Ohakune railway station is a station on the

North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

(NIMT), it served the town of

Ohakune Ohakune is a small town at the southern end of Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu, in the North Island of New Zealand. A rural service town known as New Zealand's Carrot Capital, Ohak ...

in the

Manawatū-Whanganui Manawatū-Whanganui (; spelled Manawatu-Wanganui prior to 2019) is a region in the lower half of the North Island of New Zealand, whose main population centres are the cities of Palmerston North and Whanganui. It is administered by the Manawat ...

region of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It was called Ohakune Junction from 10 August 1926 until

Raetihi Branch The Raetihi Branch was a branch line railway in the central North Island of New Zealand. It formed part of New Zealand's national rail network and operated from 1917 until 1968. Construction A combination of political pressure and the ec ...

closed in 1968, to avoid confusion with Ohakune Town station on that branch. It was the second highest operating railway station in New Zealand, after National Park. When the Overlander was replaced by the

Northern Explorer The ''Northern Explorer'' is a long-distance passenger train operated by The Great Journeys of New Zealand division of KiwiRail between Auckland and Wellington in the North Island of New Zealand, along the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT). Three ...

in 2012, the service to Ohakune was reduced to one train a day on six days a week. Scheduled services to Ohakune were suspended from December 2021 to 25 September 2022.

History

The Class B station was built about 1908 and was important in the growth of

. Trains calling have included The Overlander,

Blue Streak Blue Streak or Bluestreak may refer to: Entertainment * ''Blue Streak'' (album), a 1995 album by American blues guitarist Luther Allison * Blue Streak (comics), a secret identity used by three separate Marvel Comics supervillains * Bluestreak (co ...

Scenic Daylight The ''Scenic Daylight'' was a daytime express train in New Zealand, introduced on 17 December 1960 between Auckland and Wellington along the North Island Main Trunk Railway, replacing the ''Daylight Limited''. The service was steam-hauled initi ...

Daylight Limited The Daylight Limited was an express passenger train between Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand along the North Island Main Trunk. It commenced in 1925 and was replaced by the Scenic Daylight in 1963. Introduction After the introduction of ...

, Northerner,

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and

Night Limited The ''Night Limited'' was an express passenger train that operated in New Zealand between Wellington and Auckland, utilising the entire length of the North Island Main Trunk. It commenced service on 15 December 1924 and was replaced by the S ...

. Surveying for the route between Hīhītahi and

Piriaka Piriaka is a small rural settlement beside the Whanganui River, about southeast of Taumarunui on State Highway 4 (SH4), in New Zealand's King Country. Its name is Māori, from ''piri'' (to cling close) and ''aka'' (bush climbers of various kin ...

began in 1894. The first trains reached Ohakune when the railhead was extended from Rangataua on Tuesday 5 November 1907, when

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

(PWD) and

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...

(NZR) made arrangements for both passenger and goods traffic, At that stage the station was described as long on a platform. However, goods traffic between Mataroa and Ohakune didn't begin until Saturday 7 March 1908. Initial plans were for NZR to take over from PWD in June 1908, but NZR reported on 25 September 1908, "Obtaining possession of office and other buildings." In July newspapers said the station and railway houses were still bring built. Although the rails completing the NIMT were laid on 3 August 1908, they said the yard at Ohakune wasn't complete and there was still no platform in November. On Monday 9 November 1908 a stationmaster was appointed and the first public train from Wellington to Auckland ran, with passengers staying overnight in Ohakune from 8pm to 6am. In January 1909 the General Manager gave permission for passengers to sleep in the trains, owing to a lack of accommodation in the town. On 20 November 1908 NZR sent a note to PWD asking for expedition in completing the platform, as it was, "exceedingly inconvenient and dangerous for passengers landing in the dark". However, an NZR report on 20 March 1908 described a by platform, loading bank, cattle loading and discharging yards, by goods shed with verandah, urinals, 2x 4,000 gallon water tanks, by engine shed double-stall, coal store,

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

and

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 ...

for 80 wagons. NZR took over from PWD on 14 February 1909, from

Erua Erua is a small town on the North Island Central Plateau in New Zealand. The town is located on New Zealand State Highway 4 immediately to the south of the town of National Park. The town is administered by the Ruapehu District Council and f ...

, via Ohakune to

Waiouru Waiouru is a small town in the Ruapehu District, in New Zealand's Manawatū-Whanganui region. It is located on the south-eastern North Island Volcanic Plateau, north of Palmerston North and 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu. The town ...

. The first through expresses began on 14 February 1909 and stopped at Ohakune. By July 1909 a footwarmer house had been built by PWD for £54.4.4 and there was a bookstall, a special station building, with District Engineer's office, luggage, stationmaster's, lobby, and ladies rooms, a lengthened and asphalted platform, cart approach, goods shed, loading bank, cattle and sheep yards, crane, water service, coal accommodation, engine turntable, engine shed, stationmaster's house and urinal. In 1910 the goods shed was extended to by . Ohakune was one of the stations for which annual returns of traffic were published. For example, in 1923 Ohakune issued 58,001 tickets, plus 26 season tickets, and , or superficial feet of timber were railed from Ohakune, well above other stations for timber exports at that time. On 12 April 1905 the engine shed burnt down. A new by shed could take five locomotives. In 1910 an ash pit was added. On 7 December 1923 that shed was destroyed by fire. In 1929 the turntable was sent to Huntly and replaced by a turntable for £1800. By 1960 the depot was only being used by Raetihi branch engines. It again caught fire on 17 February 1967. Railway houses were built in 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1912, 1914 and 1965 and a hostel for female refreshment room staff on Tyne Road in 1940. From December 1966

Centralised Traffic Control Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system cons ...

replaced tablet signalling.

References

External links

Ohakune railway station on 1:50,000 mapOhakune railway station on Google Street ViewDoC – Mangawhero Forest Walk and Rimu Walk start from a short walk up the road under the railway bridgeNational Library photo – Ohakune Railway Station and yards, between 1912 and 1916
*Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries photos – 1908 �

[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&MR=5&RF=HIORecordSearch&QI0=%3D%22AWNS-19081105-13-1%22 train and coaches]
loco shed
and [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&MR=5&RF=HIORecordSearch&QI0=%3D%22AWNS-19080312-13-2%22 railway station]
with train
**190

express at station, ttps://natlib.govt.nz/records/22775741 bridge, houses and station**191
station buildings
**192

* ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/raurimu_spiral/6068154716 2011 flickr photo of station in snow {{Northern Explorer train stops Railway stations in New Zealand Ruapehu District Railway stations opened in 1908 Rail transport in Manawatū-Whanganui 1908 establishments in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Manawatū-Whanganui NZHPT Category II listings in Manawatū-Whanganui