Ngaroto railway station
Ngaroto railway station | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ngaroto railway station, probably around 1910 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°58′54″S 175°18′31″E / 37.981686°S 175.308495°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 57 m (187 ft) | ||||||||||
| Line | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
| Distance | Wellington 520.06 km (323.15 mi) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1 July 1880 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 15 December 1957[1] | ||||||||||
| Electrified | June 1988 | ||||||||||
| Former names | Ninia | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Ngaroto railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand, 3.42 km (2.13 mi) south of Lake Rd,[2][3] 2 mi (3.2 km) north of Te Awamutu,[4] near the entrance to Yarndley's Bush. Lake Ngaroto is visible from the railway to the north of the station.
The station was planned in 1879[5] and opened in 1880 at the same time the NIMT was extended to Te Awamutu, though it wasn't mentioned in the press until postal contracts were being let in 1881.[6] The station and goods shed were being built in April 1880[7] and by 1884 Ngaroto had a 4th class station, passenger platform, cart approach, 60 ft (18 m) x 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed, loading bank, stationmaster's house and urinals. From 1883 to 1917 there was a Post Office at the station. In 1897 a guard applied for additions to his house. There were cattle yards by 1897 and sheep yards by 1911. A crossing loop could hold 41 wagons. There was a proposal to close the station in 1886.[5] It was staffed until 1887,[8] when a ganger took on running the post office.[5] In the early years it was a vital part of local farm transport.[9] The decking of the road bridge was replaced in 1932.[10] In 1936 there were plans to lower the track by 9 ft (2.7 m) and close the goods shed.[11] In 1939 it was suggested the goods shed could be closed.[12]
Apart from electrification, the only significant work since then seems to have been in 1928, when a lengthy embankment and raised bridge over the Mangapiko Stream lifted the line about 5 ft (1.5 m), to ease the climb from Te Awamutu to Ngaroto.[13]
Ngaroto only featured in annual reports for 3 years –
| year | tickets | season tickets | staff | ref. |
| 1885 | 380 | 1 | [14] | |
| 1886 | 346 | 1 | [15] | |
| 1887 | 286 | 22 | 1 | [16] |
Ngaroto on 1946 one inch to one mile map
A board summarises the history of the railway, but doesn't mention the station, which used to be behind the hedge
Te Awamutu dairy factory trip train climbing north to Ngaroto station site over the bank raised in 1928. Mt Kakepuku in background.
Ngaroto railway station in 1943
Ngaroto station site in 2021
References
- ↑ "Juliet Scoble: Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 230, 28 September 1926, Page 8 – Main Trunk Blocked. Goods Train Derailed. Leaves Rails at Ngaroto
- 1 2 3 Scoble, Juliet. "Station Archive". Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
- ↑ Auckland Star, Volume XI, Issue 3163, 8 September 1880, Page 1
- ↑ "A moonlight ride to and from Alexandra. Waikato Times". 1 April 1880.
- ↑ "Page 3 Advertisements Column 4 WAIKATO TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 October 1887. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ↑ New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13357, 11 December 1906, Page 5 Shortage of Railway Trucks
- ↑ "Work of the month. Waipa Post". 26 May 1932.
- ↑ "Farmers' union. Te Awamutu Courier". 24 July 1936.
- ↑ "Ngaroto station. Te Awamutu Courier". 12 June 1939.
- ↑ New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19947, 16 May 1928, Page 10 Main Trunk Line. Improvement to Gradient. Te Awamutu to Ngaroto
- ↑ "Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives | 1885 Session I RETURN No. 10. STATEMENT of Revenue and Expenditure of each Station for the Twelve Months ending 31st March, 1885". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ↑ "Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives | 1886 Session I". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ↑ "Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives | 1887 Session I". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 May 2018.