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Aorangi railway station

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Coordinates: 40°14′36″S 175°35′06″E / 40.243305°S 175.585032°E / -40.243305; 175.585032
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Aorangi railway station
Aorangi in 1967, showing the bridge over the Oroua, meat works, sidings and possible site of station shelter
General information
LocationNew Zealand
Coordinates40°14′36″S 175°35′06″E / 40.243305°S 175.585032°E / -40.243305; 175.585032
Elevation70 m (230 ft)
Owned byKiwiRail
Line(s)North Island Main Trunk
DistanceWellington 150.9 km (93.8 mi)
Platforms1
History
Opened1 October 1876 (1876-10-01)
Closed2 November 1987 (1987-11-02)
Electrified25 kV 50 Hz AC June 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
Feilding
Line open,
station closed
2.05 km (1.27 mi) 		  North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail 		  Taonui
Line open,
station closed
3.17 km (1.97 mi)

Aorangi railway station was a small station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand.[1][2]

The station was opened in 1878; and closed on 10 August 1959 for passengers and 2 November 1987 for goods traffic.[3] There is now only a single line through the station site.[4] Te Araroa long distance walkway passes the station site.[5]

History

[edit]

By July 1876 the rails were in place, linking Palmerston North and Feilding,[6] and ballasting was finished in September.[7] The formal opening of the railway was on 19 October 1876.[8] Charles Bull had a sawmill at Aorangi until about 1886.[9] It had a private siding 4 chains (260 ft; 80 m) on the Feilding side of Aorangi from 1878,[10] but there was a complaint about trains not stopping for passengers in 1883.[11] By 1896 there was a shelter shed and passenger platform and also a cart approach by 1911.[10]

By 1959 there was still a shelter, platform and Borthwicks' private siding, which was the only source of local rail traffic after closure of the station on 10 August 1959.[10] A 1949 aerial photo seems to show a shelter,[12] where the 1967 photo (to the right) shows a white mark at the foot of the photo. In 1989 there was still a passing loop and private siding.[10]

Aorangi Bridge

[edit]

The railway crosses the Oroua River between Aorangi and Feilding[13] on Aorangi Bridge, which was rebuilt in 1930[14]-31,[15] when the curve was eased from a radius of 14 chains (920 ft; 280 m) to 20 ch (1,300 ft; 400 m). It has ten 20 ch (1,300 ft; 400 m) 60 feet (18 m) spans,[16] with a total length of 183 m (600 ft).[17]

A footbridge over the river was built in 1883.[18] The first road bridge opened on 21 March 1893.[19] It was replaced by a ferro-concrete bridge in 1930.[20]

The road and railway bridges were partly swept away in a flood on 17 April 1897.[21]

Freezing works

[edit]

A siding for the Oroua Freezing works was put in during its construction in 1915.[22] West Coast Meat & Produce Co Ltd had the works formally opened by Prime Minister, Bill Massey, on 17 April 1916.[23] Later that year the company changed its name to Feilding Farmers’ Freezing Company Ltd.[24] They sold the works to Thomas Borthwick and Sons (Australasia) Ltd in 1931,[25] who had a small shunting locomotive at Aorangi from 1931 to 1973.[26] Rail traffic was reduced in 1944 by allowing road haulage for up to 20 mi (32 km) parallel with the railway.[27] The works became part of AFFCO[28] from May 1992, after re-building in September 1991.[29] The works is no longer rail connected.[30]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
  2. ^ Pierre, Bill (1981). North Island Main Trunk. Wellington: A.H&A.W Reed. pp. 289–290. ISBN 0589013165.
  3. ^ Scoble, Juliet (2012). Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand.
  4. ^ "Te Araroa Trail". Google Maps. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Feilding to Palmerston North — NZ Walking Access Commission Ara Hīkoi Aotearoa". www.walkingaccess.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  6. ^ "PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT, BY THE MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS, THE HON. EDWARD RICHARDSON". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 25 July 1876. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  7. ^ "THE FIELDING SETTLEMENT (REPORT ON THE PROGRESS AND PRESENT CONDITION OF). APPENDIX TO THE JOURNALS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 1877". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  8. ^ "LOCAL AND GENERAL. WANGANUI CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 October 1876. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Local and General News FEILDING STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 October 1886. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "Stations" (PDF). NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  11. ^ "LOCAL AND GENERAL. FEILDING STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 7 April 1883. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Retrolens Survey Number: SN543 Photo Number: 32". 23 May 1949.
  13. ^ "Oroua River, Manawatu-Wanganui". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  14. ^ "A Reconstructed Railway Bridge — Views of the new railway bridge recently constructed over the Oroua River (on the Auckland-Wellington Main Trunk Line, between Wellington and Marton), and of the men who carried out the work | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  15. ^ "LOCAL AND GENERAL. MANAWATU HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 17 March 1931. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. ^ "NEW RAILWAY BRIDGE. MANAWATU STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 August 1929. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  17. ^ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
  18. ^ "Our Feilding Letter. MANAWATU TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 17 September 1883. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Opening of the Aorangi Bridge FEILDING STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 23 March 1893. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  20. ^ "MANAWATU HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 March 1930. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Oroua River flood - 1897 37-12". www.feildingheritage.nz. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  22. ^ "OROUA FREEZING WORKS. FEILDING STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 April 1915. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Oroua Freezing Works. MANAWATU TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 17 April 1916. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Feilding Farmers' Freezing Company. MANAWATU TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 13 September 1916. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  25. ^ "FEILDING FREEZING WORKS. MANAWATU STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 3 September 1931. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  26. ^ "New Zealand Rolling Stock Register - Internal Combustion section". www.nzrsr.co.nz. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  27. ^ "CARTAGE OF FAT LAMBS. MANAWATU STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 26 December 1944. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  28. ^ "AFFCO Manawatu MBP". www.affco.co.nz. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Meat Processing Plant Discharge Consents Application and Assessment of Environmental Effects" (PDF). March 2015.
  30. ^ "Basemaps | Land Information New Zealand". basemaps.linz.govt.nz. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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