Today, I got to study the history of New Zealand railways! It was fascinating! Read what I've copied from New Zealand Herald below...
A potted history of New Zealand railways:
1862 - first railway opens - a horse-drawn tramway from Dun Mountain copper mine to Port Nelson.
1863 - first steam railway opened on the Christchurch-Lyttleton line, via the Lyttleton tunnel.
1870 - with less than 100km of track operating, Prime Minister Julius Vogel calls for railways to aid economic development, and a narrow gauge is chosen to save money.
1873 - first train in North Island, Auckland-Onehunga.
1878 - first express trains Christchurch-Dunedin cover 370km in 11 hours.
1879 - possible to travel 600km from Christchurch to Invercargill by train.
1880 - Almost 1900km of railway open.
1886 - Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company opens line to Longburn, near Palmerston North, introducing gas lighting and dining cars. It was profitable for 22 years, until taken over by Government.
1908 - North Island main trunk line completed after 23 years work - the crowning achievement of the "railway age". First train carried MPs [Members of Parliament] on a junket to Auckland, in August.
1923 - West Coast line opens - its Otira tunnel, at 8.55km the longest in the British Empire and containing the nation's first electric railway.
1930 - Rotorua Limited introduced for tourists from Auckland, with observation car.
1936 - First successful railcars, Wairarapa route.
1945 - South Island main trunk from Christchurch to Picton completed.
1953 - the length of railway line operating hits its all-time peak - 5656km. Christmas Eve crash at Tangiwai kills 151 rail passengers.
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The Government's re-nationalisation of the railways , buying the assets off Tranz Rail for $655 million, has rewound history.A potted history of New Zealand railways:
1862 - first railway opens - a horse-drawn tramway from Dun Mountain copper mine to Port Nelson.
1863 - first steam railway opened on the Christchurch-Lyttleton line, via the Lyttleton tunnel.
1870 - with less than 100km of track operating, Prime Minister Julius Vogel calls for railways to aid economic development, and a narrow gauge is chosen to save money.
1873 - first train in North Island, Auckland-Onehunga.
1878 - first express trains Christchurch-Dunedin cover 370km in 11 hours.
1879 - possible to travel 600km from Christchurch to Invercargill by train.
1880 - Almost 1900km of railway open.
1886 - Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company opens line to Longburn, near Palmerston North, introducing gas lighting and dining cars. It was profitable for 22 years, until taken over by Government.
1908 - North Island main trunk line completed after 23 years work - the crowning achievement of the "railway age". First train carried MPs [Members of Parliament] on a junket to Auckland, in August.
1923 - West Coast line opens - its Otira tunnel, at 8.55km the longest in the British Empire and containing the nation's first electric railway.
1930 - Rotorua Limited introduced for tourists from Auckland, with observation car.
1936 - First successful railcars, Wairarapa route.
1945 - South Island main trunk from Christchurch to Picton completed.
1953 - the length of railway line operating hits its all-time peak - 5656km. Christmas Eve crash at Tangiwai kills 151 rail passengers.
{Click on the picture or on the text to read more}
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| Do you know what's neat about this picture? I've ridden through this area before--it's in the Arthur's Pass! |
Esther, we raced with the same train in that picture, from the west coast, all the way to the Arthurs Pass village. It's called the Tranz Alpine....? I think :-)
ReplyDeleteThat was on the way home from the west coast.
It was fun, but we lost track of the train in Arthurs
Pass, when we were getting diesel.
S :-)
P.S.
We did consider it lazy though, (who goes under the mountain through a tunnel?) that is cheating! :-)
That must've been fun!
ReplyDeleteTranz Alpine sounds right.
Yes, that is cheating! Bummer. We've only raced a train once--that was locally--and that was fun!
~Esther