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Papakura Railway Station
Papakura railway station is a railway station in Papakura, New Zealand, on the Southern Line of the Auckland railway network. History The station was opened on 20 May 1875, as part of the Auckland and Mercer Railway on 20 May 1875, built by Brogden & Co, when it was extended from Penrose. On 2 October 1874 a deputation asked for the contractor to run trains from Penrose to Papakura and some services were available from October 1874. For example, Brogden & Sons ran excursion trains to Drury that month. Initially Papakura was served by 2 trains a day. By 1879 there were 3 trains a day, the fastest taking 1hr 9mins for the from Auckland. Papakura became the terminus of an improved suburban service in 1913. WAB Class locomotives were introduced to suburban services in 1922, but the coaching stock appears from photos to have been unchanged in 1966. With double tracking, suburban trains were speeded up in 1931, the fastest taking 49 minutes. Suburban Sunday trains at low f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papakura Military Camp
Papakura Military Camp is a New Zealand Army military camp located in the Auckland suburb of Papakura North, in northern New Zealand. It is the home of the New Zealand Special Air Service. Geography The camp was established on the outskirts of the Papakura Town Centre in 1939 and built by the Stevenson family. and remains an important army base for New Zealand. It incorporates the New Zealand SAS training area and a local suburban area of army homes for personnel on Arimu Road and Russell Avenue in the same vicinity. Until recently, the majority of the homes have now been sold for private use, but the area still remains restricted as a Defence Area. In the early 2000s some land surrounding the camp was set aside for new housing developments by the Papakura District Council. See also *Burnham, New Zealand *Linton Military Camp *Papakura District *Trentham Military Camp *Waiouru Military Camp Waiouru Military Camp is a camp of the New Zealand Army in the central North Island ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Application Of Railway Signals
The application of railway signals on a rail layout is determined by various factors, principally the location of points of potential conflict, as well as the speed and frequency of trains and the movements they require to make. Non-provision of signals Before discussing the application of signals, it is useful to highlight some situations where signals are ''not'' required: * Sidings generally need not be signalled, as all movements within them are made cautiously at low speed. * Tram lines frequently employ "running on sight" without any signals (similar to road traffic). * Where movement authorities are passed to drivers exclusively by means other than fixed signals (e.g. by written or verbal authority), token, or cab signalling. Purpose of signals Signals exist primarily to pass instructions and information to drivers of passing trains. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly. The most important indication is 'danger', which means 'stop'. N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tyer's Electric Train Tablet
Tyer's Electric Train Tablet system is a form of railway signalling for single line railways used in several countries; it was first devised in Great Britain by engineer Edward Tyer after the Thorpe rail accident of 1874, which left 21 people dead. It was used in New Zealand for close to 100 years until June 1994. The system used a hard disk called a ''tablet'', a form of token. The purpose of the system was to use the tablet as a physical guarantee to the traincrew that their train had exclusive right of way on the single-line section. Without it, they could not proceed beyond the section signal which protected entry to the next section of the single line. With advances in electrical locking of the lever frame within the signal box, the tablet instrument also electrically locked the section signal lever. That was marked with a white stripe on the red background. Construction An instrument was placed at each end of the single-track section that they were to control. They ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railway Turntable
In rail terminology, a railway turntable or wheelhouse is a device for turning railway rolling stock, usually locomotives, so that they can be moved back in the direction from which they came. Naturally, it is especially used in areas where economic considerations or a lack of sufficient space have served to weigh against the construction of a turnaround wye. In the case of steam locomotives, railways needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many locomotives the top speed was lower in reverse motion. In the case of diesel locomotives, though most can be operated in either direction, they are treated as having "front ends" and "rear ends" (often determined by reference to the location of the crew cab). When operated as a single unit, the railway company often prefers, or requires, that a diesel locomotive is run "front end" first. When operated as part of a multiple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Passing Loop
A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or trams travelling in opposite directions can pass each other. Trains/trams going in the same direction can also overtake, provided that the signalling arrangement allows it. A passing loop is double-ended and connected to the main track at both ends, though a dead end siding known as a refuge siding, which is much less convenient, can be used. A similar arrangement is used on the gauntlet track of cable railways and funiculars, and in passing places on single-track roads. Ideally, the loop should be longer than all trains needing to cross at that point. Unless the loop is of sufficient length to be dynamic, the first train to arrive must stop or move very slowly, while the second to arrive may pass at speed. If one train is too long for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Troup (architect)
Sir George Alexander Troup (21 October 1863 – 4 October 1941) was a New Zealand architect, engineer and statesman. He was nicknamed "Gingerbread George" after his most famous design, the Dunedin Railway Station in the Flemish Renaissance style (he preferred his alternative design in the Scottish Baronial style). He was the first official architect of the New Zealand Railways. He designed many other stations, including Lower Hutt and Petone. Early life and education He was born in London, England. His family returned to Edinburgh, Scotland soon after he was born. His widowed mother sent him to Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen, where he was entitled to free board and tuition as the son of an Aberdeen burgess. He trained as an architect and engineer under C.E. Calvert in Edinburgh, and in 1882 was employed as a draughtsman by architect J.J.A. Chesser. Career He emigrated to New Zealand in 1884. Joining the Survey Department when he arrived in Dunedin, he worked in remote sur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaimai Express
The ''Kaimai Express'' long-distance passenger train was operated by Tranz Rail under the Tranz Scenic brand (originally by New Zealand Rail Limited under the InterCity Rail brand) between the North Island cities of Auckland and Tauranga via Hamilton. It used the Silver Fern railcars and operated from 9 December 1991 until 7 October 2001. Background In 1928, when the East Coast Main Trunk Railway was completed to Taneatua, a passenger train commenced operating from Auckland on a slow (12-hour) schedule. Within a year this was upgraded to 10.5 hours and named the ''Taneatua Express''. For much of its life, it ran only twice or thrice weekly. In 1959 the express was replaced by a daily railcar service using 88 seater railcars: due to negligible traffic to Taneatua, it terminated at Te Puke. It did not last long, as the circuitous rail route struggled to compete with private cars, being withdrawn from 11 September 1967. In 1980 Tauranga radio station Radio BoP started runn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taneatua Express
The ''Taneatua Express'' was an express passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department that ran between Auckland and Taneatua in the Bay of Plenty, serving centres such as Tauranga and Te Puke. It commenced in 1929 and operated until 1959. Introduction The immediate precursor to the ''Taneatua Express'', and a victim of its introduction, was the ''Thames Express'', which operated from Auckland to Thames. The East Coast Main Trunk Railway, in its first incarnation, diverged from the Thames Branch in Paeroa (the Thames Branch later included the line from Morrinsville to Paeroa with the opening of the Kaimai Tunnel deviation), and when it opened in 1928, Thames swiftly declined in status as a railway terminus as services began operating through to the Bay of Plenty. A direct passenger service between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty terminus in Taneatua commenced upon the East Coast Main Trunk's opening, rendering the ''Thames Express'' superfluous as the ''Taneatua' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thames Express
The ''Thames Express'' was an express passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between Auckland and Thames. It ran between 1908 and 1928. Introduction In the early 20th century, the railways that fanned out from Auckland were isolated from the national network. South of Auckland, apart from commuter services to suburbs and townships near the city, just one dedicated passenger train operated - the '' Rotorua Express'', which only became daily in October 1902. All other passenger services were "mixed" trains that involved one or more passenger carriages being attached to a freight service. In December 1908, just after the opening of the North Island Main Trunk railway connected the Auckland section to the rest of the North Island, the decision was taken to introduce a daily afternoon service south of Auckland to Frankton. This service continued on to Thames, with connecting trains to Cambridge and Waihi, and became known as the ''Thames Express''. Op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geyserland Express
The ''Geyserland Express'' was a long distance passenger train operated by the Tranz Scenic division of Tranz Rail (previously the New Zealand Rail Limited division InterCity Rail) between Auckland and Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. It utilised the Silver Fern railcars and operated from 9 December 1991 until 7 October 2001. Background The Rotorua Branch line had a long history of express trains between Auckland and Rotorua since the branch line opened in 1894. Until 1959, the ''Rotorua Express'' was steam-hauled and was one of New Zealand's premier trains in its heyday. It was initially only run thrice weekly in the peak Christmas and Easter period, but by 1902, it ran daily year-round, and in December 1903, dining cars were introduced. This was a rare feature for trains operated by the New Zealand Railways Department, but shortages during World War I led to their withdrawal. In the post-war period, the service was briefly cancelled in 1919, but by 1925, it was ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waikato Connection
The ''Waikato Connection'' was a short-lived express passenger train between Hamilton and Auckland in New Zealand's North Island. It consisted of a weekday single return service using diesel multiple unit railcars. Like its southern counterpart, the ''Capital Connection'' between Palmerston North and Wellington, the service was operated by Tranz Scenic and run as a commercial venture. The service was restored in 2021 for a five-year trial as ''"Te Huia"''. History Operation The service commenced as a six-month trial on 26 June 2000 and was primarily aimed at business people who regularly commuted to work in Auckland. It used ''Silver Fern'' railcars with full onboard catering and stopped at the intermediate stations of Huntly, Pukekohe, Papakura, Middlemore, and Newmarket. Four months into the trial the service was reported to be "performing up to expectations" and was later extended beyond the trial period. Demise Tranz Rail announced in October 2000 that it intend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
