Ohinewai railway station
Ohinewai Railway Station | |
|---|---|
 1940 aerial view of the Waikato River (left), Great South Rd at Ohinewai and Ohinewai railway station (right). The Waikato Expressway now runs through the centre | |
| General information | |
| Location | Ohinewai New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 37°29′21″S 175°09′40″E / 37.48917°S 175.16111°E |
| Owned by | KiwiRail Network |
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk |
| Tracks | double track from 14 Dec 1958 to north from 27 August 1939 to south[1] |
| History | |
| Opened | 13 August 1877 |
| Closed | 10 April 1965 passengers 31 December 1978 goods |
Ohinewai Railway Station was a flag station[2] on the North Island Main Trunk line, serving Ohinewai in the Waikato District of New Zealand, 59 mi (95 km) south of Auckland.[3] It was 8.18 km (5.08 mi) north of Huntly, 7.26 km (4.51 mi) south of Rangiriri[4] and 33 ft (10 m) above sea level.[5] It was in the village, just north of Tahuna Rd.[6]
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangiriri Line open, station closed |
North Island Main Trunk New Zealand Railways Department |
Kimihia Line open, station closed | ||
History
[edit]The station opened on 13 August 1877.[7] The early service averaged about 13 mph (21 km/h), taking about 4hr 45 mins to Auckland, 15mins to Rangiriri and 23mins to Ruawaro (Huntly).[8] A goods train took 1½hrs to Newcastle (Ngāruawāhia) and 1hr 17mins to Mercer, 3 days a week.[9]
Tablet signalling was introduced in 1905.[10]
In 1902 there were complaints of thefts due to lack of a caretaker.[11] It seems one had been appointed by 1915, as a storeman at the station[12] was killed at Gallipoli.[13]
There was protest in 1925, when the only train which had allowed an Auckland day trip was withdrawn.[14] The previous year the Great South Rd had metal added at Ohinewai, so that it could be used all year,[15] and a bus started linking Ohinewai with Auckland, Morrinsville and Te Aroha in 1929.[16] Ohinewai's rail service was so poor that a wartime plan, to connect the bus with trains at Ohinewai, had to be amended to meeting at Mercer instead.[17]
Track doubling to ease congestion had been authorised in 1914,[18] but work was delayed by the war. 300 men worked [19] on doubling the track between Huntly and Ohinewai, which opened on 27 August 1939.[20] To the north, doubling to Te Kauwhata didn't open until 14 December 1958.[4]
In 1965 the station closed to passengers and on 31 December 1978 it closed completely.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS GEOGRAPHICAL MILEAGE TABLE 1957
- ^ "New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 May 1902. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Page 6 Advertisements Column 3 (New Zealand Herald, 1882-03-31)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
- ^ a b New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (Fourth ed.). Quail Map Co. 1993. ISBN 0-900609-92-3.
- ^ "Ohinewai". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "One inch map Sheet N52". www.mapspast.org.nz. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "TABLE NO. 9.— Appendix K. NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.—NORTH ISLAND. Statement of Lengths of Sections Open for Traffic, 31st March, 1880". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ "Auckland Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 August 1877. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Auckland Star". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 29 January 1878. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Waikato Argus". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 10 October 1905. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Ohinewai Flag Station. New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 May 1902. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Auckland NZ railways roll of honour board". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "ROLL OF HONOUR, EVENING POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 June 1915. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Waikato Train Service. Grievance at Ohinewai. New Zealand Herald". 16 March 1925.
- ^ "Metal for Rangiriri. New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 July 1924. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "MOTOR TRANSPORT NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 12 April 1933. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "ROAD SERVICES, AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 19 February 1942. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Railways Improvement Authorization Act, 1914" (PDF).
- ^ "Auckland Star – Railway Works. Double line track. Progress on Main Route". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 6 May 1939. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Rail Duplication – New Zealand Herald". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 August 1939. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Scoble, Juliet (2012). Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand, 1863 to 2012. Wellington. p. 47.
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