Koputaroa railway station
Kereru in 1890s
before renaming as Koputarua and then Koputaroa
General information
LocationNew Zealand
Coordinates40°34′33″S 175°20′28″E / 40.575853°S 175.341115°E / -40.575853; 175.341115
Elevation9 m (30 ft)
Line(s)North Island Main Trunk
DistanceWellington 99.56 km (61.86 mi)
History
Opened2 August 1886
Closedpassengers by December 1975
goods 13 October 1986[1]
Previous namesKereru until 29 February 1906
Koputarua until 15 April 1909
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
Shannon
Line open,
station open
7.07 km (4.39 mi)		   North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail		   Queen Street (Levin)
Line open,
station closed
7.89 km (4.90 mi)

Koputaroa railway station was a station at Koputaroa in Horowhenua District on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand.[2][3]

Name

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "long snare for catching parakeets" for Koputaroa.[4] On 29 February 1906 the name of station was changed from Kereru to Koputarua,[5] to avoid confusion with Kereru in Hawkes Bay.[6] On 15 April 1909 the spelling was corrected from Koputarua to Koputaroa.[5]

History

Kereru was opened as a flag station by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company on Monday 2 August 1886, when trains started to run between Longburn and Ōtaki,[7] though a special train had run from Longburn to Ohau in April 1886.[8] The first through train from Wellington to Palmerston North ran on 30 November 1886.[9]

In 1906 the cattle yards were rebuilt and a new goods shed and sheep stage added. When New Zealand Railways Department took over in 1908, tablet signalling was introduced. Further improvements were made in 1909, so that by 1911 there was a shelter shed, platform, cart approach, 42 ft (13 m) by 13 ft (4.0 m) and 18 ft (5.5 m) by 12 ft (3.7 m) goods sheds, loading bank, cattle and sheep yards and a passing loop for 70 wagons (extended to 90 wagons in the 1940s). From 1889 to 1915 there was a Post Office at the station, operated by a ganger. A post office was also mentioned in 1926. A railway house was built in 1927.[5]

Old buildings were removed in 1968. By 1981 Koputaroa had no outward traffic and the only inward freight was fertiliser to a bulk store; in 1905 Manawatu Gorge Lime Co Ltd had applied for a private siding. In 1990 a small shed remained on the west side of the line.[5]

Incidents

On 24 June 1910 a UD class locomotive[10] and 3 coaches[11] of the New Plymouth mail train were derailed, though, as the train was travelling slowly, there were no injuries.[12] It took all weekend to clear the line and a diversionary track was laid to allow trains to pass. Incorrectly set points at the passing loop were thought to have caused the Incident.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Juliet Scoble: Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  2. ↑ New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
  3. ↑ Pierre, Bill (1981). North Island Main Trunk. Wellington: A.H&A.W Reed. pp. 289–290. ISBN 0589013165.
  4. ↑ "1000 Māori place names - Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Stations" (PDF). NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "DOMINION". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 30 January 1909. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "MANAWATU RAILWAY COMPANY, LIMITED TIME TABLE. EVENING POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 31 July 1886. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Wellington- ManaWatu Railway. MANAWATU STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 27 April 1886. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "WELLINGTON-MANAWATU RAILWAY LINE. NEW ZEALAND TIMES". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 30 November 1886. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Accident to the New Plymouth Express: A Front View of the Derailed Engine and Carriages at Koputaroa". www.aucklandcity.govt.nz. 7 July 1910. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "After the accident — derailed and damaged". www.aucklandcity.govt.nz. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Off the Rails. HOROWHENUA CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 June 1910. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT. MANAWATU STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 25 June 1910. Retrieved 13 April 2021.


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