Freezing Works railway station facts for kids

The Nelson Freezing Company's works was a big factory located between Stoke and Richmond in the Tasman District of New Zealand. This factory was a major customer for the Nelson Section railway line from 1909 to 1955.

The factory was called a "freezing works" because it processed animals into frozen meat. This meat was then sent to other places. The railway station at the works was only for moving goods, like meat and animals. No passenger trains ever stopped here for people to get on or off.

The station had special areas for trains. These included a loop where up to 23 wagons could wait. There were also yards for animals and a ramp to unload them from trains. A private railway track went right up to the freezer building.

A Look Back: History of the Freezing Works

The Nelson Freezing Company built its factory right next to the railway line. In April 1909, the factory sent its first shipment of frozen lamb meat. This meat traveled about 7 miles (11 km) by train to the port.

Three trains were used to move the meat. Each train had 6 special wagons that kept the meat frozen. One train would be loading at the factory, another would be unloading at the port, and the third would be traveling in between.

How Animals Arrived by Train

Many of the animals that came to the factory arrived by train. Farmers from areas to the south would send their livestock on the railway. For about 30 years, around 30,000 animals were brought to the works each year. This number could change a lot from one year to the next.

Trains would bring empty wagons south to pick up animals. They would then drop off full wagons of animals at the works. Other trains moved the frozen meat wagons to and from the port.

The End of Port Traffic

In 1951, a big strike happened at the waterfront. This strike stopped the trains from carrying frozen meat to the port. The factory asked if they could still use the trains, but the request was turned down.

Because of this, the factory started using trucks to move its meat instead of trains. The railway never got this business back. However, trains continued to bring animals to the works until the railway line closed on 3 September 1955.

What's There Today

The old freezing works factory is no longer there. It was closed a long time ago and torn down. The land where it once stood has been used for new businesses and factories.