Hutt Park Railway Station, Petone
Encyclopedia
Hutt Park railway station was on the privately owned but government operated Hutt Park Railway
in Petone
, a suburb of the city of Lower Hutt
in the Wellington
region of New Zealand
’s North Island. It was on the western bank of the Hutt River
, adjacent to a bridge that carried pipes over the Hutt River, near present day Waione Street.
The station was built for, and only ever handled, patrons for the Hutt Park Raceway who arrived on special race trains from Wellington. The station was only busy for several days a year during racing season, and operated between 1885 and 1906.
on 6 and 7 February 1885, with the line having been certified by the Chief Engineer the previous day.
Facilities initially provided included a 400 feet (121.9 m) long platform, a siding, and a small ticket office. Several complaints were made over the years about the inadequacy of these facilities, with one such missive in 1895 noting that the platform was in poor shape, a barrier on the pipe bridge was required to control the flow of passengers from the racecourse on to the platform, another siding with a 40 vehicle capacity was required to handle additional traffic, and the ticket office was not suitable. By March 1896 the company had installed a barrier on the bridge and laid a new 11 chains (221.3 m) long siding.
A dispute between the racing club and the Hutt Park Railway Company in 1904 over the fares being levied by the railway company and a move by the Wellington Racing Club to shift its operations to a new racecourse at Trentham contributed to the cessation of all traffic to this station by 1907.
held up to ten meetings per racing season, with two trains being run each way to each of these meetings. After the arrival of the first train on a race day it was shunted into a siding at the station to allow for the second train to use the platform.
All trains were owned and operated by the Railways Department
, who also sold combined tickets covering travel on the trains and admittance to the racecourse. In 1904, the fare was 4s 6d first class, 3s 6d second class, of which 1s was remitted to the racing club to cover admission and the remainder divided equally between the railway company and the Railways Department.
Discussions between the Wellington Racing Club and the Hutt Park Railway Company on this proposal had failed to produce an agreement that was satisfactory to both parties, and the racing club failed in its attempt to get the government to fund the extension. By September 1904 the racing club had abandoned all attempts to improve rail access to Hutt Park Raceway and was actively seeking to establish a new racecourse at Trentham.
Hutt Park Railway
The Hutt Park Railway was a private railway in Petone at the southern end of the Hutt Valley in New Zealand's North Island. It operated from 1885 as a branch from the Hutt Valley section of the Wairarapa Line, from 1915 truncated as an industrial siding....
in Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
, a suburb of the city of Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
in the Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
region of 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. It was on the western bank of the Hutt River
Hutt River, New Zealand
thumb|300px|The Hutt River looking downstream.The Hutt River flows through the southern North Island of New Zealand...
, adjacent to a bridge that carried pipes over the Hutt River, near present day Waione Street.
The station was built for, and only ever handled, patrons for the Hutt Park Raceway who arrived on special race trains from Wellington. The station was only busy for several days a year during racing season, and operated between 1885 and 1906.
History
The first passengers to arrive were those heading for the race meetings held by the Wellington Racing ClubWellington Racing Club
The Wellington Racing Club is a racing horse racing club based in Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand.Founded as the Wellington Jockey Club in 1854, the first race meetings held by the club were at Hutt Park in 1854 and at Burnham Water on the Miramar Peninsula.The Club first ran its signature...
on 6 and 7 February 1885, with the line having been certified by the Chief Engineer the previous day.
Facilities initially provided included a 400 feet (121.9 m) long platform, a siding, and a small ticket office. Several complaints were made over the years about the inadequacy of these facilities, with one such missive in 1895 noting that the platform was in poor shape, a barrier on the pipe bridge was required to control the flow of passengers from the racecourse on to the platform, another siding with a 40 vehicle capacity was required to handle additional traffic, and the ticket office was not suitable. By March 1896 the company had installed a barrier on the bridge and laid a new 11 chains (221.3 m) long siding.
A dispute between the racing club and the Hutt Park Railway Company in 1904 over the fares being levied by the railway company and a move by the Wellington Racing Club to shift its operations to a new racecourse at Trentham contributed to the cessation of all traffic to this station by 1907.
Operations
The Wellington Racing ClubWellington Racing Club
The Wellington Racing Club is a racing horse racing club based in Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand.Founded as the Wellington Jockey Club in 1854, the first race meetings held by the club were at Hutt Park in 1854 and at Burnham Water on the Miramar Peninsula.The Club first ran its signature...
held up to ten meetings per racing season, with two trains being run each way to each of these meetings. After the arrival of the first train on a race day it was shunted into a siding at the station to allow for the second train to use the platform.
All trains were owned and operated by the Railways Department
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...
, who also sold combined tickets covering travel on the trains and admittance to the racecourse. In 1904, the fare was 4s 6d first class, 3s 6d second class, of which 1s was remitted to the racing club to cover admission and the remainder divided equally between the railway company and the Railways Department.
Proposals
Consideration was given as early as 1895 to extending the railway over the Hutt River to near the entrance of Hutt Park Raceway. This would have involved the construction of a new Hutt Park station at the terminus, including two loop sidings; a barricade; fencing; entrance gates; ticket office; and a 600 feet (182.9 m) long platform. The siding at the current Hutt Park station would have been retained for race day operational requirements.Discussions between the Wellington Racing Club and the Hutt Park Railway Company on this proposal had failed to produce an agreement that was satisfactory to both parties, and the racing club failed in its attempt to get the government to fund the extension. By September 1904 the racing club had abandoned all attempts to improve rail access to Hutt Park Raceway and was actively seeking to establish a new racecourse at Trentham.