Taringamotu railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taringamotu railway station
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Taringamotu derailment 1915
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| Location | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 38°51′15″S 175°14′15″E / 38.85428°S 175.237513°E |
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk |
| Tracks | single |
| History | |
| Opened | 1 December 1903 |
| Closed | 16 April 1972 passengers 9 March 1987 goods |
| Electrified | 25 kV 50 Hz AC June 1988 |
| Previous names | Taringamutu until 7 August 1913 |
Taringamotu railway station was an important stop on the North Island Main Trunk railway line in New Zealand. It was located in the Ruapehu District, which is part of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. This station was about 402 kilometers (250 miles) north of Wellington. It was also close to Taumarunui, being about 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles) north of it. The station played a key role in moving goods and people in the early 1900s.
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Station History
Taringamotu railway station first opened for goods traffic around November 1902. It began serving passengers on 1 December 1903. A station master was a person in charge of the station. One was appointed in 1911 to manage the station's operations. In 1920, the station master was working very long hours, sometimes over 12 hours a day.
Name Change
The station's name was originally "Taringamutu". However, in 1913, a New Zealand politician named Alexander Young pointed out that the name was spelled incorrectly. Because of this, the name was officially changed to "Taringamotu" on 7 August 1913.
Station Upgrades
Over time, the station received some important upgrades. Around 1936, electric lighting was installed. This made the station much brighter and safer, especially at night. Later, in June 1988, the railway line near the station was electrified. This meant trains could run using electricity instead of diesel or steam.
Goods and Passenger Services
Taringamotu station was very busy with different types of goods. The main type of goods transported was timber. This timber came from the Taringamotu Tramway, which was a special railway line used to carry logs from the forests. The station also handled other goods. For example, in 1926, it moved 122 tons of fertilizers, which are used to help plants grow.
Passenger Numbers
The number of people using the station to travel by train changed a lot over the years. Passenger numbers grew quickly until 1916. After that, the numbers started to go down. The station stopped serving passengers on 16 April 1972. It continued to handle goods traffic for a while longer. The station finally closed completely for goods on 9 March 1987.
