Kakahi railway station

Kakahi railway station
Kakahi 1908
General information
LocationNew Zealand
Coordinates38°56′19″S 175°23′14″E / 38.938500°S 175.387200°E / -38.938500; 175.387200
Elevation266 m (873 ft)
Line(s)North Island Main Trunk
DistanceWellington 382 km (237 mi)
History
Opened11 October 1904
Closed25 June 1978
ElectrifiedJune 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
Piriaka
Line open, station closed
5.27 km (3.27 mi) 		  North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail 		  Ōwhango
Line open, station closed
10.11 km (6.28 mi)
Kakahi station about 1915

Kakahi was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line,[1] in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand, serving Kakahi. It formally opened on 9 November 1908.[2] The rails were laid south of Piriaka by May 1904[3] and a daily ballast train was running by October,[4][2] which also carried passengers.[5] Kakahi Bridge has five spans of 44 ft (13 m) and one of 23 ft (7.0 m)[6] supplied by G. Fraser & Sons of Auckland, which delayed construction to the south.[7] It crosses the Kakahi Stream,[8] which was sometimes called the Waitea River.[9]

An island platform and shelter were built in 1907, extended to 22 ft (6.7 m) x 9 ft (2.7 m) in 1908, with a lobby, urinals and a storeroom, plus a 30 ft (9.1 m) x 20 ft (6.1 m) goods shed.[2][10] A stockyard was added in 1912 and extended in 1945, but closed on 26 January 1971. The shelter was removed in 1958 and the building on 26 November 1966, though in 1968 a new 12 ft (3.7 m) x 8 ft (2.4 m) weatherboard, lean-to shelter was built for parcels and phones. The passing loop for 31 wagons was extended for 66 in 1937.[2]

Electric block tablet signalling was installed in 1913,[11] a new type of exchanger installed in 1965 and Centralised Traffic Control started on 15 May 1967.[2]

An engine turning triangle was built in 1951/1952 south of the viaduct, but appears to have been disused by 1969.[12]

On Sunday 25 June 1978 Kakahi closed to all traffic, though the loop remains in use.[2]

  1. ^ Scoble, Juliet. "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand 1863 to 2010" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Stations" (PDF). NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. ^ "MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 5 May 1904. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. ^ "TAUMARUNUI. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 12 October 1904. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  5. ^ "THE KING COUNTRY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 19 April 1905. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  6. ^ "WELLINGTON TO AUCKLAND. NEW ZEALAND TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 3 April 1906. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  7. ^ "PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT BY THE HON. W. HALL-JONES, MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS, 28th OCTOBER, 1904". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Kakahi, Manawatu-Wanganui". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  9. ^ "NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY . BRIDGE OVER WAITEA RIVER, AT 127 MILES 45 CHAINS FROM MARTON JUNCTION ; ONE STEEL GIRDER SPAN OF 22 FT., FOUR OF 33 FT., AND ONE OF 44 FT. CREEK BED TO RAIL LEVEL, 55 FT. PROGRESS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 October 1906. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  10. ^ "KAKAHI. KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 29 October 1908. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  11. ^ "RAILWAYS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, THE HON. W. H. HERRIES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1913. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Survey Number: SN1889". Retrolens. 19 January 1969.