National Park Railway Station, Manawatū-Whanganui

National Park railway station is a station on the North Island Main Trunk that served the area around the town of National Park in New Zealand's Ruapehu District. It was served by KiwiRail's ''Northern Explorer'' long distance train between Wellington and Auckland. There is a licensed cafe on the platform.

At an elevation of , it was the country's highest station with a scheduled passenger stop (although the now-closed Waiouru Railway Station is higher). About north of the station the railway performs the convoluted dance that is the Raurimu Spiral, one of New Zealand's most impressive feats of engineering.

There was a minor collision in 2007, when one Overlander train reversed into the other.

Scheduled passenger services to National Park railway station were suspended from December 2021 to 25 September 2022.

History

Originally the station and town were called Waimarino (calm waters). On 2 May 1926, the New Zealand Railways renamed the railway station as National Park. This name had come into common usage, due to the station's proximity to Tongariro National Park, and it also served to avoid confusion with other places called Waimarino.

Plans for the station were approved in 1901 and a 4th class station of by was built by March 1908, with rooms for a stationmaster, luggage, urinals and ladies. The by platform was extended to by 1933, by 1949 and another at each end was added in 1955. In 1957 the platform height was to above rail level. Between 1959 and 1980 it was raised to above rail level, using pre-cast sections, at a cost of about £2,830. About 1930 a verandah was added to the station. From 1910 to 1940 there was a Post Office at the station, including a telephone from 1914. There was also a by goods shed with verandah, a loading bank, cattle and sheep yards, two water tanks and a cart approach. There was a tablet and fixed signals. Houses for railway staff and a stationmaster were built between 1908 and 1954. A crossing loop could take 80 wagons and a snowplough was kept at the station.

In the 1960s, National Park became the railhead for the heavy equipment and machinery for the Tongariro Power Scheme Development, with the pumice roads substantially upgraded to take the heavy traffic. The station was also upgraded in 1965, with a 20-ton gantry crane, 40-ton weighbridge, 5 cement silos and a by goods shed, built on of newly drained wetland to the south east of the station. The problem of building on the wetland was also noted in 1911, 1943 and, in 1930, the loading bank was described as being in 'a rough state' after use during building of Chateau Tongariro. In 1949 of drainpipes were laid when sidings were extended.

An engine reversing triangle was built in 1912 and remained in 1963, but was overgrown by 1973.

Logging

The opening of the Main Trunk Line in 1908 created a vast opportunity to log and mill the large trees in the native forests with 30 saw mills and associated bush tramways established in the National Park area alone. With the arrival of caterpillar tractors in the 1930s, the extraction process was accelerated with National Park station having one of the greatest throughputs of timber in New Zealand. Today, only one mill is still operating.

Marton Sash and Door Tramway

Marton Sash and Door Co had a tramway, which ran about south-west from the station. It was powered by an A & G Price 1924 Type Cb 0-4-4-0 from 1932 to 1948, which is now at Ferrymead. The mill opened in 1934. The line was still advertising for staff in 1945. The tramway became part of a cycleway in 2014.

References

External links

Photos -

Waimarino plain in 1904


* [http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?BU=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aucklandcity.govt.nz%2Fdbtw-wpd%2FHeritageImages%2Findex.htm&AC=QBE_QUERY&TN=heritageimages&QF0=ID&NP=2&RF=HIORecordSearch&MR=5&QI0=%3D%22AWNS-19180725-35-1%22 snow in 1918]

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Park railway station, Manawatū-Whanganui
Railway stations in New Zealand
Buildings and structures in Manawatū-Whanganui
Railway stations opened in 1886
Rail transport in Manawatū-Whanganui