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Raurimu railway station
Raurimu railway station
	Raurimu railway station
General information
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	39°07′09″S 175°23′48″E / 39.11927°S 175.39654°E
Elevation	592 m (1,942 ft)
Owned by	KiwiRail
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Distance	Wellington 358.44 km (222.72 mi)
Platforms	1
History
Opened	13 December 1906
Closed	27 August 1978
Rebuilt	10 July 1977
Electrified	25 kV 50 Hz AC June 1988
Previous names	Pukerimu until 29 October 1906
Services

Raurimu railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk, and in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.

It opened in 1906 and closed in 1978. It was known as Pukerimu from 1906 to 1908.^[1]

The Raurimu Spiral is 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi) from the station, and rises 200 metres (660 ft) to the National Park railway station on the North Island Volcanic Plateau; on a direct line this would be a gradient of 1 in 24, but the Raurimu Spiral reduces the gradient to a (still steep) 1 in 52.

History

In 1906 the administrative office of the northern section of the Public Works Department (PWD) which was building the NIMT was moved to a group of "tents and huts" at Raurimu, and at its zenith the Raurimu community numbered a thousand men, women and children.^[2]

Trains started running to Raurimu from 13 December 1906.^[3] From 10 May 1907 goods were carried to Raurimu by rail.^[4] Trains started running to the next station at Waimarino (National Park) from 23 December 1907.^[5] The NIMT was opened to through Auckland to Wellington trains from 9 November 1908,^[6] though only southbound expresses stopped at Raurimu.^[7]

A 51 feet (16 m) by 14 feet (4.3 m) 5th class station was built in 1906, with stationmaster's, lobby, and ladies rooms, a 200 feet (61 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) platform, loading bank, cattle yards, 30 feet (9.1 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) goods shed with verandah, privies, urinals, water tanks and passing loop for 58 wagons.^[4]

Raurimu closed to passengers before December 1975,^[1]

The settlement of Raurimu in the early 20th century had two bush tramways for forestry; Knight's tram, Raurimu of the Raumiru Sawmilling Co (1935-1957) and a tramway of the Pokata Timber Co (1930-1957).

Knight's tram and a steam hauler, Raurimu, in a clearing in the bush
Price type "O" bush locomotive at Raurimu, ca. 1917
Offices of the Tamaki Sawmill Co. at Raurimu railway station
Raurimu Spiral in 2007 (no remains of tramways visible)
Map of the spiral, from OpenStreetMap

References

^ ^a ^b Juliet Scoble: Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand
^ Pierre, W.A. (Bill) (1981). North Island Main Trunk: An Illustrated History. Auckland: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 92. ISBN 0-589-01316-5.
^ "TAUMARUNUI. KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 14 December 1906. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Stations" (PDF). NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
^ "RANGITIKEI ADVOCATE AND MANAWATU ARGUS". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 23 December 1907. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
^ "THE NORTHERN MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 11 November 1908. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
^ "WELLINGTON TO AUCKLAND. MANAWATU STANDARD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 December 1909. Retrieved 3 March 2021.