new zealand railways history

This "first sod turning" got me thinking about more early New Zealand history. The first of these locomotives entered service in September 1955, with all of this initial order running by September 1957. In 1877 the first American locomotives were purchased; the NZR K class (1877) from Rogers, followed by the NZR T class of 1879 from Baldwin. Completed in 1988 at a cost of $250 million. [27] The Railways Board was independent of the Government of the day and answered to the Minister of Finance. All maps are licensed for re-use under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike NZ 3.0. HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand). The station was closed in 1990, with a new station being built at Addington. The length of the network peaked at more than 5,500 kilometres in 1953. Despite large orders for diesel-electric locomotives, NZR was still building steam locomotives until 1956, when JA1274 was completed at Hillside Workshops, Dunedin. [39] In it, he spelt out the basic challenge facing NZR at the time: providing both commercial and loss-making "social" services. [13] The war did take its toll on railway services, with dining cars being removed from passenger trains in 1917, replaced by less labour-intensive refreshment rooms at railway stations along the way. 2006 – 2014 – Government funds a series of projects totalling $1.6 billion to modernise and electrify Auckland’s commuter rail system. In 1882, the first shipment of frozen meat from New Zealand made it successfully to England, proving … Our people During the 1950s New Zealand industry was diversifying, particularly into the timber industry. Three of the locomotives were introduced for operation on the North Island Main Trunk. Two years later a second freight ferry, Aratika, begins service. With the new millennium came renewed enthusiasm for rail – globally and here in New Zealand. [39], In 1981, parliament passed the New Zealand Railways Corporation Act, and the department was corporatised as the New Zealand Railways Corporation on 1 April 1982.[2]. Buy The Railways of New Zealand : A Journey Through History 2nd (revised) by Churchman, Geoffrey B.; Hurst, Tony (ISBN: 9780908876204) from Amazon's Book Store. 2 The 20 mile line between Blenheim and Picton was opened on November 18, 1875. [25] That year, the department carried 7.2 million passengers per year, down from 14.2 million in 1923. Reefton Railway Station, July 1991. KiwiRail is one of New Zealand’s largest employers, with proud staff operating in more than 50 towns and cities across the country. 1959-1971 - Numerous country branch lines closures across country as steam era comes to end and re-equipping lines with modern locomotives and updated infrastructure not considered viable. The subject is an unlikely one but as you journey through the life and times of a small part of a once-large government department you realise that the raw material: artwork, photographs, trains, people at work, advertising and much more, is pretty well a summary of 20th-century New Zealand. From 1870, the government worked to develop railways. From the 1950s, rail's central role in the daily life of New Zealanders began to erode, as travellers opted to drive or fly rather than use passenger trains. Originally, New Zealand's railways were constructed by provincial governments and private firms. In the 1917 Annual Report, a record 5.3% return on investment was made. As a result, the "scramble for pie and tea at Taihape" became a part of New Zealand folklore. About this image. 1986 – Labour government makes railways a state-owned enterprise. The tunnel included the first section of railway electrification in New Zealand and its first electric locomotives, the original EO class. Various diesel locomotives have been rebuilt at NZR workshops, for example, five of the DA as DC, though most rebuilding has been contracted out. Discover more about New Zealand Railway Employees 1896 This is an index of roughly 4,500 New Zealand railway officers and employees. They were not well suited to New Zealand conditions: they had overly complex valve gear, were too hot for crews manning them and too powerful for the wagons they were hauling. [6] As a result, the central government passed legislation to allow for the construction of more private railways. This scheme was shut down in 1929 as it was considered improper for a government department to compete with private builders.[16]. Concerns about green-house gas emissions and fluctuating petrol prices, changing global freight trends and growing congestion on our roads has led to a revival of rail, and recognition of its natural advantages moving freight, tourists, urban passengers within major cities and regional commuters to work in the city. Look inside Railways Studios. This again saw English Electric supply locomotives, the EC class. By the 1920s NZR was noticing a considerable downturn in rail passenger traffic on many lines due to increasing ownership of private cars, and from 1923 it began to co-ordinate rail passenger services with private bus services. Christmas Eve crash at Tangiwai kills 151 rail passengers. In 1978 a major rebuilding programme of the ageing DA class was launched, creating the DC class. Sit back and let us connect you to a rich diversity of people and places throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand. In October 1969, the first unit coal trains were introduced, between coal mines at Huntly and New Zealand Steel at Mission Bush. [5], The Railways Department was formed in 1880 during the premiership of Sir John Hall. [5] The acquisition in 1908 of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company and its railway line marked the completion of the North Island Main Trunk from Wellington to Auckland. From the late 1950s branch lines closed, and by the 2000s, there were less than 4,000 kilometres of railway lines. The Wellington railway station and Tawa flat deviation were both completed in 1937. Ref: APG-1999-1/4-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. The Otira Tunnel was completed in 1923, heralding the completion of the Midland Line in the South Island. Coates was an ambitious politician who had an almost "religious zeal" for his portfolio. This led to the coining of the phrase "KB country" to describe the area, made famous by the National Film Unit's documentary of the same title. This class followed the building of the Red Terror (an inspection car on a Leyland Cub chassis) for the General Manager in 1933. The partially completed Midland line was not handed over to NZR until 1900. Nine of the ED electric locomotives were constructed (assembled) at the Hutt (7) and Addington (2) workshops. 518 likes. At the same time, a protracted legal battle began with the New Zealand Midland Railway Company, which was only resolved in 1898. The role of operating the rail network was subsequently separated from that of the network's construction. By the 1920s New Zealand Railways (NZR) was carrying more than six million tons of freight and 28 million passengers a year - a remarkable achievement for a nation of just over a million people. CONCLUSION: The Frankton Junction settlement represents a significant part of New Zealand Railways history. A further improvement to passenger transport came in July that year, with electric services on the Johnsonville Line starting with the introduction of the DM/D English Electric Multiple Units.[29]. First to arrive were ancestors of Māori. However, NZR was criticized for not investing enough in new bogie wagons. 1923 - West Coast line opens - its Otira tunnel, at 8.55km the longest in the British Empire and containing the nation's first electric railway. Shortages of spare parts and materials led to severe inflation, and repairs on locomotives being deferred. This was later expanded to £10 million over 10 years. The war created serious coal shortages as imported coal was no longer available. Apart from four brief experiments with independent boards, NZR remained under direct ministerial control for most of its history.[3]. 18 Ruth Page called her own women’s protest meeting, on hearing that work would start on pulling up the railway lines at Kiwi on September 20th. D-J Paper over boards Small owner's stamp FEP Near Fine. Learn more about how our cultural diversity came about in this young country. 29.000000. The Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand was establshed in 1991. The reports only significant change was the proposal of a Cook Strait train ferry service between Wellington and Picton, to link the two systems up. (Auckland Star, 1925-08-27)", "Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, Report of the Government Railways Board", New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society, "Transforming our economy—Container shipping", "Road transport regulation a controversial measure to protect railways", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Zealand_Railways_Department&oldid=1002622072, Defunct transport organisations based in New Zealand, Former government agencies of New Zealand, Rolling stock manufacturers of New Zealand, New Zealand companies established in 1880, Use New Zealand English from September 2017, All Wikipedia articles written in New Zealand English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. A potted history of New Zealand railways: 1862 - first railway opens - a horse-drawn tramway from Dun Mountain copper mine to Port Nelson. 2016 – Kaikoura earthquake - Main North Line devastated, 2017 – Main North line reopened to restricted freight services just 10 months after the earthquake. [24] The failure of this class lead to the introduction of the K class in 1932. In 1954, the New Zealand railway network reached its zenith in terms of distance with 5,600 km (3,500 mi), 60% of it on gradients between 1 in 100 and 1 in 200 and 33% steeper than 1 in 100. NZR's first diesel-electric locomotives, the English Electric built DE class, were introduced in 1951. 1878 - First express trains Christchurch-Dunedin cover 370km in 11 hours. The Auckland workshops (Newmarket, then Otahuhu) specialised in car and wagon work, and in repairs and maintenance. New Zealand has a rich and fascinating history, reflecting our unique mix of Māori and European culture. [31] The EW class electric locomotives introduced for the Wellington electric system. New Zealand Railways No. The Westfield deviation was completed in 1930 and the Tawa deviation proceeded at a snail's pace. 2004 - Government assumes ownership of national rail network and forms ONTRACK to run it. First train carried MPs on a junket to Auckland, in August (pictured on left). However, due to New Zealand's rugged terrain overseas technology could not simply be directly introduced. New marshalling yards at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch; The Milson Deviation of the North Island Main Trunk through, This page was last edited on 25 January 2021, at 08:38. [3] During this period the Prime Minister George Forbes was also Minister of Railways, and Minister of Finance was former Minister of Railways Gordon Coates. On 6 October 1952 the Kinleith Branch, formerly part of the Taupo Totara Timber Company's line, was opened to service a new pulp and paper mill at its terminus. 34.000000 2011 – New DL freight locomotives introduced as part of wider investment in new freight rolling stock. The pass is also a convenient way to combine several of New Zealand’s great train trips into the rail journey of a lifetime. A number of new lines under construction were casualties, including the Rotorua-Taupo line, approved in July 1928 but abandoned almost a year later due to the depression. Before the Aramoana was introduced, NZR could not compete for inter-island freight business, and the rail networks of both the North and South Islands were not well integrated. It was built to a broad gauge of 5 feet 3 inches (1600 mm), to suit rolling stock imported from Victoria, Australia. [8], The economy gradually improved and in 1895 the Liberal Government of Premier Richard Seddon appointed Alfred Cadman as the first Minister of Railways. Since then, successive Governments have recognised its critical role in New Zealand transport and the value it delivers to communities, regional economies, exporters and businesses. [33] The service was very successful, leading to criticism, when the Wellington–Lyttelton overnight ferry was withdrawn, that NZR was competing unfairly with private operators. The area at Ferrymead that this railway occupied is now largely a Heritage Museum already with an operational railway which is rebuilt on much of the old original track foundation. 1971 saw the introduction of scheduled ISO shipping container services to New Zealand. 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