Feilding railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Feilding railway station
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Feilding railway station
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| Location | New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°13′35″S 175°34′08″E / 40.226472°S 175.568784°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 72 m (236 ft) | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
| Distance | Wellington 152.95 km (95.04 mi) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1 October 1876 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 25 June 2012 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 7 December 1961 after fire | ||||||||||
| Electrified | June 1988 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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The Feilding railway station was an important stop on the North Island Main Trunk line in Feilding, New Zealand. It first opened on 1 October 1876. Regular passenger trains stopped using the station on 1 July 2002.
Today, the old station building is used by the Feilding Information Centre. Sometimes, special excursion trains still visit. The south wall of the station has a cool mural. It shows Feilding's clock tower from 1999, which has a clock from 1902. There's also another mural on the nearby old goods shed. This one shows an X Class locomotive, a type of old train, that used to be stored in Feilding. These murals were painted by Eric Brew, a local artist.
Feilding once hoped to be a major railway hub where two big lines would meet. Because of this, Kimbolton Road was made extra wide. However, other towns like Marton and Longburn became the main railway junctions instead.
Station History
The Feilding railway station was built by J & C Bull. It was a "5th class station" and included a platform, a goods shed, and restrooms. It was ready by April 1876. By July 1876, the railway tracks were in place, connecting Feilding to Palmerston North.
In 1877, houses were built for the railway workers and the stationmaster. A waiting room for ladies was added in 1878. By 1896, the station also had a passing loop where trains could wait for others to pass. There was also a loading area for carts and a place for cattle. The goods shed was made bigger over time to handle more items. In 1973, a new shelter was built for loading wool.
The railway line was extended north from Feilding to the Rangitīkei River in 1876. It reached Halcombe by April 1878. This new connection helped link the ports of Foxton and Whanganui to the areas inland.
Feilding got gas lamps at the station in 1901 after the local gas works opened in 1897. Later, electric lights were installed on 25 January 1916, after a local power station started working in 1915. A sawmill company, Manson & Bartholomew, had its own small railway line connected to the station from 1877 for many years.
Sadly, the original station building burned down on 29 July 1960. A new station was built by Graham Lambert Builders and opened on Thursday, 7 December 1961. Part of this new building was also taken down in 1988 after another fire.
Train Services Over Time
When the Feilding station first opened, it had two trains a day coming from Foxton. On 18 April 1878, the first train went all the way from Foxton to Whanganui. It took about 6 and a half hours. Regular public service began on 20 May 1878, with two trains each way daily. The journey of 86 mi (138 km) took about 5 hours and 50 minutes.
The first express trains that went all the way from Auckland to Wellington started running on 14 February 1909. These long-distance trains took about 19 hours and 13 minutes and made a stop at Feilding. For many years, Feilding was a regular stop for these express trains, often in the middle of the night. For example, in 1932, the express train from Auckland would arrive around 4:20 AM.
In the 1970s, trains like the Blue Streak and the Northerner would stop at Feilding. The station stopped having regular passenger trains when the Overlander train was replaced by the Northern Explorer in 2012.
External Links
Photos -
- F Class loco at Feidling about 1880
- RM railcar at Feilding in 1974
