The Sanson Tramway in the Manawatu region of New Zealand operated from 1885 until 1945. Owned by the Manawatu County Council, it connected with the national

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

network at

Himatangi Himatangi is a small settlement in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the junction of State Highways 1 and 56, 25 kilometres west of Palmerston North, and seven kilometres east of the coastal sett ...

on the

Foxton Branch The Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. It began life as a tramway, reopened as a railway on 27 April 1876, and operated until 18 July 1959. At Himatangi there was a junction with the Sanson Tramway, a line operated by the Manawa ...

. It was never part of the

national network The National Network (or National Truck Network) is a network of approved state highways and interstates for commercial truck drivers in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States ...

Construction

After the construction of a tramway (later upgraded to a railway) linking Foxton and Palmerston North, settlers north of Foxton began efforts to have a rail link built from to their settlements so they could easily access the port. In 1878 the Foxton and Sanson Railway Company was formed in order to build a line northwards from Himatangi (then named Carnarvon) to Sanson, and it envisaged that the line would become part of a trunk route from

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

to the north."The Proposed Foxton and Sanson Railway"
''Evening Post'' 17(399) 21 April 1879: 2. Before construction began legislation was passed that made it appealing for the Manawatu County Council to build the line as a tramway and thereby qualify for subsidies. Work started from the Foxton line at Himatangi in 1882, and the line opened to Rongotea Siding on 23 August 1884, followed by Sanson, south-west of

Feilding Feilding ( mi, Aorangi) is a town in the Manawatū District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North. The town is the seat of the Manawatū District Council. Feilding has w ...

, on 16 November 1885. In 1902, a short extension beyond Sanson was opened to the southern bank of the

Rangitikei River Rangitikei may refer to the following in New Zealand: * Rangitikei River, one of country's longest rivers * Rangitikei District, a district council in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region * Rangitīkei (New Zealand electorate), a current general electorate ...

, opposite Bulls.

Operation

The Sanson Tramway was initially operated by the steam

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

''Hibernia'' from Wellington. It was not an adequate source of motive power, and a former Foxton locomotive from the days when the Foxton Branch was a tramway commenced work on the line by the time it was opened to Sanson. As traffic became more substantial, old locomotives were acquired from New Zealand Railways to run on the tramway. As these locomotives were very light, they were just at home on a rural tramway as they had been on the nation's expanding network of railway lines before being displaced by more powerful and substantial engines. When Foxton locomotive depot closed and passenger services on the Foxton Branch were withdrawn in 1932, running to Foxton from the tramway ceased. The line received a boost just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when it was required to service contractors at the Ohakea RNZAF Base, and during the war petrol restrictions helped to generate traffic. These restrictions ended with the coming of peace and post-war traffic on the line was too insignificant to justify its continued existence. It closed on 29 November 1945.

Locomotives used on the line

*"Hibernia" Built 1877, by

Merryweather & Sons Merryweather & Sons of Clapham, later Greenwich, London, were builders of steam fire engines and steam tram engines. The founder was Moses Merryweather (1791–1872) of Clapham, who was joined by his son Richard Moses (1839–1877). Fire appli ...

, Clapham, UK. In use 1882 to 1886. *"Wallaby" Built 1875, by E.W Mills, Wellington, NZ (NZR, ex Foxton Tramway). In use 1885 to 1889. *"

Weka The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen (''Gallirallus australis'') is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only extant member of the genus ''Gallirallus''. Four subspecies are recognize ...

" Built 1876, by James Davidson, Dunedin, NZ (ex NZR P58, WMR). In use 1898 to 1922. *"Fox" Built 1873, by Dubs and Co, Glasgow, Scotland (ex NZR A192). In use 1889 to 1910. *G56 Built 1874, by Black Hawthorn, Gateshead-on-Tyne, UK (ex NZR). In use 1918 to 1944. *R211 Built 1879, by

Avonside Engine Company The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company. Origins The firm was original ...

, Bristol, UK. Single Fairlie type. (ex NZR) In use 1926 to 1933. *R29 Built 1879, by

, Bristol, UK. Single Fairlie type. (ex NZR) In use 1944 to 1946.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

OurRegion Manawatu's page on Manawatu's early railways, including a mention and photo of the Sanson Tramway
{{coord missing, New Zealand Railway lines in New Zealand Rail transport in Manawatū-Whanganui 1885 in New Zealand 1945 in New Zealand Railway lines opened in 1885 Railway lines closed in 1945 Closed railway lines in New Zealand