Ōpaheke railway station was a flag station serving Ōpaheke on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand.[1][2] It was opened in 1875[3] and closed in 1955.[4] It was called Hūnua until 7 January 1912 and, though it didn't appear in the 1875 timetable,[5] Hunua was described as a small wayside station on the line's opening day.[6] The station was first listed in the December 1875 timetable, being served by 2 trains a day, taking 92 minutes for the 21 mi (34 km) from Auckland.[7] When the line was extended to Hamilton, Hunua gained an extra train and the schedule was cut to 79 minutes.[8]
Ōpaheke | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ōpaheke on 1956 map | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°05′00″S 174°57′26″E / 37.0832°S 174.9571°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
| Distance | Wellington 644.63 km (400.55 mi) | ||||||||||
| Tracks | Doubled 3 December 1939 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 20 May 1875 or 6 April 1879 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 13 November 1955 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Hunua until 7 January 1912 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Hunua opened on 20 May 1875, as part of the Auckland and Mercer Railway on 20 May 1875, built by Brogden & Co,[9] when it was extended from Penrose.[10] A limited service may have started earlier, as Brogden & Sons ran excursion trains to Drury in October 1874.[11]
The station was opposite Ōpaheke Saleyards on Ōpaheke Road, on the Hay's Farm. It was a very small sixth class station,[12] with a shelter shed (20 ft (6.1 m) by 9 ft (2.7 m)).[13] By 1884 there was a passenger platform with cart approach and a loading bank, and in 1894 there was a petition for a goods shed to be built. In 1891 the Coultland Brothers obtained permission to lay a tramway from the station.[12] A suggestion was made in 1899 that a tramway could be laid between the station and Hunua coal seams.[14] However, it seems that the Hunua Colliery only used road transport to get its coal to the railway at Papakura.[15]
The station was damaged by fire on 3 May 1956 and the rest offered for sale in May 1963.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
- ^ Pierre, Bill (1981). North Island Main Trunk. Wellington: A.H&A.W Reed. pp. 289–290. ISBN 0589013165.
- ^ "Stations". NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 June 1875. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "DISTRICTS OPENED BY THE RAIL WAY—APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 May 1875. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 6 December 1875. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 February 1878. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "OPENING OF THE Auckland and Mercer Railway FOR TRAFFIC. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 May 1875. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "DISTRICTS OPENED BY THE RAILWAY—APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 May 1875. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 7 October 1874. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ a b Glover, Hayley (23 October 2020). "Papakura to Pukekohe Electrification: archaeological assessment" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency.
- ^ a b "Station Archive". Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. 2012.
- ^ "TABLE TALK. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 20 September 1899. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "TRAGEDY AT HUNUA. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 February 1921. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
External links
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