Longburn railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Longburn railway station
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Wellington and Manawatu locomotive no 7 with the mail train from Wellington. The Foxton train waits at the other platform, in 1888 or 1889
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| Location | New Zealand | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°23′08″S 175°32′23″E / 40.385447°S 175.53967°E | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 20 m (66 ft) | |||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | |||||||||||||||
| Distance | Wellington 129.94 km (80.74 mi) | |||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 26 July 1873 | |||||||||||||||
| Closed | passengers 5 July 1981 goods 13 October 1986 |
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| Rebuilt | 1962 | |||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Long Burn, Longburn Junction | |||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||
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Longburn railway station was a train station in Longburn, New Zealand. It was part of the important North Island Main Trunk railway line. Today, only the platform is left, across from the Fonterra factory. The station building itself has been taken down.
Over the years, Longburn had four different station locations. It started in 1873 as part of the Foxton-Palmerston North tramway. Later, when the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR) opened its line in 1885, a new station was built. Even newer stations opened in 1905 and 1962, after some railway line changes.
The station had a few names: Long Burn, then Longburn Junction, and finally Longburn. It was an important 'junction' (where lines meet) until the WMR joined the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR). After the Foxton branch line closed, Longburn mainly connected to railway sidings (short tracks for parking trains).
Today, the only clear signs of the old stations are two passing loops. These are extra tracks that allow trains to pass each other.
Fonterra uses the railway to transport milk. They collect milk from farms in southern Hawke's Bay and bring it to Longburn. From there, two trains a day carry the milk to Whareroa.
Contents
History of Longburn Station
Long Burn station first opened on the Foxton tramway on 26 July 1873. It was about 31.2 km (19.4 mi) from Foxton. The station reopened as a proper railway station on 20 October 1876. By 1884, it had a shelter, a platform, and a loop for 18 wagons.
The station was the northern end of the WMR line. The railway line through Longburn is now part of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, which was finished in 1909.
Longburn as a Railway Junction
The line between Longburn and Wellington was finished in 1886. At Longburn, passengers and goods would switch between the WMR line (going south to Wellington) and the NZR network. Longburn became a busy junction from 2 August 1886. This was when WMR trains started running between Longburn and Ōtaki.
Special trains ran from Whanganui and Wellington for a ceremony on 3 November 1886. The first train from Wellington to Palmerston North ran on 30 November 1886. The WMR even changed its schedule to connect with trains on the Foxton to New Plymouth line.
From 1888 to 1934, Longburn station had an engine shed and a turntable. A turntable is a spinning platform used to turn locomotives around.
Station Facilities and Changes
Cattle yards opened at the station in 1889, followed by sheep yards in 1904. These yards were used to load and unload farm animals from trains. They were made bigger over time, but by 1979, no animals were being moved by rail at Longburn. The yards officially closed in 1980.
From 1890, at least eight railway houses were built for railway workers. By 1980, three of these houses were still there. A house for the stationmaster was built in 1887. By 1896, the station had a building, platform, loading area, and a loop for 23 wagons.
A Post Office was located at the station from 1892 to 1929. By 1892, there was also a goods shed, which was a building for storing goods being transported by train.
In 1905, a new, larger station opened. It was a joint station for both NZR and WMR. By 1911, this station had a loading bank, cattle and sheep yards, a crane, and a loop for 60 wagons. Electric lighting was added in 1923.
On 8 December 1908, the WMR became part of the NZR. This meant Longburn was no longer a major interchange point where passengers and goods had to switch between two different railway companies. The Foxton Branch line stayed open until 1959. The main line to Palmerston North was changed in 1962.
On 25 February 1962, a brand new station building opened. It had offices for luggage and tickets, a staff room, and restrooms. It also had a passing loop, three other loops, a goods shed, and a loading area.
The last day Longburn was open for passengers was 5 July 1981. It continued to handle goods and parcels until 13 October 1986.
The Longburn signalbox, which helped control train movements, was moved to Feilding in March 2021.
Private sidings (short tracks) were used by many different businesses over the years. These included companies like Manawatu Cheese & Butter Co, Longburn Freezing, Kiwi Bacon, and Sanitarium. In 1999, Kiwi Co-operative Dairies opened a new cheese powder plant, showing the continued importance of rail for local industries.
Manawatū River Bridge
About 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of Longburn, the North Island Main Trunk railway crosses the Manawatū River. It crosses on a long bridge, which is 366 m (1,201 ft) long.
This bridge replaced an older timber bridge in 1960. The original bridge was about 1 km (0.62 mi) further upstream and was built starting in 1882. The current bridge has 20 sections with strong steel beams, resting on concrete supports.
Images for kids
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WMR Manawatū River bridge near Longburn, looking south in about 1886
