Erua railway station

Erua was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line,[1] in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the small village of Erua.[2] For a month in 1908 it was the terminus of the line from Auckland. Makatote Viaduct and tramway are about 3 mi (4.8 km) south of Erua.

Erua railway station
Erua was terminus of the line in April 1908.
Coaches took passengers to Ohakune
to continue their rail journey
General information
LocationNew Zealand
Coordinates39.227998°S 175.398703°E / -39.227998; 175.398703
Elevation742 m (2,434 ft)
Line(s)North Island Main Trunk
DistanceWellington 340.16 km (211.37 mi)
History
Opened1 April 1908
Closed13 September 1986
ElectrifiedJune 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
National Park
Line open, station open
6.67 km (4.14 mi)		   North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail		   Makatote
Line open, station closed
3.29 km (2.04 mi)

History

Surveying for the route between Hīhītahi and Piriaka began in 1894.[3] From 1 April 1908 the line from Auckland was extended from National Park to Erua. That reduced the coach journey to the southern railhead at Ohakune to 14 mi (23 km).[4] From 1 May 1908 Erua was supplanted by Makatote as the railhead.[5] On 9 November 1908 NZR took over from the Public Works Department the Taumarunui to Erua line and on 14 February 1909, the line south to Waiouru.[6] Goods trains ran south from Erua from 7 January 1909.[7] Four 5-roomed houses and a 6th class station were built in 1908, with a 23 ft (7.0 m) by 11 ft (3.4 m) shelter shed and urinals on a 200 ft (61 m) by 15 ft (4.6 m) platform, a 20 ft (6.1 m) by 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed with verandah, a loading bank, cattle and sheep yards and a cart approach. A passing loop could take 49 wagons. Erua was described as a tablet station from 1908. There was a Post Office at the station from 1912 to 1937.[8] Overnight, on 30 May 1921, the station burnt down.[9] It closed to goods traffic, except in wagon lots, on 11 August 1969 and to all traffic on 13 September 1986,[8] prior to electrification. There is now only a single line through the former station site.[10]

  • Erua between 1912 and 1916
    Erua between 1912 and 1916
  • Erua station about 1920
    Erua station about 1920
  • Erua between 1912 and 1916. Already most of the bush shown in the 1908 photo had gone
    Erua between 1912 and 1916. Already most of the bush shown in the 1908 photo had gone
Erua bush tramway, with stacks of split logs and steam log hauler in 1920s

Timber

Like the other stations along this part of NIMT, Erua had freight from several timber mills. To supply timber to the Frankton Junction Railway House Factory, a sawmill NZR opened a forestry block. 57 were working in it in 1924,[11] though the number was reduced from 1927[12] and it closed in 1928.[13] To work this block, NZR built a 4.2 km (2.6 mi) siding from Pokaka, which continued to have some use until about 1932.[14] A tablet lock was added to Karioi Sawmill Co.'s siding between Erua and Pokako in 1930.[15] There were several other timber companies at Erua, including Wanganui Sash and Door,[12] whose tramway closed in December 1956.[16] Waikune Prison had a sawmill near the station until 1927.[17]

Marton Sash and Door Tramway

Crighton Bros had a tramway, which ran about 11 km (6.8 mi) west from the station.[16] Some of the tramway became part of a 16 km (9.9 mi) Marton Sash and Door cycleway[18] in 2014.[19] The Marton mill at Erua burnt down in 1939,[20] though it still had a tramway in 1942.[11]

References
  1. Scoble, Juliet. "Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand 1863 to 2010" (PDF). Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
  2. "Erua, Manawatu-Wanganui". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  3. "THE RAURIMU SPIRAL. NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 November 1929. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. "EVENING POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 31 March 1908. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  5. "READY BY CHRISTMAS. DOMINION". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 May 1908. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. "RAILWAYS STATEMENT. BY THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, THE HON, J. A, MILLAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 13 October 1909. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  7. "OUR VOLUNTEERS. WANGANUI HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 16 December 1908. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  8. "Stations" (PDF). NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  9. "LOCAL AND GENERAL. MANAWATU TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 3 June 1921. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  10. "Manawatū Whanganui 0.3m Rural Aerial Photos (2016–2017)". basemaps.linz.govt.nz. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  11. "RAILWAY SAWMILLS. WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 27 December 1924. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  12. "DISMISSAL OF MEN. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 April 1927. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  13. "STATE BUSH CLOSED. EVENING POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 April 1928. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  14. "Pōkākā Sawmills". NZ Railway Observer: 9–13. April 2021.
  15. "RAILWAYS STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, THE HON. W. A. VEITCH". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1930. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  16. New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (Fourth ed.). Quail Map Co. 1993. ISBN 0-900609-92-3.
  17. "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 September 1927. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  18. "Marton Sash and Door Tramway Trail Mountain Bike Trail, Ohakune, New Zealand". MTB Project. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  19. "Public Business" (PDF). Ruapehu District Council. 12 August 2014.
  20. "SAWMILL FIRE. MANAWATU STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 9 October 1939. Retrieved 6 January 2021.

Photos – 1957 aerial view of the station and railway cottages

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