Woodville railway station, Manawatu-Wanganui facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Woodville
New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) regional rail
Location	Station Street, Woodville, New Zealand
Coordinates	40°20′42″S 175°52′03″E / 40.3449°S 175.8676°E / -40.3449; 175.8676
Owned by	KiwiRail
Line(s)	Wairarapa Line Palmerston North - Gisborne Line
Platforms	Single (formerly split mainline and 2 dock)
Tracks	Main line (1) Balloon loop (1) Loops (4) Goods sidings (2)
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	No
History
Opened	22 March 1887
Closed	7 October 2001 (passengers)
Rebuilt	1964
Electrified	No
Previous names	Woodville Junction

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The Woodville railway station is an important train station in the small town of Woodville, located in the Tararua District. It's about 27 kilometers (17 miles) east of Palmerston North in New Zealand's North Island.

This station is where the Wairarapa Line ends in the north. It also connects with the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line. Woodville was once a very busy place for trains. It was the main train stop for the line from Napier until the tracks were finished through the Manawatu Gorge in 1891.

Woodville station is special because it has a unique track shape called a balloon loop. This loop lets trains from places like Hawke's Bay go directly to the Wairarapa region without the train engine needing to turn around. This makes it easy for trains from any direction to use the station. The loop can also be used to turn engines around when Woodville is the last stop on a journey.

Even though passenger services stopped in 2001, the station is still used for freight trains and special heritage train trips.

History of Woodville Station

How the Station Operated

Early Days: 1887–1897

Woodville station first opened on 22 March 1887. It was part of the railway line being built south from Napier. For four years, Woodville was the end of the line. The tracks then continued through the Manawatu Gorge, reaching Palmerston North in March 1891.

Before the full railway was built, people traveling from Woodville to Palmerston North or the Wairarapa region used private coaches. These coaches would connect with other train lines. After 1891, the Napier Express train started running between Napier and Palmerston North, passing through Woodville. This allowed people to travel by train between the Hawkes Bay region and Wellington.

Busy Times: 1897–1908

On 11 December 1897, the railway line from Wellington finally connected with the Palmerston North – Napier line at Woodville. This was a big moment for the railway system. It meant the government now had its own train connection from Wellington to the Manawatu and Hawkes Bay areas. This led to a huge increase in goods being moved through Woodville.

The Napier Express passenger trains, which used to stop at Palmerston North, were changed to go through Woodville and then south through the Wairarapa to Wellington. This was because the Railways Department wanted to use its own lines. However, this new route took an hour longer because of the difficult Rimutaka Incline, so some people didn't like it as much.

Later Years: 1908–2001

Woodville railway station Wairarapa dock siding and platform

In 1908, the Wellington – Manawatu railway line became part of the national railway system. This caused some changes at Woodville. The new line was a better way to get to Wellington than the Wairarapa Line. So, many freight trains and the Napier Express passenger trains were sent through Palmerston North to Wellington.

After the Rimutaka Tunnel opened in 1955, freight trains between Wellington and Napier started using the Wairarapa Line again.

Woodville became the last stop for the Wairarapa Mail, a passenger train that ran between Wellington and Woodville. Later, this train was extended to Palmerston North. Special railcars were also used for passenger services from 1936. These railcars eventually replaced the Wairarapa Mail in 1948.

Even with the railcars, mixed trains (carrying both passengers and goods) continued to run on the northern part of the Wairarapa Line. A mixed train ran six days a week between Woodville and Masterton. This service was popular with students going to high school in Masterton.

After the Rimutaka Tunnel opened, both the railcars and mixed trains were replaced by newer railcars. By 1959, Wairarapa services were still ending at Woodville. It was common to see two or three railcars waiting at Woodville for passengers to switch trains.

Locomotive-pulled passenger trains slowly returned from the mid-1960s, fully replacing the railcars by 1977. Later, passenger trains ran directly between Palmerston North and Wellington via Woodville. But fewer people used these services in the 1980s, and they were stopped on 1 August 1988.

In 1959, Woodville station had a large team of 29 staff members. They included stationmasters, clerks, guards, signalmen, and shunters.

From 1954, new railcars replaced the Napier Express passenger trains through Woodville. Later, a locomotive-pulled passenger service called the Endeavour (and later the Bay Express) was brought back in 1972. This service stopped running on 8 October 2001. This marked the end of regular passenger trains at Woodville station.

Station Buildings and Features

Original Station: 1887–1964

There was a lot of discussion about where to build the station. Some people in Woodville didn't want the railway line to go through their town. But eventually, the station's location was decided.

The first station building was made of wood and had a long platform. A roof, called a veranda, covered the platform in front of the building. The station also had other facilities over time. These included social halls, a post office, a goods shed, and a place to store train engines. There were also extra tracks, called dock sidings, at both ends of the platform.

Mr. E. W. Ruddick ran a private dining room at the Woodville Refreshment Rooms until 1921. He even asked for an extra room because it got so busy. In 1921, the Railways Department took over the refreshment room. By the time railcars arrived, only tea and sandwiches were offered. The dining room was closed in 1952.

In 1963, the east-end dock siding at Woodville was made longer by 55 meters (180 feet). This helped railcars stop closer to each other, making it easier for passengers to switch trains.

The old station building was getting old and needed repairs. In 1960, the railway department tried to find companies to fix it, but the prices were too high. So, they decided to build a new station instead.

New Station and Track Changes: 1964–1966

Plans for a new station building were finished in 1962. The project included many changes:

• A new 2-kilometer (1.25-mile) loop line (the balloon loop).
• Changes to the station yard tracks, including moving the main line.
• A new platform and veranda.
• Changes to the roads leading to the station.

The balloon loop was chosen because building a turning triangle (another way to turn trains around) would have been too difficult and expensive in the area. The loop was needed to make sure train coupling hooks were always facing the right way. Before the loop, workers had to manually change the direction of hooks on wagons.

Woodville railway station goods shed and loading bank

Funding for the project was approved in 1963. Construction of the new building began in April 1964. The new building was designed to be strong, with concrete foundations and floors, and an aluminum roof.

To build the new station, the west end of the old building had to be taken down first. Temporary waiting rooms were set up for passengers. The new building was ready for use on 11 December 1964. However, other parts of the project, like demolishing the rest of the old station and building the new main line, were still ongoing.

Woodville railway station building

An official opening ceremony for the new station and track changes was held on 25 July 1966. The Minister of Railways, Mr. John McAlpine, unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion. The plaque read:

By this time, many important parts of the project were finished. The station yard was extended for longer trains. A new power signaling system was also installed. This new system was controlled from inside the station building, replacing the two old signal boxes.

Woodville Station Today

NZR A^B class No. 663 "Sharon Lee" running backwards around the Woodville balloon loop

Today, Woodville station still looks much like it did after the 1960s rebuild. It has its station building, platform, the unique balloon loop, a loading bank, and a goods shed. The local Rotary Club and the Rail Heritage Trust helped clean up the station building in the mid-2000s. This was done to make it nice for special excursion trains.

The station is owned by KiwiRail, New Zealand's railway company. The local community is looking into ways to restore the building and find new uses for it.

For seven years, from 1988, the northern part of the Wairarapa Line was not used much. But in 1995, freight trains between Wellington and Napier started using the Wairarapa route through Woodville again. This was because the main line to Palmerston North was very busy. These freight trains later returned to their original route in 2008.

Today, about 55 trains pass through Woodville each week. Most of these trains are going to or from Palmerston North. Some also travel through Woodville to or from the Wairarapa. The station yard is still used to organize or cross trains when needed.

Woodville station is also a popular stop for special passenger trains. These trains are run by groups like the Feilding and District Steam Rail Society and Steam Incorporated. They offer a chance for people to experience old trains.

The station celebrated its 125th anniversary on 24 March 2012. Over 1,000 visitors attended, including people who arrived on two special trains from Wellington and Palmerston North. It was also a reunion for former railway staff from the area.