Raurimu railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Raurimu railway station
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Raurimu railway station
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| Location | New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°07′09″S 175°23′48″E / 39.11927°S 175.39654°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 592 m (1,942 ft) | ||||||||||
| Owned by | KiwiRail | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
| Distance | Wellington 358.44 km (222.72 mi) | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 13 December 1906 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 27 August 1978 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 10 July 1977 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | 25 kV 50 Hz AC June 1988 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Pukerimu until 29 October 1906 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Raurimu railway station was an important stop on New Zealand's main railway line. This line is called the North Island Main Trunk. The station was located in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.
It first opened in 1906 and closed its doors in 1978. For a short time, from 1906 to 1908, it was known as Pukerimu.
Near the station is the famous Raurimu Spiral. This amazing piece of railway engineering helps trains climb a very steep hill. The spiral is about 6.8 kilometers away. It helps trains go up 200 meters to the National Park railway station. Without the spiral, the climb would be too steep for trains!
Station History
In 1906, the Public Works Department (PWD) moved its main office to Raurimu. This department was building the North Island Main Trunk railway. Their office was made of "tents and huts."
At its busiest, the Raurimu community had about a thousand people. This included men, women, and children.
Early Train Services
Trains started running to Raurimu on December 13, 1906. By May 10, 1907, goods could be sent to Raurimu by train. Trains began running to the next station, Waimarino (now National Park), on December 23, 1907.
The entire North Island Main Trunk line opened on November 9, 1908. This meant trains could travel all the way from Auckland to Wellington. However, only southbound express trains stopped at Raurimu.
The Station Building
A station building was built in 1906. It was 51 feet long and 14 feet wide. It had rooms for the stationmaster, a lobby, and a ladies' room.
The station also had a long platform, a loading area for goods, and yards for cattle. There was a goods shed with a roof, toilets, and water tanks. A special track allowed 58 wagons to wait.
Raurimu stopped serving passengers before December 1975.
Local Industries
In the early 1900s, Raurimu was a busy place for logging. There were two special small railways, called bush tramways, used for forestry.
- One was Knight's tram, used by the Raumiru Sawmilling Co. It operated from 1935 to 1957.
- The other was a tramway used by the Pokata Timber Co. It ran from 1930 to 1957.
Images for kids
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Knight's tram and a steam hauler, Raurimu, in a clearing in the bush
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Price type "O" bush locomotive at Raurimu, around 1917
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Offices of the Tamaki Sawmill Co. at Raurimu railway station
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Raurimu Spiral in 2007
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Map of the spiral, from OpenStreetMap
