Helensville railway station

Helensville
General information
Coordinates36°40′19″S 174°27′02″E / 36.671857°S 174.450484°E / -36.671857; 174.450484
Elevation3 m (9.8 ft)
Owned byHelensville Railway Station Trust
Line(s)North Auckland Line
Platforms1
Tracks3
History
Opened18 July 1881 (1881-07-18)[1]
Closed12 June 1987 (1987-06-12)[1]
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
Punganui
Line open,
station closed
2.94 km (1.83 mi) 		  North Auckland Line
NZR 		  Ohirangi
Line open,
station closed
2.68 km (1.67 mi)

Helensville railway station formerly served the town of Helensville, 60.47 km (37.57 mi) northwest of Auckland Strand,[2] in the North Island of New Zealand. It was a stop on the North Auckland Line, and was the next major station north of Waitākere. Occasionally it was called the Helensville North Railway Station.[3][1]

Though closed in 1987 (reopened from mid-2008 to late 2009), the site still features the 1882 wooden building, which has been restored, and has a shunting yard and KiwiRail Network depot. The platform was modernised in 2007 as part of a trial to reintroduce a commuter train service to Auckland.

NZR D170 of 1880 on static display

There is an old steam locomotive (an NZR D class), on loan from MOTAT,[4] at the entrance to the platform from the station car park. It worked on NZR until 1923, at Whakatu freezing works until 1960 and was moved to Helensville in 2000.[5] There is also a model railway and museum at the station and a cafe and shop.[6]

As well as the station, three tracks and the engine-turning triangle remain.[7]

  1. ^ a b c Scoble, Juliet (2010). "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. ^ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 2b.
  3. ^ "LOCAL AND GENERAL. Kaipara and Waitemata Echo". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 January 1912. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Locomotive [D 170]". MOTAT Collection Online. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  5. ^ "NZR D class No.170 Steam Locomotive". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Helensville Railway Station". www.helensvillerail.org.nz. 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  7. ^ "KiwiRail Network Map". kiwirail.maps.arcgis.com. November 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2023.