Carterton railway station

For the closed station in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom of the same name, see Carterton railway station (Oxfordshire).

Carterton
Metlink regional rail
Carterton Railway Station at Night
General information
Location	Cnr Broadway, Davy and Wheatstone Streets, Carterton
Coordinates	41°1′18″S 175°31′23.89″E
Owned by	ONTRACK, leased to Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society
Line(s)	Wairarapa Line
Platforms	Single
Tracks	1 Mainline 1 Crossing loop (lifted 2007) 3 road / loop sidings 2 Backshunts (lifted) Loading bank siding Stock yard siding (lifted) Back road siding (partly lifted)
Construction
Structure type	Vogel Class 2 Gable
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes Limited
Other information
Fare zone	13
History
Opened	1880-11-01
Electrified	No
Services

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 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

• 
  Station from yard, 2006.
• 
  Four-wheel goods van and stock wagon, 2006
• 
  Heritage rolling stock, 2006
• 
  Platform looking north-east, 2006
• 
  Platform looking south-west, 2006
• 
  Loading Bank, 2006
• 
  Waingawa Railway Station, beside Loading Bank, 2006
• 
  Museum and Restoration Society sign as viewed 2006
• 
  Museum and Restoration Society Sign as viewed 2008
• Wairarapa Connection at Carterton, DCP4818 and SW set, 2007
  Wairarapa Connection at Carterton, DCP4818 and SW set, 2007
• DC4605 at Carterton station with Waiararapa Connection, 2007
  DC4605 at Carterton station with Waiararapa Connection, 2007
• Carterton Railway Station, 2007
  Carterton Railway Station, 2007
• 
  Carteton Railway Station at night, 2007
• Carterton Railway Station, 2007
  Carterton Railway Station, 2007
• 
  Waingawa Railway Station, 2008

See also

• Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society

References

• Cameron, Walter Norman (1976). A Line Of Railway: The Railway Conquest of the Rimutakas. Wellington: New Zealand Railway And Locomotive Society. ISBN 0-908573-00-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |origmonth=, |accessmonth=, |month=, |chapterurl=, |origdate=, and |coauthors= (help)

External links

• Timetables from Metlink and Tranz Metro.