Sanson Tramway
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The Sanson Tramway in the Manawatu 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...
operated from 1885 until 1945. Owned by the Manawatu County Council, it connected with the national railway network at Himatangi
Himatangi
Himatangi, formerly Carnarvon, is a small settlement in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located at the junction of State Highways 1 and 56, 25 kilometres west of Palmerston North, and seven kilometres east of the coastal settlement of Himatangi Beach...
on the Foxton Branch
Foxton Branch
The Foxton Branch was a railway line in New Zealand. It began life as a tramway, evolved into a railway by 1876, and operated until 1959. At Himatangi there was a junction with the Sanson Tramway, a line operated by the Manawatu County Council that was never upgraded to the status of a...
. It was never part of the national network
Rail transport in New Zealand
Rail 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...
.
Construction
After the construction of a tramway (later upgraded to a railway) linking Foxton and Palmerston North, settlers north of Foxton began efforts to have a rail link built from to their settlements so they could easily access the port. In 1878 the Foxton and Sanson Railway Company was formed in order to build a line northwards from Himatangi (then named Carnarvon) to Sanson, and it envisaged that the line would become part of a trunk route from WellingtonWellington
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...
to the north. However, before construction began legislation was passed that made it appealing for the Manawatu County Council to build the line as a tramway and thereby qualify for subsidies. Work started from the Foxton line at Himatangi in 1882, and the line opened to Rongotea Siding on 23 August 1884, followed by Sanson
Sanson, New Zealand
Sanson is a small town in the Manawatu region of New Zealand. It is located just south of Bulls and the Rangitikei River, and west of the city of Palmerston North. The 2001 census revealed that Sanson's population was 495, a 4.6% decrease from the previous census in 1996...
, south-west of Feilding
Feilding, New Zealand
Feilding is a town in the Manawatu-Wanganui Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 54, 20 kilometres north of Palmerston North....
, on 16 November 1885. In 1902, a short extension beyond Sanson was opened to the southern bank of the Rangitikei River
Rangitikei River
The Rangitikei River is one of New Zealand's longest rivers, 185 kilometers long.Its headwaters are to the southeast of Lake Taupo in the Kaimanawa Ranges. It flows from the Central Plateau south past Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, Marton, and Bulls, to the South Taranaki Bight at Tangimoana, 40...
, opposite Bulls
Bulls, New Zealand
Bulls is a small town near Palmerston North on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is in a thriving farming area in the Rangitikei District at the junction of State Highways 1 and 3 about 160 kilometres north of Wellington...
.
Operation
The Sanson Tramway was initially operated by the steam tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
Hibernia from Wellington. It was not an adequate source of motive power, and a former Foxton locomotive from the days when the Foxton Branch was a tramway commenced work on the line by the time it was opened to Sanson. As traffic became more substantial, old locomotives were acquired from the national railway network to run on the tramway. As these locomotives were very light, they were just at home on a rural tramway as they had been on the nation's expanding network of railway lines before being displaced by more powerful and substantial engines.
When Foxton locomotive depot closed and passenger services on the Foxton Branch were withdrawn in 1932, through running to Foxton from the tramway ceased. The line received a boost just before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when it was required to service contractors at the Ohakea RNZAF Base
RNZAF Base Ohakea
RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is near Bulls, 25 km north west of Palmerston North in the Manawatu...
, and during the war petrol restrictions helped to generate traffic. However, these restrictions ended with the coming of peace and post-war traffic on the line was too insignificant to justify its continued existence. It closed on 29 November 1945.
Locomotives used on the line
- "Hibernia" Built 1877, by Merryweather & SonsMerryweather & SonsMerryweather & Sons of Clapham, later Greenwich, London, were builders of steam fire engines and steam tram engines.The founder was Moses Merryweather of Clapham, who was joined by his son Richard Moses .-Fire appliances:...
, Clapham, UK. In use 1882 to 1886. - "Wallaby" Built 1875, by E.W Mills, Wellington, NZ (NZR, ex Foxton Tramway). In use 1885 to 1889.
- "Weka" Built 1876, by James Davidson, Dunedin, NZ (ex NZR P58, WMR). In use 1898 to 1922.
- "Fox" Built 1873, by Dubs and Co, Glasgow, Scotland (ex NZR A192). In use 1889 to 1910.
- G56 Built 1874, by Black Hawthorn, Gateshead-on-Tyne, UK (ex NZR). In use 1918 to 1944.
- R211 Built 1879, by 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:...
, Bristol, UK. Single Fairlie type. (ex NZR) In use 1926 to 1933. - R29 Built 1879, by 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:...
, Bristol, UK. Single Fairlie type. (ex NZR) In use 1944 to 1946.