Pokaka railway station
{{short description|Railway station in New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Pokaka railway station
| type =
| image = File:Pokaka Railway Station. ATLIB 293754.png
| image_caption = Pokaka circa 1924, still with Pokako name
| address =
| country = New Zealand
| coordinates = {{Coord|-39.292489|175.390314|region:NZ-AUK_type:railwaystation|display=inline,title}}
| elevation = {{convert|811|m|abbr=on}}
| owned =
| line = North Island Main Trunk
| distance = Wellington {{convert|332.77|km|abbr=on}}
| platform =
| tracks =
| other =
| structure =
| levels =
| parking =
| bicycle =
| code =
| zone =
| opened = in use from 20 March 1908
| closed = 1 September 1971
| rebuilt =
| electrified = June 1988
| former = to 29 July 1922 was Pokako
| mpassengers =
| passengers =
| pass_system =
| pass_year =
| pass_percent =
| services = {{s-rail|title=Historical railways}}
{{rail line
|previous=Makatote
Line open, station open
{{convert|4.1|km|abbr=on}}
|next=Horopito
Line open, station closed
{{convert|5.52|km|abbr=on}}
|route=North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail
}}
| embedded =
| mapframe =
}}
Pokaka was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line,{{Cite web|last=Scoble|first=Juliet|date=|title=Names & Opening & Closing Dates of Railway Stations in New Zealand 1863 to 2010|url=http://railheritage.org.nz/assets/Dates_and_names.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand}} in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the small village of Pokaka and lay to the south of Makatote Viaduct, the late completion of which held up opening of the station.
Name
Pokako was changed to Pokaka in 1922, to "correct spelling", though both names seem to be used, at least from 1905{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=10 July 1905|title=RANGITIKEI COUNTY COUNCIL. WANGANUI CHRONICLE|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19050710.2.3|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=25 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} to 1945.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=22 November 1945|title=LABOUR GOVERNMENT. MANAWATU STANDARD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19451122.2.95|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=25 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}
History
File:North Island Main Trunk Line 'Last Spike' Memorial.jpg is located 1.5 km north from the station]]
Surveying for the route between Hīhītahi and Piriaka began in 1894.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=1 November 1929|title=THE RAURIMU SPIRAL. NEW ZEALAND HERALD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19291101.2.157.6|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=11 October 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} The North Island Main Trunk line was officially completed on 6 November 1908 when the prime minister, Sir Joseph Ward, conducted a last spike ceremony about {{convert|1.5|km}} north of Pokaka;{{NZHPT|7575|North Island Main Trunk Line 'Last Spike' Memorial|3 March 2022}} the Last Spike Monument erected by February 1909 commemorates this occasion.{{Cite news |date=25 February 1909 |title=The aeroplane |issue=12704 | volume=XXXXIV |page=4 |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WH19090225.2.23 |access-date=3 March 2022 |work=The Wanganui Herald}} Work on the station building began in November 1908.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=26 November 1908|title=MAIN TRUNK LINE. MANAWATU HERALD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH19081126.2.9|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=22 November 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} A 6th class station was built by March 1909, with a {{Convert|23|ft||abbr=on}} by {{Convert|11|ft||abbr=on}} shelter shed, lobby, store and urinals on a {{Convert|200|ft||abbr=on}} by {{Convert|15|ft||abbr=on}} platform, a {{Convert|20|ft||abbr=on}} by {{Convert|30|ft||abbr=on}} goods shed, a loading bank, cattle and sheep yards and a cart approach. Pokaka was described as a tablet station from 1908 and a tablet porter was appointed in 1912. A loop could take 57 wagons, until closed on 13 September 1986,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Stations|url=http://railheritage.org.nz/assets/Heritage_listings.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=10 August 2020|website=NZR Rolling Stock Lists|language=en}} prior to electrification. There is now only a single line through the former station site.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Manawatū Whanganui 0.3m Rural Aerial Photos (2016–2017)|url=https://basemaps.linz.govt.nz/#@-39.29035739,175.3901704,z19.0633|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=25 December 2020|website=basemaps.linz.govt.nz}}
The station closed to goods traffic in wagon lots on 21 August 1965 and to all traffic on 1 September 1971.
Timber
Like the other stations along this part of NIMT, Pokaka had freight from several timber mills. Tiratu Sawmill Co applied for a private siding in 1920.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=28 June 1920|title=LOCAL AND GENERAL. MANAWATU TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19200628.2.10|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=26 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} Pokaka Timber Co still had a private siding in 1943, which ran to the west of the railway, probably from about 1935 to 1957. To the east, to supply timber to the Frankton Junction Railway House Factory, a state forestry tramway{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=1 September 1922|title=MANAWATU STANDARD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19220901.2.14|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=26 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} and sawmill opened in 1922,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=6 December 1922|title=MANAWATU COUNTY. FEILDING STAR|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/FS19221206.2.37|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=26 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} operated by NZR with F Class locos, based in a shed at the station. It closed in March{{Cite journal|date=Apr 2021|title=Pōkākā Sawmills|journal=NZ Railway Observer|pages=5–13}} 1927,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=11 April 1927|title=BUSH WORKERS. EVENING POST|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19270411.2.107|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=24 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} or 1928.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=22 March 1928|title=LOGGING AT POKAKA. AUCKLAND STAR|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19280322.2.145|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=26 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} The tramway was sold to Pokaka Timber Co. in 1936, who used the Climax loco from Rangataua. The tramway was dismantled and sold in 1954, though the cab of the Climax loco remains near the station. In 1922 Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board and Manawatu CC took over cutting of manoao{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=6 October 1922|title=HARDWOOD POLES. MANAWATU STANDARD|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MS19221006.2.23|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=30 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} for poles, though larger trees were milled into sleepers.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=10 November 1925|title=HYDRO-ELECTRICITY. MANAWATU TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19251110.2.60|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=30 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} A tramway was laid in 1923.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=13 March 1923|title=LOCAL AND GENERAL. MANAWATU TIMES|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MT19230313.2.16|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=30 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} A tramway to the Mangaturuturu valley was still in use in 1938.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=1 August 1939|title=DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND SURVEY. PUBLIC DOMAINS AND NATIONAL PARKS OF NEW ZEALAND|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1939-I.2.2.2.12|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=20 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}}
Viaducts
Makatote and Manganui o te Ao viaducts are north of Pokaka and Mangaturuturu just south. They take the line over the Makatote, Manganui o te Ao and Mangaturuturu valleys, which descend steeply from Mount Ruapehu. All were designed by Peter Seton Hay and supervised by Resident Engineer, Frederick William Furkert. The concrete foundations and piers were built by the Public Works Department,{{Cite book|last=Parliament|first=New Zealand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPALAQAAIAAJ&dq=manganui-o-te-ao+viaduct&pg=PA668|title=Parliamentary Debates|date=1907|language=en}} but as PWD's Mangaonoho workshop was at full capacity on the more southerly viaducts,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Taonui Viaduct|url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/9266|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=28 November 2020|website=www.heritage.org.nz}} their steelwork was built by Christchurch firm, J. & A. Anderson & Co, who also built Waiteti and Makotuku viaducts.{{Cite web|title=North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) Historic Area|url=http://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/7793|access-date=1 February 2019|website=www.heritage.org.nz}}
Both viaducts were made up of a central concrete pier, supporting Warren truss steel girders and built using timber scaffolding.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Mangaturuturu Viaduct|url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/7779|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=27 December 2020|website=www.heritage.org.nz}} Like most NIMT viaducts, they were strengthened between 1925 and 1932, in preparation for the heavier K Class locos.
= Manganui o te Ao Viaduct =
{{Infobox bridge
| bridge_name = Manganui o te Ao viaduct
| image = Manganui o te Ao Viaduct on the North Island Main Trunk Line, with a smaller road bridge visible below, 1921 ATLIB 312173.png
| caption = Manganui o te Ao Viaduct and road bridge in 1921
| coordinates = {{Coord|-39.27878|175.38931}}
| carries = Single track of the North Island Main Trunk
| crosses = Hapuawhenua Stream
| locale =
| official_name =
| owner = KiwiRail
| design =
| material =
| length = {{convert|290|ft}}
| width =
| height = {{convert|112|ft}}
| mainspan =
| spans =
| piers_in_water =
| load =
| clearance =
| below =
| engineering = Andersons
| builder =
| begin = 1906
| complete = April 1908
| open =
| replaced_by = 1967 reinforced concrete, 91 m (299 ft) long viaduct
| traffic =
| mapframe = no
}}
Over a kilometre north of Pokaka,{{Cite web|title=Manganuioteao Viaduct, Manawatu-Wanganui|url=https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz49925/Manganuioteao-Viaduct/|access-date=26 December 2020|website=NZ Topo Map|language=en}} Manganui o te Ao Viaduct is a straight viaduct, {{Convert|290|ft||abbr=on}} long and up to {{Convert|112|ft||abbr=on}} above Manganui o te Ao River, supported by a single concrete pier.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=In the heart of the North Island Bush Country. — (Rly. Publicity photo.)|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/Gov05_02Rail-fig-Gov05_02Rail016a.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=26 December 2020|website=nzetc.victoria.ac.nz}} Each 1908 girder was {{Convert|122|ft||abbr=on}} long, with 230 tons of steel in the bridge,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=22 September 1908|title=PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. BY THE HON. WILLIAM HALL-JONES, MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1908/I/2009|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=27 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} costing £8,840.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=19 October 1906|title=PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. BY THE HON. W. HALL-JONES, MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1906/II/1448|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=27 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} The original viaduct was replaced in 1967, or 1964, by a slightly longer {{Convert|91|m||abbr=on}} reinforced and pre-stressed concrete viaduct.{{cite book|last=|first=|title=New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas|publisher=Quail Map Co.|year=1993|isbn=0-900609-92-3|edition=Fourth|location=|pages=}}
{{Infobox bridge|bridge_name=Mangaturuturu viaduct|image=Mangaturuturu viaduct on the North Island Main Trunk Line ATLIB 312152.png|caption=Mangaturuturu viaduct in 1921|coordinates={{Coord|-39.30467| 175.38987}}|carries=Single track of the North Island Main Trunk|crosses=Mangaturuturu River|locale=|official_name=|owner=KiwiRail|design=concrete pier, two {{convert|30|m|ft}} steel Warren trusses.|material=Steel|length={{convert|60|m|ft}}|width=|height={{convert|18|m|ft}}|mainspan=|spans=2|piers_in_water=|load=|clearance=|below=|engineering=Andersons|builder=PWD|begin=1907|complete=June 1908
{{designation list
|embed=yes
|designation1=NZ Category II
|designation1_number=7779
|designation1_date=20 February 2009}}|open=|traffic=|mapframe=}}
= Mangaturuturu Viaduct =
Just over a kilometre south of Pokaka,{{Cite web|title=Mangaturuturu Viaduct, Manawatu-Wanganui|url=https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz49919/Mangaturuturu-Viaduct/|access-date=26 December 2020|website=NZ Topo Map|language=en}} Mangaturuturu Viaduct is longer, but lower, being {{Convert|61|m||abbr=on}} long and up to {{Convert|60|ft||abbr=on}} high.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=22 September 1908|title=PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. BY THE HON. WILLIAM HALL-JONES, MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS|url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/appendix-to-the-journals-of-the-house-of-representatives/1908/I/2007#|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=27 December 2020|website=paperspast.natlib.govt.nz}} Each girder is {{Convert|98|ft||abbr=on}} long. It is one of the few viaducts surviving from the construction era and was therefore listed in 2009. Repairs and replacements included the rail beams in 1958, 1987, 2005 and 2008, bolts in 1962 and repainting in 1979 and 2005. In 1971 the central pier was underpinned and vertically pre-stressed. In 1975 it withstood a lahar, which raised the river to {{convert|2.1|m||abbr=on}} above its flood level.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Mangaturuturu Viaduct|url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/7779|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=28 December 2020|website=www.heritage.org.nz}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
Photos –
- [https://collection.tamuseum.org.nz/objects/22890/the-last-spike-obelisk-nimtl Last Spike Obelisk in 1913]
- [https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22782504 goods train crossing the Manganui-a-te-Ao Viaduct in 1913]
- [https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22628747 log being loaded by overhead gear onto F class locomotive 255 at Pokaka Bush ca 1928–1929]
- [https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22827941 1947 aerial view of railway station]
- [https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/20594/picking-up-the-pieces 3 December 1966 crash at Pokaka]
Category:Rail transport in Manawatū-Whanganui
Category:Buildings and structures in Manawatū-Whanganui