New Zealand Railways Department
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) 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 Zealand Railways Corporation
. Originally, railway construction and operation took place under the auspices of the former provincial governments
before coming under the central Public Works Department
, but the role of operating the rail network was subsequently separated from that of the network's construction. From 1895 to 1993 there was a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways
. He was often also the Minister of Public Works, as the Public Works Department
was responsible for constructing new lines.
Nine of the ED
electric locomotives were constructed at the Hutt (7) and Addington (2). Various diesel locomotives have been rebuilt at NZR Workshops, eg some of the DA
as DC
, though most rebuilding has been contracted out. Hillside built 9 NZR TR class
diesel shunters.
The Auckland workshops (Newmarket
, then Otahuhu
) specialised in car and wagon work, and in repairs and maintenance.
American companies, eg:
New Zealand companies:
New Zealand Railways Corporation
KiwiRail Network, formerly ONTRACK , is the infrastructure arm of KiwiRail. The ONTRACK trading name was introduced in 2004 after the government repurchased all of New Zealand's rail infrastructure from Toll NZ. It does not operate revenue rolling stock...
. Originally, railway construction and operation took place under the auspices of the former provincial governments
Provinces of New Zealand
The Provinces of New Zealand existed from 1841 until 1876 as a form of sub-national government. They were replaced by counties, which were themselves replaced by districts.Following abolition, the provinces became known as provincial districts...
before coming under the central Public Works Department
New Zealand Ministry of Works
The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...
, but the role of operating the rail network was subsequently separated from that of the network's construction. From 1895 to 1993 there was a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways
Minister of Railways (New Zealand)
The Minister of Railways was the minister in the government responsible for the New Zealand Railways Department 1895–1981, the New Zealand Railways Corporation 1981–1993, and New Zealand Rail Limited 1990–1993...
. He was often also the Minister of Public Works, as the Public Works Department
New Zealand Ministry of Works
The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...
was responsible for constructing new lines.
Timeline
- 1870: The Public Works Act of 1870 specified a national standard (narrow gauge) of 3 feet 6 inches (1067 mm).
- 1876: ProvincesProvinces of New ZealandThe Provinces of New Zealand existed from 1841 until 1876 as a form of sub-national government. They were replaced by counties, which were themselves replaced by districts.Following abolition, the provinces became known as provincial districts...
abolished, Public Works Department amalgamates provincial railways, including Canterbury Provincial RailwaysCanterbury Provincial RailwaysThe Canterbury Provincial Railways were an early part of the railways of New Zealand. Built by the Canterbury Provincial government to the broad gauge of 5 feet 3 inches , the railway reached most of the Canterbury region by the time the province was abolished in 1876...
. - 1880: Railways Department formed out of Public Works Department; Port Chalmers Railway Company LimitedPort Chalmers BranchThe Port Chalmers Branch was the first railway line built in Otago, New Zealand, and linked the region's major city of Dunedin with the port in Port Chalmers...
acquired - 1886: Waimea Plains Railway CompanyWaimea Plains RailwayThe Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand...
acquired - 1900: Protracted legal battle with New Zealand Midland Railway CompanyNew Zealand Midland Railway CompanyThe New Zealand Midland Railway Company partially constructed the Midland line between Christchurch and Greymouth and the Nelson railway in the South Island...
resolved, the partially completed Midland lineMidland Line, New ZealandThe Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel.-Freight services:...
acquired - 1907: New Zealand Railways Road ServicesNew Zealand Railways Road ServicesThe New Zealand Railways Road Services was a branch of the New Zealand Railways Department and later the New Zealand Railways Corporation. It operated long-distance, tourist and suburban bus services and freight trucking and parcel services.-History:...
branch formed to operate bus services - 1908: Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company acquired; North Island Main Trunk railway completed
- 1923: The Otira TunnelOtira TunnelThe Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira - a length of over . The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, and the Otira end of the tunnel is over lower than the...
completed, heralding the completion of the Midland LineMidland Line, New ZealandThe Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel.-Freight services:...
in the South IslandSouth IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean... - 1928: Ill-fated G classNZR G class (1928)The NZR G class was a type of Garratt steam locomotive used in New Zealand, the only such Garratt type steam locomotives ever used by New Zealand Government Railways. They were ordered to deal with traffic growth over the heavy gradients of the North Island Main Trunk and to do away with the use of...
GarrattGarrattA Garratt is a type of steam locomotive that is articulated in three parts. Its boiler is mounted on the centre frame, and two steam engines are mounted on separate frames, one on each end of the boiler. Articulation permits larger locomotives to negotiate curves and lighter rails that might...
locomotives introduced. The failure of this class lead to the introduction of the 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...
in 1932 - 1931: Transport Licensing Act 1931Transport Licensing Act 1931The Transport Licensing Act 1931 was a New Zealand Act of Parliament regulating land transport. It was introduced following a Royal Commission on road and rail competition in 1930...
passed, regulating the carriage of goods and entrenching Railways' monopoly on land transport. The Act was repealed in 1982. - 1937: Wellington Railway StationWellington Railway StationWellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. In terms of number of services and in passenger numbers, it is New Zealand's busiest railway station.-Development:...
, the Department's new head office, completed. - 1951: The Department introduces the 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...
diesel-electric locomotives; replacement of steam locomotives by diesels begins - 1952: New Zealand railway network reaches its zenith, with 5,700 km of lines open. EW classNZR EW classThe NZR EW class locomotive was a class of electric locomotive used in Wellington, New Zealand. The classification 'EW' was due to their being electric locomotives allocated to Wellington.- Introduction :...
electric locomotives introduced for the Wellington electric system - 1953: Tangiwai disasterTangiwai disasterThe Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953 was the worst rail accident in New Zealand history. An 11-carriage overnight express from Wellington to Auckland fell into the Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, ten kilometres west of Waiouru. The bridge carrying the North Island Main Trunk Railway over the...
: 151 people die when WellingtonWellingtonWellington 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...
- AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
express is derailed due to a bridge collapse - 1954: The Department introduces the DF classNZR DF class (1954)The NZR DF class of 1954 was the first class of mainline diesel-electric locomotives built for New Zealand's national railway network, built by English Electric...
, the first main-line diesel-electric locomotives - 1955: The DA classNZR DA classThe NZR Da diesel-electric mainline locomotive class ran on the New Zealand railway system between 1955 and 1989. With 146 locomotives, it was the most numerous class to operate in New Zealand, just five more than the AB class steam locomotive....
diesel-electric locomotives are introduced, and start to displace steam locomotives from the North IslandNorth IslandThe 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... - 1956: JA1274 is completed at Hillside Workshops, DunedinDunedinDunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, the last steam locomotive produced for NZR traffic. - 1962: The arrival of the AramoanaAramoana (ferry)Government Motor Vessel Aramoana was a roll-on roll-off train ferry operating across the Cook Strait between 1962 and 1983.-History:...
heralds the introduction of inter-island ferry services by the Department - 1968: Introduction of DJ classNZR DJ classThe NZR DJ class locomotive is a class of diesel-electric locomotive used in New Zealand. The class were purchased from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a modernisation loan from the World Bank to replace steam locomotives in the South Island, where most of the class members worked most of their...
diesels in the South IslandSouth IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
accelerates the demise of steam - 1970: The SouthernerThe Southerner (train)The Southerner was a passenger express train that ran in New Zealand's South Island between Christchurch and Invercargill via Dunedin along the Main South Line. It commenced service on Tuesday, 1 December 1970 and ceased on Sunday, 10 February 2002...
between ChristchurchChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and InvercargillInvercargillInvercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
introduced - 1971: Silver Star luxury WellingtonWellingtonWellington 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...
- AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
train introduced - 1972: Last class of mainline steam locomotives withdrawn, the Ja classNZR Ja classThe NZR JA class were a type of 4-8-2 steam locomotive used on the New Zealand railway network. The class was built in two batches, with the second batch possessing some differences from the first...
; the first Silver Fern railcars introduced; and the DX classNZR DX classThe NZR DX class is a class of 49 Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives that currently operates on New Zealand's national railway network.Built by General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, they were introduced to New Zealand between 1972 and 1976. The class is based on the General Electric...
locomotives introduced, then the most powerful class of locomotives in New Zealand - 1978: A major DA class rebuilding programme launched, creating the DC classNZR DC classThe NZR DC class locomotive is the most common class of locomotive currently in operation on the New Zealand rail network. Primarily employed to haul freight trains operated by KiwiRail, the class is also used for long-distance passenger trains operated by Tranz Scenic and suburban passenger trains...
- 1979: Silver Star withdrawn due to poor patronage
- 1981: Corporatised as the New Zealand Railways CorporationNew Zealand Railways CorporationKiwiRail Network, formerly ONTRACK , is the infrastructure arm of KiwiRail. The ONTRACK trading name was introduced in 2004 after the government repurchased all of New Zealand's rail infrastructure from Toll NZ. It does not operate revenue rolling stock...
Branches
The Railways Department followed a traditional 'branch' structure, which was carried over to the Corporation.- Commercial;
- Finance and Accounts;
- Mechanical;
- Publicity and Advertising;
- Refreshment;
- Railways Road ServicesNew Zealand Railways Road ServicesThe New Zealand Railways Road Services was a branch of the New Zealand Railways Department and later the New Zealand Railways Corporation. It operated long-distance, tourist and suburban bus services and freight trucking and parcel services.-History:...
; - Stores;
- Traffic; and
- Way and Works.
Workshops
The following NZR workshops were builders of locomotives and rolling stock when NZR was a government department, the active ones still operating.Active
- Hutt WorkshopsHutt WorkshopsThe 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...
, Lower Hutt, at Petone to 1929 - Hillside WorkshopsHillside EngineeringHillside Engineering Group is a trading division of the rail operator KiwiRail in Dunedin, New Zealand. Most of its work is related to KiwiRail, but it also does work for the marine industry in Dunedin.-History:...
, Dunedin, now Hillside Engineering
Closed
- Addington WorkshopsAddington WorkshopsThe 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:...
, Christchurch (closed 1990) - East Town Workshops, Wanganui (closed 1986) also Aramoho
- Newmarket WorkshopsNewmarket WorkshopsNewmarket Workshops in Auckland was a major New Zealand Railways Department facility, one of 13 workshops nationwide. It was one of two main railway workshops of Auckland, used mainly for maintenance; the older facility at Newmarket was replaced in 1929 by Otahuhu Workshops.- First Workshops :The...
, Auckland (opened 1875, closed 1928) - Otahuhu WorkshopsOtahuhu WorkshopsOtahuhu railway workshops were a major rolling stock maintenance and repair facility of the New Zealand Government Railways Department, in the south Auckland suburb of Otahuhu in New Zealand's North Island...
, Auckland (opened 1928, closed 1990)
Minor Workshops
All now closed, none manufactured locomotives, although major overhauls were carried out.- Greymouth (Elmer Lane)
- Invercargill
- Napier
- New Plymouth (Sentry Hill) from 1880
- Westport
Locomotives
The following numbers are given by Lloyd (pages 187-189) for steam locomotives built and rebuilt at NZR workshops:| Workshops | New | Rebuild | Total | |
| Addington 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:... |
114 | 12 | 126 | |
| Hillside | 165 | 21 | 186 | |
| Hutt 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... |
77 | 0 | 77 | |
| Petone Petone Workshops The Petone Workshops were a government-owned railways maintenance and repair facility located in Petone, in Lower Hutt in the Wellington region of New Zealand’s North Island... |
4 | 7 | 11 | |
| Newmarket Newmarket Workshops Newmarket Workshops in Auckland was a major New Zealand Railways Department facility, one of 13 workshops nationwide. It was one of two main railway workshops of Auckland, used mainly for maintenance; the older facility at Newmarket was replaced in 1929 by Otahuhu Workshops.- First Workshops :The... |
1 | 9 | 10 | |
| Westport | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 361 | 49 | 410 |
Nine of the ED
NZR ED class
The NZR ED class locomotive was a class of electric locomotive used in Wellington, New Zealand. They were built by English Electric and New Zealand Railways between 1938 and 1940, and hauled mainly passenger trains on the Wellington region's 1500 V DC electrification, and banked freight trains on...
electric locomotives were constructed at the Hutt (7) and Addington (2). Various diesel locomotives have been rebuilt at NZR Workshops, eg some of the DA
NZR DA class
The NZR Da diesel-electric mainline locomotive class ran on the New Zealand railway system between 1955 and 1989. With 146 locomotives, it was the most numerous class to operate in New Zealand, just five more than the AB class steam locomotive....
as DC
NZR DC class
The NZR DC class locomotive is the most common class of locomotive currently in operation on the New Zealand rail network. Primarily employed to haul freight trains operated by KiwiRail, the class is also used for long-distance passenger trains operated by Tranz Scenic and suburban passenger trains...
, though most rebuilding has been contracted out. Hillside built 9 NZR TR class
NZR TR class
The NZR TR class is a class of diesel shunting locomotives built by many different manufacturers. Many of these locomotives have been withdrawn, but some are still in service. The first locomotives of this class were built by the Drewry Car Co in 1936, and had 52 kW or 90 kW petrol engines...
diesel shunters.
The Auckland workshops (Newmarket
Newmarket Workshops
Newmarket Workshops in Auckland was a major New Zealand Railways Department facility, one of 13 workshops nationwide. It was one of two main railway workshops of Auckland, used mainly for maintenance; the older facility at Newmarket was replaced in 1929 by Otahuhu Workshops.- First Workshops :The...
, then Otahuhu
Otahuhu Workshops
Otahuhu railway workshops were a major rolling stock maintenance and repair facility of the New Zealand Government Railways Department, in the south Auckland suburb of Otahuhu in New Zealand's North Island...
) specialised in car and wagon work, and in repairs and maintenance.
Private firms that built steam locomotives for NZR
British companies, eg:- Beyer, Peacock and CompanyBeyer, Peacock and CompanyBeyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
- Hunslet Engine CompanyHunslet Engine CompanyThe Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for...
- Nasmyth, Wilson and Company
- North British Locomotive CompanyNorth British Locomotive CompanyThe North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
(built a quarter (141) of NZR steam locomotives) - Avonside Engine CompanyAvonside Engine CompanyThe Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.-Origins:...
(FairlieFairlieA Fairlie is a type of articulated steam locomotive that has the driving wheels on bogies. The locomotive may be double-ended or single ended...
and FellFell“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
locomotives)
American companies, eg:
- American Locomotive CompanyAmerican Locomotive CompanyThe American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
- Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
(built 111 steam locotives for NZR and the WMR). - Rogers Locomotive and Machine WorksRogers Locomotive and Machine WorksRogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a 19th-century manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. It built more than six thousand steam locomotives for railroads around the world. Most railroads in 19th-century United States...
New Zealand companies:
- A & G PriceA & G PriceA & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel...
, ThamesThames, New ZealandThames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council.... - E. W. Mills and Company
- Scott BrothersScott Brothers (locomotive manufacturers)Scott Brothers in Christchurch, New Zealand had an engineering works and iron foundry that supplied 11 steam tank locomotives to the New Zealand Government Railways in 1874. They are the only New Zealand manufacturer apart from A & G Price of Thames to have supplied the NZR with steam locomotives,...
, ChristchurchChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
People
- Garnet Hercules MackleyGarnet Hercules MackleyGarnet Hercules Mackley was a New Zealand businessman, railways manager and politician.He became general manager of New Zealand Railways in 1933. During his tenure, Mackley worked hard to improve the standard and range of services provided by the railways...
, General Manager - A. L. BeattieA. L. BeattieAlfred Luther Beattie , typically referred to as A. L. Beattie, was a pioneering locomotive engineer. Born in Yorkshire, England, he gained fame as the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the New Zealand Railways Department between 1900 and 1913...
, Chief Mechanical Engineer - George TroupGeorge Troup (architect)Sir George Alexander Troup, CMG was a New Zealand architect, engineer and statesman. He was nicknamed "Gingerbread George" after his most famous design, the Dunedin Railway Station in the Flemish Renaissance style . He was the first official architect of the New Zealand Railways...
, Architect, Mayor of Wellington - Whitford BrownWhitford BrownWhitford James Brown OBE, CBE, was the foundation mayor of Porirua City, a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961, the Local Government...
, Civil Engineer, Mayor of Porirua
See also
- Rail transport in New ZealandRail transport in New ZealandRail transport in New Zealand consists of a network of gauge railway lines in both the North and South Islands. Rail services are focused primarily on freight, particularly bulk freight, with limited passenger services on some lines...
- New Zealand Railways CorporationNew Zealand Railways CorporationKiwiRail Network, formerly ONTRACK , is the infrastructure arm of KiwiRail. The ONTRACK trading name was introduced in 2004 after the government repurchased all of New Zealand's rail infrastructure from Toll NZ. It does not operate revenue rolling stock...
- Rail privatisation in New ZealandRail privatisation in New ZealandRail privatisation in New Zealand took place between 1993 and 2008.- History :New Zealand's railways were initially run by the former provincial governments. The Canterbury Provincial Railways opened the first line, the Ferrymead Railway, in 1863....