East Town Railway Workshops
Encyclopedia
The East Town Railway Workshops were a major manufacturing, maintenance and repair facility of the New Zealand Railways Department
(NZR) located by the Marton - New Plymouth Line in the city of Wanganui
in New Zealand
’s North Island
. Output included not only rolling stock but also tools, equipment, huts, furniture and tarpaulins. It was a prodigious facility, and one of the larger employers in the city. Its name is sometimes formatted as Eastown or Easttown.
's public works programme. A contract was let in 1879 by public tender to the Wanganui firm of Gibbes and Pinches for the construction of a Locomotive Erecting Shop, Machine Shop and Wood Mill. The following year, a second contract was let to Thomson and McLean to construct the Blacksmiths Shop and attached Boiler Shop. Work up to 1900 focused on the repair of rolling stock operated in the area between Taranaki and Hawke's Bay
.
In 1900, the Engine Shed was relocated to the north-west corner of the yard. A single-road Paint Shop was erected, a wagon servicing pit was built, and the Erecting Shop was extended.
As a result of the Royal Commission of 1925 conducted by English railwaymen Sir Sam Fay and Sir Vincent Raven, the output of the workshops changed. The capacity of the Locomotive Shop was dramatically reduced, and the Tarpaulin Shop augmented to handle the production requirements of the entire North Island. The Points and Crossings Shop previously located at the Addington Workshops
was relocated to East Town.
East Town had been operating as two complete sets of workshops for both the Maintenance Branch and the Locomotive Branch, separated by only a road. In August 1931, it was decided to amalgamate the facilities into a single operation, a move that proved to be beneficial for the staff in the form of improved conditions and schedules. As a result of this amalgamation, it was necessary to move the Points and Crossings Shop to the Hutt Workshops
and the workshops once again focused on the repair of locomotives, carriages and brake vans. Later work done at East Town also included the manufacture and repair of tools, velocipedes, track gauges, railway huts, furniture for railway stations and offices, and heavy track machinery. Overhauls on shunting locomotives were also carried out at East Town from 1963, work that was previously done at the Hutt Workshops.
Between 1947 and 1949, land was purchased at the west end of the yard and various workshop buildings were extended. A new Motor Shop was also erected. The first intake of apprentices, comprising nine carpenters and six fitters, started in January 1949 once a suitable building had been acquired. Further extensions were made to the Tarpaulin Shop in 1950, and a new Wagon Shop was also built.
One thing for which East Town became particularly well known was the production of tarpaulins to cover goods wagons which were used at stations across the country. These were originally made of canvas and treated with linseed oil and vegetable black to weather-proof them. As the work was initially done by hand, those employed to make them were usually sailmakers by trade, with mechanisation not introduced until 1915. At the end of 1914, a new Tarpaulin Shop was commissioned, but it did not last long, being destroyed by fire in January 1915. In 1928, a dedicated tarpaulin factory was opened and, with the transfer of staff from the Newmarket Workshops, production increased to the rate of 50 tarpaulins per week. The Tarpaulin Manufacturing Shop was raised by fire on 5 August 1954, requiring an increase in the output of the Addington Workshops until the destroyed facility at East Town was replaced mid-1955. Just two months later, on 18 October, the Tarpaulin Depot Repair Shop was similarly destroyed. In 1973, NZR switched to using PVC tarpaulins which were cheaper to make and easier to repair.
East Town closed on 17 October 1986 as the result of an effort by NZR to rationalise its workshop facilities around the country. At the time it closed, it was the employer of over 450 local residents. A replacement facility constructed at Aramoho has also since been closed.
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
(NZR) located by the Marton - New Plymouth Line in the city of Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
’s North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. Output included not only rolling stock but also tools, equipment, huts, furniture and tarpaulins. It was a prodigious facility, and one of the larger employers in the city. Its name is sometimes formatted as Eastown or Easttown.
History
East Town was commissioned in August 1880 and was the second railway workshops established as part of Julius VogelJulius Vogel
Sir Julius Vogel, KCMG was the eighth Premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works...
's public works programme. A contract was let in 1879 by public tender to the Wanganui firm of Gibbes and Pinches for the construction of a Locomotive Erecting Shop, Machine Shop and Wood Mill. The following year, a second contract was let to Thomson and McLean to construct the Blacksmiths Shop and attached Boiler Shop. Work up to 1900 focused on the repair of rolling stock operated in the area between Taranaki and Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay
Hawke's Bay is a region of New Zealand. Hawke's Bay is recognised on the world stage for its award-winning wines. The regional council sits in both the cities of Napier and Hastings.-Geography:...
.
In 1900, the Engine Shed was relocated to the north-west corner of the yard. A single-road Paint Shop was erected, a wagon servicing pit was built, and the Erecting Shop was extended.
As a result of the Royal Commission of 1925 conducted by English railwaymen Sir Sam Fay and Sir Vincent Raven, the output of the workshops changed. The capacity of the Locomotive Shop was dramatically reduced, and the Tarpaulin Shop augmented to handle the production requirements of the entire North Island. The Points and Crossings Shop previously located at the Addington Workshops
Addington Workshops
The Addington Railway Workshops was a major railway facility established in the Christchurch suburb of Addington in May 1880 by the New Zealand Railways Department. The workshops were previously in Carlyle Street and closed in 1990.-Description:...
was relocated to East Town.
East Town had been operating as two complete sets of workshops for both the Maintenance Branch and the Locomotive Branch, separated by only a road. In August 1931, it was decided to amalgamate the facilities into a single operation, a move that proved to be beneficial for the staff in the form of improved conditions and schedules. As a result of this amalgamation, it was necessary to move the Points and Crossings Shop to the Hutt Workshops
Hutt Workshops
The Hutt Railway Workshops is a major railway engineering facility in the Lower Hutt suburb of Gracefield in the Wellington region of New Zealand’s North Island...
and the workshops once again focused on the repair of locomotives, carriages and brake vans. Later work done at East Town also included the manufacture and repair of tools, velocipedes, track gauges, railway huts, furniture for railway stations and offices, and heavy track machinery. Overhauls on shunting locomotives were also carried out at East Town from 1963, work that was previously done at the Hutt Workshops.
Between 1947 and 1949, land was purchased at the west end of the yard and various workshop buildings were extended. A new Motor Shop was also erected. The first intake of apprentices, comprising nine carpenters and six fitters, started in January 1949 once a suitable building had been acquired. Further extensions were made to the Tarpaulin Shop in 1950, and a new Wagon Shop was also built.
One thing for which East Town became particularly well known was the production of tarpaulins to cover goods wagons which were used at stations across the country. These were originally made of canvas and treated with linseed oil and vegetable black to weather-proof them. As the work was initially done by hand, those employed to make them were usually sailmakers by trade, with mechanisation not introduced until 1915. At the end of 1914, a new Tarpaulin Shop was commissioned, but it did not last long, being destroyed by fire in January 1915. In 1928, a dedicated tarpaulin factory was opened and, with the transfer of staff from the Newmarket Workshops, production increased to the rate of 50 tarpaulins per week. The Tarpaulin Manufacturing Shop was raised by fire on 5 August 1954, requiring an increase in the output of the Addington Workshops until the destroyed facility at East Town was replaced mid-1955. Just two months later, on 18 October, the Tarpaulin Depot Repair Shop was similarly destroyed. In 1973, NZR switched to using PVC tarpaulins which were cheaper to make and easier to repair.
East Town closed on 17 October 1986 as the result of an effort by NZR to rationalise its workshop facilities around the country. At the time it closed, it was the employer of over 450 local residents. A replacement facility constructed at Aramoho has also since been closed.
Rolling stock
Some of the rolling stock work conducted at East Town included:- An order in 1951 for the production of 150 KC class box wagons.
- The servicing of K classNZR K class (1932)The NZR K class of 1932 was a class of mixed traffic 4-8-4 steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's railway network. The locomotives were developed following the failure of the G class Garratts...
steam locomotiveSteam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s from 1932 until 1967. - The repair, in October 1946, of ABNZR Ab classThe NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North...
, FNZR F classThe NZR F class was the first important class of steam locomotive built to operate on New Zealand's railway network after the national gauge of 1067 millimetres was adopted. The first locomotives built for the new 1067 mm railways were two E class double Fairlies for the Dunedin and Port Chalmers...
, K, and WW class locomotives. - Overhauling and engine upgrades for DBNZR DB classThe NZR Db diesel-electric locomotive class was built in 1965-1966. They were a lighter version of the Da class to operate on secondary North Island lines from which the Da was excluded due to its weight. One of the principal lines which the Db dominated was the East Coast Main Trunk to Tauranga...
and DINZR DI classThe DI class locomotive was a class of diesel-electric locomotive in New Zealand. They were built by English Electric Australia. The class is very similar to the Queensland Rail 1620 Class...
class diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotiveA diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s from 1976 to 1980. - An order in mid 1979 for 85 YH class ballast wagons.
- Overhauling the entire fleet of DE classNZR DE classThe NZR DE class is a New Zealand class of shunting diesel-electric locomotives. The New Zealand Railways intended to replace steam locomotives for shunting duties with this class...
locomotives, circa 1980. - Sharing in the re-engining of DSC classNZR DSC classThe NZR DSC class is a heavy shunting locomotive used throughout New Zealand. The class was built in seven batches, the first 18 locomotives being built by British Thomson-Houston of the United Kingdom, with the remainder being built by New Zealand Railways....
locomotives with Auckland and Palmerston North workshops.