Aorangi Line open, station closed 2.05 km (1.27 mi)
Location
Feilding railway station
Location within New Zealand
Feilding railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line in Feilding, New Zealand. It was opened on 1 October 1876 and closed on 25 June 2012.[2] The station is now used by Feilding Information Centre[3] and an occasional excursion train.[4]
The south wall of the station is decorated with a mural,[5] which features Feilding's 1999[6] clock tower, which has a 1902 clock.[7] The nearby former goods shed has a mural depicting the X Class loco[8] stored at Feilding.[9] The murals were by Eric Brew,[10] who was a resident artist and painted many other murals in the town.[11]
J & C Bull built a 5th class station with platform, goods shed, privies and urinals[13] by 28 April 1876.[14] By July 1876 the rails were in place, linking Palmerston North and Feilding,[15] and ballasting was finished in September.[16] Two platelayers' cottages and a stationmaster's house were built by Burgess & Thompson in 1877[14] and a ladies waiting room in 1878. By 1896 there was also a passing loop for 19 wagons, cart approach, loading bank and cattle yards and the goods shed was 103 ft (31 m) by 31 ft (9.4 m), with a crane and a verandah added in 1897. By 1900 the goods shed was 153 ft (47 m) by 42 ft (13 m). In 1973 a 190 ft (58 m) wool loading shelter replaced an earlier one.[14]
The contract for the extension north from Feilding to the Rangitīkei River was let on 28 June 1876.[17] The line was extended to Halcombe from 22 April 1878,[14] thus linking the ports of Foxton and Whanganui to their hinterland.[18]
Feilding gas works opened in 1897[19] and gas lamps were added to the station in 1901. Electric lighting came on 25 January 1916,[14] after the local power station opened in 1915.[20]
Sawmillers Manson & Bartholomew, later known as Feilding Sash and Door Co,[21] had a tramway link to the railway from 1877[22] until at least 1916.[14]
A new 138 ft (42 m) by 34 ft (10 m) station, built by Graham Lambert Builders for £27,000, opened on Thursday, 7 December 1961 to replace the old one, burnt down on 29 July 1960.In part of the building was demolished in 1988 after another fire.[14]
Services
Initially Feilding was served by two trains a day from Foxton.[23]
The first Foxton-Whanganui train on Thursday 18 April 1878 took 6½ hours.[18] The through public service began on 20 May 1878[24] with two trains a day each way, taking 5hrs 50mins for the 86 mi (138 km) journey.[25]
The first Auckland - Wellington through expresses ran on 14 February 1909, taking 19 hours 13 minutes, and stopping at Feilding.[26] From then on, Feilding was often one of the calls made by the expresses during the night. For example, in 1932, the express from Auckland arrived at 4.20am.[27]