Greytown railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Greytown
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| New Zealand Government Railways Department regional rail | |
Greytown station yard. The station building and platform were to the left, where the large trees are.
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| Location | 230 West Street, Greytown |
| Coordinates | 41°5′20″S 175°26′55″E / 41.08889°S 175.44861°E |
| Owned by | Railways Department |
| Line(s) | Greytown Branch |
| Platforms | Single |
| Tracks | 1 branch line, 2 loops |
| History | |
| Opened | 14 May 1880 |
| Closed | 24 December 1953, on closure of the Greytown Branch line |
The Greytown railway station was the final stop on the Greytown Branch railway line. This line connected the town of Greytown in New Zealand's North Island to Woodside. Woodside was a station on the main Wairarapa Line.
Contents
The Story of Greytown Station
Building the Railway
In 1878, the government decided to build the Greytown Branch railway. The next year, after checking the land, plans were made. Companies were then asked to bid for the building work. Ebenezer Gray won the contract to build the Greytown station building, a shed for goods, and a shed for locomotives (train engines). He was paid £1183, and the work was finished on time.
The Grand Opening Day
The railway line officially opened on 14 May 1880. It was meant to be a huge celebration! A parade was planned with a brass band, local groups, school children, and the public. After the parade, there were going to be sports games with teams from Wellington and Greytown.
However, the weather was very bad that day. Many of the planned events had to be cancelled. The first train from Wellington brought only a few visitors because of the rain.
A Busy Start
For a short time, Greytown was an important station. Until the railway line opened all the way to Masterton on 1 November 1880, Greytown was the main northern end of the Wairarapa Line. After that, the section from Greytown to Woodside became a smaller branch line.
What Remains Today
Where Did the Station Go?
The Greytown Branch railway line closed down on 24 December 1953. After the line closed, the shed for the train engines was taken down. The main station building was moved by train to Woodside. It is still there today and is used as a goods shed.
The Goods Shed and Station Yard
The station's goods shed is still in its original spot in Greytown. There were ideas to move it to a special railway history area at Carterton railway station. However, in 2015, it was instead fixed up. It now looks much like it did when it was used for trains.
The old station yard is at the southern end of West Street in Greytown. You can still notice a large bump in the road as you pass the goods shed. A road transport company and a line of big trees now stand where much of the station yard and the station building used to be.
Gallery
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Looking north-east along West Street, with the site of the station building and platform to the left and the goods shed to the right.
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The goods shed.
