Mauriceville railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mauriceville
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| New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) regional rail |
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| Location | Opaki Kaiparoro Road, Mauriceville, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 40°46′45.08″S 175°42′0.42″E / 40.7791889°S 175.7001167°E |
| Owned by | Railways Department |
| Line(s) | Wairarapa Line |
| Platforms | Single side |
| Tracks | Main line (x1) Wagon loop (x1) Private siding (x1) |
| Construction | |
| Parking | Yes |
| History | |
| Opened | 14 June 1886 |
| Closed | 18 August 1984 (general freight) 1 August 1988 (passengers) |
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to Woodville | ||
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station platform | ||
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| loading bank |
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| Hatuma Lime Company private siding |
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wagon loop | ||
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to Wellington | ||
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The Mauriceville railway station was a small train station in the countryside. It served the village of Mauriceville in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand’s North Island. You could find it on the Wairarapa Line between the stations of Kopuaranga and Mangamahoe. It was easy to reach from Opaki Kaiparoro Road.
The station opened for all types of train traffic in 1886. It was used for about 102 years. It closed for freight (goods) in 1984 and for passengers in 1988. For many years, it was an important station. It even had a small team of staff working there.
Contents
Station History
How the Station Operated
Early Days: 1886 – 1897
When Mauriceville station opened in mid-1886, it was served by mixed trains. These trains carried both passengers and goods. They had already been running to stations further south as the railway line was built north. Mauriceville was the end of the railway line (the railhead) for seven months. Then, Mangamahoe opened the next year, and Eketahuna two years later. Mixed trains were the only regular passenger service until the line reached Woodville in 1897.
Busy Times: 1897 – 1908
When the Wairarapa Line was finished, another important railway line, the Wellington – Longburn line, was owned by a private company. This meant that all government trains from Wellington heading north had to go through the Wairarapa. This made stations like Mauriceville quite important. The popular Napier Mail trains, which used to go from Napier to Palmerston North, were changed to run through the Wairarapa to Wellington. They became the main passenger service that stopped at Mauriceville. Mixed trains also continued to run.
Later Years: 1908 – 1988
In 1908, the government bought the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company’s line. This changed how trains ran in the Wairarapa, especially north of Masterton. Because of the long and difficult Rimutaka Incline, many goods trains from the northern Wairarapa region were sent north through Woodville and Palmerston North. From there, they could travel down the Main Trunk Line to Wellington. However, mixed trains still ran through Mauriceville.
Soon after the government took over the WMR line, the Napier Express train changed its route in 1909. It no longer went through the Wairarapa Line. Instead, it went through the Manawatu Gorge and down the old WMR line to Wellington. After this, the main passenger train stopping at Mauriceville was the Wairarapa Mail.
A new passenger-only service started in 1936. This was with the introduction of the Wairarapa-class railcars. These railcars added to, and later replaced, the Wairarapa Mail in 1948. The Wairarapa railcars were then replaced in 1955. This happened after the Remutaka Tunnel opened. The new trains were twinset railcars. They were the main passenger service for Mauriceville for the next 22 years.
In 1959, the railcar timetable showed two railcar services going north and two going south stopping at Mauriceville every day. On Fridays, there was an extra service. Sometimes, if many people wanted to travel, regular trains pulled by locomotives were used instead of railcars. These locomotive-hauled trains completely replaced railcar services in 1977.
In 1976, the station was changed to a flag station. This meant trains would only stop if passengers wanted to get on or off, or if there were goods to pick up or drop off. Around the same time, an employee and their house were removed from the station.
In October 1980, the Railways Department decided to close Mauriceville station for most goods traffic. However, it would stay open for passengers and for large amounts of goods, especially for private companies with their own train tracks (sidings). The goods shed would also be closed, and extra tracks would be removed.
The station was important for the Mauriceville Lime Company. They shipped 6,300 tonnes of fertiliser through the station in 1980. There were also a small but steady number of passengers. Because of this, it was decided to keep Mauriceville open for all traffic. They would review this decision later if the goods shed needed major repairs.
After the railcar services stopped, fewer and fewer people used the passenger trains on the northern Wairarapa Line. Roads in the area got better, so people used cars more. Finally, there weren't enough passengers to make the service worthwhile. So, the last passenger train service was stopped on August 1, 1988. This meant Mauriceville station closed for all passenger services. General freight had already stopped several years earlier in 1984. However, private companies still used their sidings. Hatuma Lime used the station in 1989 to ship about 10,000 tonnes of phosphate.
Station Buildings and Features
Mauriceville station had a small station building, a platform, a goods shed, and a loading bank. The station building was about 11.5 feet by 9.5 feet. Just 11 years after it opened, people said the office was too small for the work being done. This problem got worse when Morse telegraphy equipment was added. More space was needed in 1898 for a telephone booth, and again in 1900 for parcels. In 1907, more changes were made when tablet instruments were installed. The loading bank was rebuilt in 1925.
In 1900, a luggage room was built for the Mauriceville Dairy Company. People were worried about dairy products, especially butter, being stored on the platform or under tarpaulins. They wanted a room to keep these goods safe from spoiling. In 1923, a new storeroom was requested to keep goods, mainly bundles of lime bags. This storeroom was built as a separate building. A cart dock was added at the north end of the platform in 1930.
The Mauriceville Dairy Company was a big customer of the railway. They had several changes made to the station over time. This included a track across the main road (which was not paved then) between the station and the dairy factory. A concrete path was laid from the station platform to the road. The gates in the station fence were made wider for barrows used to carry cream cans. By 1930, dropping cream cans from trains onto the platform was damaging the platform. It was decided to repair the front of the platform with concrete slabs and use thicker asphalt where extra strength was needed.
In February 1939, the Railways Department asked the Mauriceville County Council to pave the road in front of the station. This work was finished by April.
In 1951, the station building was renovated. This included fixing the floor, removing two small attached structures, repairing the roof and drains, installing a ceiling and interior lining, and painting. The work was completed by September 1954.
In 1952, plans were made for more train traffic after the Rimutaka tunnel opened. Money was set aside in 1953 to build a new crossing loop at Mauriceville. This loop would allow three trains to cross paths and store wagons from the nearby lime works. Before this, trains sometimes had to wait at Masterton or Eketahuna because there wasn't enough space at Mauriceville. The new crossing loop was put on hold when the timetable was changed. In 1957, after seeing how the Rimutaka tunnel affected traffic, a new, larger crossing loop was approved. It could hold 97 wagons instead of 50. The old mechanical train signals were also replaced with modern colour-light signals.
In 1975, it was suggested that the Mauriceville goods shed be moved to Lower Hutt, where more space was needed. The shed at Mauriceville was in good condition and not used much. Local farmers agreed to the move. However, a local resident objected in January 1976, saying the shed was used to store wool, skins, and other goods. After a public meeting, the department decided to keep the shed for at least two more years.
The stockyards at Mauriceville and other Wairarapa stations were closed on February 25, 1980. The Mauriceville stockyards were completely removed, and the materials were sold.
A review in September 1980 noted that Mauriceville station had a 73-wagon crossing loop and two other sidings. A private siding for the Mauriceville Lime Company had recently opened. The goods shed had no doors and was mainly used by locals for storage. The station building was larger than needed but in good condition. It was decided to keep the goods shed until it needed major repairs.
Post & Telegraph Office
The Mauriceville Post Office was located inside the station building. Railway staff, working with the Chief Postmaster in Masterton, also ran the post office. This meant they did both railway and post office work at the same time.
In 1897, a telegraph line was built between Woodville and Wellington for the Railways Department. Morse telegraphy equipment was meant to be installed in railway offices, but Mauriceville didn't have enough space. More space was requested for the new equipment and a sound-proof telephone box for sending telegrams privately.
In 1908, after a public meeting, people asked for a different location for the post office. They felt the space in the station building was too small and not good enough. The Post & Telegraph Department thought there wasn't enough business to justify a separate building. Instead, they hired a boy to deliver telegrams and help out. They also asked the Railways Department if there was space for 12 private post boxes and a telephone exchange in the station building. The Railways Department said there was room for a telephone exchange, but not for all the post boxes.
In 1910, the Post Office wanted Mauriceville to become a Morse telegraph office. The Railways Department agreed, as the station was already a telegraph testing station, and both the Stationmaster and clerk knew how to operate the telegraph.
In 1945, an inspection noted that the station building was "badly cramped" because it combined the Railway and Post Office. They wondered if the Post Office would stay. If not, they thought about replacing the building with one from another branch line. However, a staff shortage meant this idea wasn't pursued.
Later, in 1947, the Railways Department asked if the Post Office still needed space in the station building. They considered either building a new, larger station building for both departments or having the Post Office move out and set up its own office. On August 1, the Post & Telegraph Department asked to lease a small piece of land at the north end of the station. They wanted to build a temporary post office there while they looked for a permanent site. The Railways Department agreed to lease the land for £5 per year, starting April 10, 1948. Mail continued to be shipped by train. The Stationmaster would look after mail bags outside post office hours when needed for train schedules.
Mauriceville Today
All the old railway buildings have been removed from the site. However, you can still see signs of the station and its facilities. The station platform, a wagon loop (a track for storing wagons), a private siding, and the loading bank in a nearby field are still there. A station name board has been put up on the platform.
Across the road from the station is the Hatuma Lime Company. They used to be a railway customer but now use trucks to transport their products. Also on the same site is a building that was originally built for the Mauriceville Dairy Company. This company was another railway customer but stopped operating a long time ago. Hatuma Lime has thought about shipping lime by train from Mauriceville. But they decided not to because they were unsure about the future of the northern Wairarapa Line.
For seven years, starting in 1988, the northern part of the Wairarapa Line was mostly unused. No trains were scheduled to pass through Mauriceville. However, because of traffic jams on the Wellington – Palmerston North line, freight trains from Wellington to Napier started running through the Wairarapa again from August 14, 1995. After tunnels on another line were opened up in 2008, allowing larger containers to pass, the Wellington – Napier freight trains went back to their original route. Mauriceville has sometimes been used by railway history groups for special train trips.
