been suspended, with no progress made. Fate had intervened on two fronts. First, the effect of World War I on the line and the Railways Department was to deprive it of the manpower required to continue the work. Second, at around this time the Department was considering options for a deviation of the Wairarapa Line over and/or through the Rimutaka Range
Rimutaka Range
The Rimutaka Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington.The ridge is at its most pronounced in the southern part of the island, where it consists of the Ruahine,...
s. It was felt that a decision on the junction of the Martinborough Branch with the main line should be deferred until such time as it was known what route the Rimutaka Deviation would take. However, the Department did affirm in writing to a correspondent that it was still committed to a Featherston – Martinborough route.
After the war, it was clear that little progress had been made since the promising start so many years earlier. By this time a change in Department policy meant that it was no longer in favour of maintaining numerous short feeder lines to its main lines. The cost of completing the line had risen to £150,000, a significant increase from the original quotes. Opposition to the line was growing amongst residents who did not expect that it would be able to earn a sufficient income even if it were built, and local farmers who objected to having their lands bisected by the proposed railway corridor. When, in 1925, the Martinborough Town Board requested that the Railways Department provide improved railway facilities, and met with a representative of the Department to discuss their concerns, they acknowledged that they did not expect any progress to be made on a rail connection for Martinborough, and that private operators were already providing sufficient alternatives to a railway. The Railways Department had begun investigating transport options for Martinborough other than a railway line, and with the strident support of the local member for parliament, the Reform Government
Reform Government of New Zealand
The Reform Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1912 to 1928. It is perhaps best remembered for its anti-trade union stance in the Waihi miners' strike of 1912 and a dockworkers' strike the following year...
abandoned the idea of a Martinborough Branch line.
Proposals
Although several variants were suggested, there were two main routes for this proposed line: from Featherston, and as an extension of the Greytown Branch.Featherston – Martinborough route
This 11.5 miles (18.5 km) line would have started at Featherston Railway StationFeatherston Railway Station
Featherston railway station is a single-platform, urban railway station serving the town of Featherston in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The station lies on the Wairarapa Line, and is located between Harrison Street West and Harrison Street East...
. Though this option was the generally preferred route, it was longer and would have involved significant additional construction costs compared with the alternative route, including an expensive crossing of the Tauherenikau River. It would have also involved greater maintenance costs, owing to its longer length and additional permanent structures (bridges, etc.)
The 1913 survey found that the length of the line would be 11 miles (17.70274 km), with a maximum grade of 1 in 60, and a maximum curvature of 9 chains (181.1 m) radius. The most expensive works would be bridges crossing the Tauherenikau River (500 feet (152.4 m) long) and the Ruamahanga River (700 feet (213.4 m) long). Also required would be two flood openings of 330 feet (100.6 m) and 130 feet (39.6 m) respectively. Sidings were called for at 2 miles (3.21868 km) (between No. 1 Line Road and the Tauherenikau Racecourse), at 6 miles (9.65604 km) (west of Ward’s Line Road), and at 7 miles (11.26538 km) (near Moiki Cutting). Estimated costs were provided in the original 1908 survey as follows:
| £ | s | d | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formation | 32,950 | 0 | 0 |
| Small Bridges and Culverts | 2,500 | 0 | 0 |
| Tauherenikau Bridge | 7,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruamahanga Bridge | 10,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruamahanga Protective Groins | 1,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Permanent Way and Station Buildings | 35,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Land | 4,550 | 0 | 0 |
| 93,000 | 0 | 0 |
Greytown – Martinborough route
This option would have extended the Greytown Branch across State Highway 2New 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...
and then on to Martinborough, a distance of 9 miles (14.5 km). It had several advantages over the rival proposal, including a shorter route, lower construction costs, and lower operational costs due to being able to utilise the existing rolling stock and crews from the Greytown Branch. The shorter route was estimated to save between £15,000 to £18,000 in capital costs, but it would have still required the relatively expensive crossing of the Ruamahanga River. The total cost was estimated to be £79,000.
The chief opposition to the Greytown route focussed on the fact that it would mean the railway route to Wellington would be up to 6 miles (9.7 km) longer than via Featherston. However, when investigating options for the Rimutaka Deviation, a route via the Tauherenikau River Valley and directly to Woodside, bypassing Featherston, was considered. Had this deviation been adopted, the rail distance between Martinborough and Wellington would have been 4.5 miles (7.2 km) shorter via Greytown compared with a route via Featherston.
Today
There are no plans for a railway line to Martinborough. As roads in the region improved after World War I, and with the increasing popularity of road transport, the need and desire for a Martinborough Branch railway subsided. Public transport from Martinborough consists of bus routes to Masterton and Featherston, where passengers can connect with Wairarapa Connection trains.The school to which the wheelbarrow and silver spade were presented following the turning-of-the-first-sod ceremony was destroyed by fire in 1919, a blaze that destroyed the “first sod” and is also believed to have destroyed the ceremonial wheelbarrow. The silver spade was sold at auction in Wellington in June 1964.
External links
- Martinborough New Zealand Colonial Museum
- Turning first sod for Martinborough railway track, a photo of the ceremony to commence construction of the line.
- Celebrations for turning sod of Martinborough railway, a photo of festivities for the start of construction on the line.
- Speaker at the 'turning the first sod' for Martinborough railway track ceremony, a photo of a guest speaker at the ceremony.