Carterton Railway Station

Infobox Station
name=Carterton
type=Metlink regional rail

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image_size=
image_caption=Carterton Railway Station at Night
address=Cnr Broadway, Davy and Wheatstone Streets, Carterton
coordinates= coord|41|1|18|S|175|31|23.89|E|type:railwaystation_region:NZ
line=Wairarapa Line
other=
structure=Vogel Class 2 Gable
platform=Single
levels=
tracks=1 Mainline
1 Crossing loop (lifted 2007)
3 road / loop sidings
Loading bank siding
Stock yard siding (lifted)
Back road siding (partly lifted)
parking=Yes
bicycle=Yes Limited
baggage_check=No
passengers=
pass_year=
pass_percent=
pass_system=
opened=1880-11-01
closed=
rebuilt=
electrified=No
ADA=
code=
owned=ONTRACK, leased to Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
zone=13 [cite web |url=http://www.metlink.org.nz/story21116.php? |title=Text description of fare zone boundaries |accessdate=2007-11-27 |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth= |accessyear= |author=Metlink |last= |first= |authorlink=Public transport in Wellington |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Greater Wellington Regional Council |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]
former=
services=s-start
mpassengers=

Carterton Railway Station, in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand, is a single platform railway station in the town of Carterton. It is located at the corner of Cnr Broadway, Davy and Wheatstone Streets, near the main shopping precinct on State Highway 2 (SH 2). It is on the Wairarapa Line, three stops and 17 minutes' journey time to Masterton, eight stops and 1 hour 19 minutes' journey time to Wellington, on Wairarapa Connection trains.

This station retains its original station building (built in 1879-80), freight yard and loading bank, though freight is no longer accepted. A ticket office operates in the station building prior to the departure of commuter trains bound for Wellington. Heritage rolling stock is stored in the yard.

The Carterton Community & Railway Museum, operated from the station building by the Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society, is open every Sunday between 10am and 4pm.

History

Construction of buildings for use by railway staff and the station itself was underway in May 1880, with the station master’s house (used initially as the resident engineer’s office), followed a month or two later by the station building.

The first train to depart was a special goods train carrying a load of timber, on 5 July 1880. It was another three months before goods consignments were accepted, on 11 October 1880, with the first goods train running to Masterton two days later. The first passenger train ran on 30 October 1880. The line between Woodside and Masterton was officially opened on 1 November 1880.

In 1884 Carterton was recorded as having a five-room station building with a 60 ft by 30 ft goods shed and watering facilities. Cattle and sheep yards and a loading bank were installed prior to 1890. There were three loops, holding 56, 23, and 9 wagons; a goods shed road holding 9; and a siding behind it with capacity of 32. In 1884 the station sold 6,530 passenger tickets, and handled 13,610 tons of goods outward and 1,583 tons inward and 20,875 head of livestock, mostly sheep and mostly outward.

Carterton was a manned station until 1989 when the last staff positions were withdrawn. This move led to a decline in the condition of the station buildings, a situation which in part prompted the formation of the Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society. The goods shed and some unused track which was used for marshalling purposes were removed in the late 1980s.

The Society has saved the Waingawa station building in the early 1990s, its now located beside the loading bank in the Carterton Station Yard.

Services

There are five Wairarapa Connection trains each way Monday to Thursday, six Friday and two Saturday and Sunday. There are occasional excursions, such as the Daffodil Express and the Tararua Tourer run by Mainline Steam.

Gallery

ee also

* Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society

References

*

Footnotes

External links

* Timetables from [http://www.metlink.org.nz/section10.php Metlink] and [http://www.tranzmetro.co.nz/ Tranz Metro] .