Otahuhu Workshops
Encyclopedia
Otahuhu railway workshop
s 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. The workshops were opened in 1928, and were closed in 1992 as part of a rationalisation of workshop facilities throughout the country.
Otahuhu Workshops were built following a report that highlighted the inadequacies of the Newmarket Workshops
, the central Auckland facility that the Otahuhu Workshops replaced. Originally it was proposed that Otahuhu would carry out locomotive work and Hutt would be the Car and Wagon Workshop. This was reversed when it was found that the land on which Otahuhu was to be built was not suitable for the heavy machinery required for locomotive work.
Though officially a Car and Wagon Shop, Otahuhu did some repair and maintenance work on steam and diesel locomotives and railcars. Some of Wellington’s fleet of D class electric multiple unit
carriages were overhauled there. Other work included light maintenance on steam locomotives, with particularly busy periods being 1929-1930 when 37 locomotives received overhauls and boiler repairs, and 1947-1949 when Otahuhu was called on for the urgent conversion of 19 “K” and “Ka” class locomotives to oil burning. Some other years in which locomotive work was carried out were 1931, 1933, 1942, 1945 and 1946.
Though the buildings for the new facility were all on the same site, there was a Midway that separated two groups of buildings. On the western side of the yard were the Wagon Shops, Machine Shop, Blacksmiths Shop, Reclaim, Powerhouse and Stores. To the east were the Structural Shop, Trimming Shop, Car Shops No. 1 and 2, and the Woodmill. Increasing demands for rolling stock and new requirements necessitated the extension or modification of the Structural Shop and the Machine Shop, and the installation of an Electroplating Shop and Battery Shop in the Trimming Shop. Other buildings included an administration block, schoolroom and canteen.
The workshops played their part in the war effort. Prior to New Zealand's involvement in World War II there was a building known as the Air Force building. It was intended to be used to train apprentices in aircraft maintenance, but the Air Force occupied the building for the duration of the war. The war saw many workshop staff seconded to places such as the Devonport Naval Base and local engineering firms that were contracted to the military for the production of war supplies and equipment. Work undertaken during the war included the production of slat beds for the Army, small-arms ammunition machines for the Colonial Ammunition Company, dual flying yokes for Air Force craft, and tugboat hulls for the Americans. One special job was the conversion of six 56 ft (17.1 m) second-class carriages into ambulance cars, for the transport of wounded soldiers.
A programme for the construction of 60 feet (18.3 m) carriages intended for Main Trunk service prompted the construction of a new workshop building about 1940, known as Car No. 1 Extension. Though the programme was cancelled after much of the material needed for their construction had been imported, the infrastructure proved useful in the 1950s when the D-class electric coaches from Wellington were overhauled there.
Other new buildings at the site included a Diesel Shop in 1962, and a new Woodmill to replace the old one that was destroyed in a major fire on 31 May 1955. The machines installed in the new Woodmill were more modern than those available in the old building, resulting in much improved output.
Production of carriage stock began soon after opening in 1929, the first of which were 10 50-ft “Aa” suburban carriages. Another batch of 50 ft (15.2 m) cars was completed for the new Rotorua Limited Express service, including two observation cars. A large number of 50 ft (15.2 m) cars were built prior to the introduction of the NZR 56-foot carriage56-ft cars, built between 1937 and 1945. Otahuhu built 207 carriages, 75 guards vans, 3 steam vans, 3 postal vans, and many wagons.
With the onset of the diesel age, Otahuhu became involved in the maintenance of diesel locomotives. This started with the small TR
tractors in the early 1940s, with the work being carried out in Car Shop No. 2. As the use of diesels increased it was necessary to provide dedicated facilities, with the Steel Wagon Shop being converted for this purpose. In 1958, Otahuhu received the first of its Fiat twin-set
railcar
s for an overhaul, and in 1962 RM 125 was repaired at the workshops following a level crossing accident in Tauranga
.
Other diesel work conducted at the Steel Shop included the readiness for service of 12 “Da” class locomotives in 1961, and the restoration of DA
1405 following a major accident. Minor repair work on DE class
locomotives was done by the Machine Fitting Group.
The ability of Otahuhu to handle diesel-electric locomotive and railcar repair work was much improved in 1962 with the opening of a new Diesel Shop. Prior to entering service, many DA, DB
, DH
, and DX class
locomotives first made a visit to Otahuhu for preparation. 88-seater railcars were also maintained, repaired and overhauled in this new facility. In 1971, the Silver Star carriages were tested and commissioned in the Diesel Shop, as were the Silver Fern
railcars the following year. Several cars for the new Southerner service were overhauled at Otahuhu in 1970.
In its later years, Otahuhu carried produced more specialist wagons, including for containers and coal, as well as many other variants.
, and in the South Island at Hillside Engineering
in Dunedin
. This resulted in the closure of both the Addington
and Otahuhu workshops.
Employees at Otahuhu were informed that the workshops were to close on 30 June 1992. A team of up to 22 employees was kept on for a further six months to decommission the facility. Machines that could be sold were stored in the Structural Shop pending sale by auction. At the time the workshops site was believed to be destined to become an industrial park.
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s were a major rolling stock maintenance and repair facility of the New Zealand Government 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...
, in the south Auckland
Auckland
The 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...
suburb of Otahuhu
Otahuhu
Otahuhu is a suburb of Auckland. It is located to the southeast of the city centre, on a narrow isthmus between an arm of the Manukau Harbour to the west and the Tamaki River estuary to the east...
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. The workshops were opened in 1928, and were closed in 1992 as part of a rationalisation of workshop facilities throughout the country.
Otahuhu Workshops were built following a report that highlighted the inadequacies of the Newmarket Workshops
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...
, the central Auckland facility that the Otahuhu Workshops replaced. Originally it was proposed that Otahuhu would carry out locomotive work and Hutt would be the Car and Wagon Workshop. This was reversed when it was found that the land on which Otahuhu was to be built was not suitable for the heavy machinery required for locomotive work.
Though officially a Car and Wagon Shop, Otahuhu did some repair and maintenance work on steam and diesel locomotives and railcars. Some of Wellington’s fleet of D class electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
carriages were overhauled there. Other work included light maintenance on steam locomotives, with particularly busy periods being 1929-1930 when 37 locomotives received overhauls and boiler repairs, and 1947-1949 when Otahuhu was called on for the urgent conversion of 19 “K” and “Ka” class locomotives to oil burning. Some other years in which locomotive work was carried out were 1931, 1933, 1942, 1945 and 1946.
History
The Railways Department called for tenders for “new Car and Wagon Shops at Otahuhu near Auckland” on 30 September 1926 following the Fay-Raven report of 1925. By 1928, the new facility was completed, and some men from the Newmarket Workshops were tasked with installing new equipment at the site. The workshops officially opened for business following the Christmas holiday period of 1928-1929, at which time the Newmarket Workshops closed.Though the buildings for the new facility were all on the same site, there was a Midway that separated two groups of buildings. On the western side of the yard were the Wagon Shops, Machine Shop, Blacksmiths Shop, Reclaim, Powerhouse and Stores. To the east were the Structural Shop, Trimming Shop, Car Shops No. 1 and 2, and the Woodmill. Increasing demands for rolling stock and new requirements necessitated the extension or modification of the Structural Shop and the Machine Shop, and the installation of an Electroplating Shop and Battery Shop in the Trimming Shop. Other buildings included an administration block, schoolroom and canteen.
The workshops played their part in the war effort. Prior to New Zealand's involvement in World War II there was a building known as the Air Force building. It was intended to be used to train apprentices in aircraft maintenance, but the Air Force occupied the building for the duration of the war. The war saw many workshop staff seconded to places such as the Devonport Naval Base and local engineering firms that were contracted to the military for the production of war supplies and equipment. Work undertaken during the war included the production of slat beds for the Army, small-arms ammunition machines for the Colonial Ammunition Company, dual flying yokes for Air Force craft, and tugboat hulls for the Americans. One special job was the conversion of six 56 ft (17.1 m) second-class carriages into ambulance cars, for the transport of wounded soldiers.
A programme for the construction of 60 feet (18.3 m) carriages intended for Main Trunk service prompted the construction of a new workshop building about 1940, known as Car No. 1 Extension. Though the programme was cancelled after much of the material needed for their construction had been imported, the infrastructure proved useful in the 1950s when the D-class electric coaches from Wellington were overhauled there.
Other new buildings at the site included a Diesel Shop in 1962, and a new Woodmill to replace the old one that was destroyed in a major fire on 31 May 1955. The machines installed in the new Woodmill were more modern than those available in the old building, resulting in much improved output.
Production of carriage stock began soon after opening in 1929, the first of which were 10 50-ft “Aa” suburban carriages. Another batch of 50 ft (15.2 m) cars was completed for the new Rotorua Limited Express service, including two observation cars. A large number of 50 ft (15.2 m) cars were built prior to the introduction of the NZR 56-foot carriage56-ft cars, built between 1937 and 1945. Otahuhu built 207 carriages, 75 guards vans, 3 steam vans, 3 postal vans, and many wagons.
With the onset of the diesel age, Otahuhu became involved in the maintenance of diesel locomotives. This started with the small TR
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...
tractors in the early 1940s, with the work being carried out in Car Shop No. 2. As the use of diesels increased it was necessary to provide dedicated facilities, with the Steel Wagon Shop being converted for this purpose. In 1958, Otahuhu received the first of its Fiat twin-set
NZR RM class (88 seater)
The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, known unofficially as 'articulateds', 'twinsets', 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats'. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains...
railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s for an overhaul, and in 1962 RM 125 was repaired at the workshops following a level crossing accident in Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
.
Other diesel work conducted at the Steel Shop included the readiness for service of 12 “Da” class locomotives in 1961, and the restoration of 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....
1405 following a major accident. Minor repair work on DE class
NZR DE class
The 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 was done by the Machine Fitting Group.
The ability of Otahuhu to handle diesel-electric locomotive and railcar repair work was much improved in 1962 with the opening of a new Diesel Shop. Prior to entering service, many DA, DB
NZR DB class
The 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...
, DH
NZR DH class
The NZR DH class is a type of diesel-electric shunting locomotive in New Zealand. The class consists of six heavy shunt U10B type loco built by General Electric in the US in 1978...
, and DX class
NZR DX class
The 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 first made a visit to Otahuhu for preparation. 88-seater railcars were also maintained, repaired and overhauled in this new facility. In 1971, the Silver Star carriages were tested and commissioned in the Diesel Shop, as were the Silver Fern
NZR RM class (Silver Fern)
This article is about the New Zealand railcar service and the railcars themselves. For other uses, see Silver Fern .The NZR RM class Silver Fern is a class of railcar in New Zealand. The three air-conditioned and sound-proofed 723-kW 96-seater diesel-electric twin-set railcars were built by...
railcars the following year. Several cars for the new Southerner service were overhauled at Otahuhu in 1970.
In its later years, Otahuhu carried produced more specialist wagons, including for containers and coal, as well as many other variants.
Demise
By the 1990s, the Railways Corporation (successor to the old Railways Department) was experiencing severe financial hardship. In an effort to alleviate its problems and at the direction of its political masters, the Railways underwent a restructuring, which included a review of all its workshops. It was decided to focus the rail engineering resources at two sites: in the North Island at Hutt WorkshopsHutt 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 in the South Island at Hillside Engineering
Hillside Engineering
Hillside 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:...
in Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin 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...
. This resulted in the closure of both the 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:...
and Otahuhu workshops.
Employees at Otahuhu were informed that the workshops were to close on 30 June 1992. A team of up to 22 employees was kept on for a further six months to decommission the facility. Machines that could be sold were stored in the Structural Shop pending sale by auction. At the time the workshops site was believed to be destined to become an industrial park.
Today
Over half of the original workshops buildings have been demolished since the facility closed. Part of the site is now used as a container storage yard.See also
- 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...
, replaced by Otahuhu Workshops - 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:...
- Hillside Workshops
- 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...
- New Zealand Railways DepartmentNew Zealand Railways DepartmentThe 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...