Station Profile - Eskdale

 

Back in early October 2022 I headed to the Hawkes Bay for a short holiday. While travelling across the Napier to Taupo Road I stopped off at Eskdale. Eskdale holds a very special place for me as I spent many summer holidays as a young lad at the nearby camping ground. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine that only five months later Eskdale would be a scene of devastation due to flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. 

Opened on the 23rd of July 1923, Eskdale is located north of Napier at the 197km post on the Palmerston North to Gisborne Line (PNGL). 

In its day it was a busy little country station serving the local rural community and was a crossing place for passenger and goods trains heading to Gisborne and returning to Napier and points south.

Opening of the Eskdale Railway Station sometime in the early 1920's. Photo courtesy of the Old Hawkes Bay Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/oldhawkesbay

Originally, Eskdale's track layout comprised of the main, a crossing loop, a siding, a goods siding and a back shunt for the stock yard. Buildings comprised of a station building, goods shed, loading bank, water tanks and stock yard. 

Eskdale Railway Station in 1924 looking east towards Napier. France House can be seen in the middle left of the photo. Photo by Albert Percy Godber. Photo courtesy of the National Library. natlib.govt.nz

The Esk Valley and Eskdale are no strangers to natural disasters. At 10:47am on the 3rd of February 1931, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Hawkes Bay. The earthquake killed 256, injured thousands and devastated the Hawkes Bay. Transport infrastructure including the railways were significantly damaged and the station was closed due to earthquake damage. At the time of the 1931 earthquake, the railway line to Gisborne was still under construction and had not yet reached Wairoa. 

Eskdale River Bridge following the 1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake. Photo taken by John Cormick. Photo courtesy of MTG Hawkes Bay collection.mtghawkesbay.com

The station reopened on the 23rd of August 1937 only to be significantly damaged by flooding in April 1938.

Eskdale Railway Station following the 1938 flood. Photo courtesy of the Old Hawkes Bay Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/oldhawkesbay

The line from Napier to Gisborne was finally completed and opened for traffic in 1942.

J class 4-8-2 Steam Locomotive 1234 leads a Gisborne bound goods train away from Eskdale. The photo was from the New Zealand Railways Publicity Branch in 1956. Photo courtesy of the Knowledge Bank - Hawkes Bay Digital Archives Trust. Knowledge.org.nz 

DC 4070 arrives at Eskdale with a Napier bound Goods Train 961 on the 10th of June 1980. Photo by P. Kerwin. Photo courtesy of the Old Hawkes Bay Facebook page   www.facebook.com/groups/oldhawkesbay 

Eskdale was closed to all traffic on the 30th of March 1985 but remained in use as a crossing loop and for the storage of written off wagons. Most of the old infrastructure including the goods shed, station building and signals were removed around this time. Later on the siding, goods shed siding and back shunts were removed leaving only the station platform, shelter station and loop siding.

As children, my brother and I often went on holiday with my grandparents at the Hawkes Bay Caravan and Camping Club camping ground at Eskdale. I remember badgering grandad to take me to the station. One day we finally did get to walk to the station. Memories are a bit blurry but I do recall seeing an old white four wheel wooden insulated wagon on one of the sidings. It was only later I found out that this wagon was W1152, a W class wooden insulated meat wagon. W1152 was refurbished in the early 1980's and painted in a special livery to mark the centenary of the first frozen shipment of meat from the Port of Napier.

Insulated 4 wheel meat wagon W1152 in a faded special Nelson Brothers Tomoana Freezing Works livery at Ormondville. Courtesy of the NZR in OO page nzr.lolshame.com

Since this wagon holds such a special place in my memory I might do a post dedicated to this old wagon.

Freight trains continued to use the line until March 2012 when a storm caused four large washouts north of Wairoa. The line was then effectively mothballed until late 2019 when log trains resumed running between Napier and Wairoa. Initially the log trains ran in the weekends but as demand grew these services began running on weekdays. 

DFB 7282 with an empty log train at Wairoa sometime in 2020. Photo courtesy of Radio New Zealand and KiwiRail. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/431140/wairoa-napier-log-trains-get-back-on-track

While returning from a short holiday in Napier I was able to stop at Eskdale to photograph it as it was prior to Cyclone Gabrielle.

The PNGL line looking eastwards towards Napier from the eastern end of the Eskdale Siding. 5/10/2022.

The points at the Napier end of the Eskdale Siding. The sign gives the location and identifies that the loop is a siding with manually operated points. 5/10/2022.

The points for the Eskdale siding at the Napier end of the siding looking west towards the station shelter. 5/10/2022.

The 197 Kilometer marker post at Eskdale. This marker is 197km's from the start of the Palmerston North to Gisborne Line at Milson Junction in Palmerston North. 5/10/2022.

The Napier end of the siding. The siding is overgrown and doesn't see any use. An open derailer can also be seen. 5/10/2022.

Looking West towards the Shaw Road railway crossing. 5/10/2022.

Shaw Road Railway Crossing looking south towards State Highway 5, the Napier to Taupo Road. 5/10/2022.

Shaw Road Railway Crossing looking north. The railway crossing provides access to Hukarere Girls College and Eskdale Park. Shaw Road was named after Hazel and Les Shaw who ran France House at this location. 5/10/2022.

The PNGL looking east from Shaw Road towards Napier. 5/10/2022.

Looking west from the Shaw Road railway crossing towards the Eskdale station shelter. 5/10/22.

Eskdale yard looking towards the Shaw Road railway crossing. 5/10/2022.

Eskdale yard looking towards the station shelter. 5/10/2022.

Due to its location near a good swimming river and proximity to Napier and Hastings, Eskdale become a popular destination for picnic trains for railway workers and freezing works staff. The station had also become a popular stop for excursion trains.

The current shelter station and railway precinct has been restored and well looked after by local railway enthusiasts. Much of the work was lead by Spud Langley who has been responsible for restoring many railway structures around rural Hawkes Bay. An article about Spud and his work can be found here. 

Eskdale Station. 5/10/2022.

A marker post showing the distance by rail from Eskdale to Napier and Gisborne. 5/10/2022.

The Eskdale Station Shelter. Napier end. 5/10/2022.

Eskdale Station Shelter from the front. 5/10/2022.

Eskdale Station Shelter. Gisborne end. 5/10/2022.

The western end of the Eskdale yard looking towards the station shelter. Another open derailer on the siding. 5/10/2022.

Eskdale yard looking towards Waipunga Road railway crossing at the Gisborne end of the yard. The western end of the old yard is now used by roading contractors to store metal chip. 5/10/2022.

The siding looking towards Waipunga Road railway crossing at the Gisborne end of the yard. 5/10/2022.

The siding points at the Gisborne end of the siding. 5/10/2022.

The points for Eskdale siding at the Gisborne end of the yard. This view is looking towards the station shelter. 5/10/2022.

Something that can still be seen around New Zealand is the short fencing made of old rails . These fences were located at both sides of a railway crossing and were used alongside cattle stops to stop livestock from getting onto the railway right of way. 5/10/2022. 

Waipunga Road railway crossing looking towards the Napier Taupo Road. 5/10/2022.

On the Gisborne side of the Waipunga Road railway crossing I found this sign on the lineside. Its not one I've seen before. 5/10/2022.

The PNGL looking west towards Gisborne from the Waipunga Road railway crossing. 5/10/2022.

In the early hours of Tuesday the 14th of February 2023, flooding ripped through the Esk Valley resulting in death and destruction in the quiet community of Eskdale. The flooding was the result of huge amounts of rain that fell in the area as Cyclone Gabrielle moved its way along the East Coast of the North Island.

Sadly the railway was also severely effected with the railway yard covered in thick deposits of silt and parts of the platform washed away.

The Eskdale Railway Shelter following Cyclone Gabrielle and flooding in the Esk Valley. Photos by Geoff Mackley and Matthew Davison. Photos courtesy of the Railways and Tramways of New Zealand Facebook page Railways and Tramways of New Zealand

Rail infrastructure across the Hawkes Bay was significantly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle with many slips, embankments washed away and numerous bridges damaged or destroyed. It's unlikely trains will be rumbling by the small green and cream station shelter in Eskdale for sometime to come. 

Station Profile - Oamaru Show Grounds

North Otago A&P Showground and railway siding. November 1956. Care of the National Library of New Zealand - Oamaru Woollen Mills, Otago. Whites Aviation Ltd.

The annual A&P shows held throughout New Zealand are a highlight for rural communities and provide an opportunity for farmers and 'townies' to come together. The shows are firmly focused on agriculture and farming and feature many events and competitions involving animals. Today all of these animals arrive in horse floats, trailers, utes and stock trucks but in the past many of the animals arrived by rail.

Formed in 1863, the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association is one of New Zealand's oldest A&P Associations. The show grounds off Ettrick Street in Oamaru North has been the home of the North Otago A&P Association since 1907. 

There have been annual A&P shows held at the show grounds every year with only a handful of shows missed due to world wars, the 1918 influenza pandemic and the recent COVID 19 pandemic.

The show grounds were not just used for the A&P shows but were also used for military exercises and camps with the siding available for special troop trains.

To serve the show grounds, New Zealand Railways constructed a platform, siding and loading bank on the South Island Main trunk north of the Oamaru railway station. Opened on the 20th of October 1908, the station was called Oamaru Show Grounds. 

I haven't been able to find to much information about the station or the siding but I did find a plan of the sidings in the Archives New Zealand Dunedin Office dated 1933 showing the layout of the siding, loading bank and platform. 

A 1933 plan of the Oamaru Show Grounds siding. By this time it was called a private siding. Archives New Zealand - Dunedin Office.

The siding was closed to traffic on the 30th of November 1963.

The Oamaru Show Ground siding was located north of Oamaru railway station between the Foyle Street and Caledonian Street railway crossings. 

While passing through Oamaru recently I took the opportunity to look at the old siding site to see what I could find. The answer was almost nothing. There is no evidence of the platform or loading bank however you could see where the ground had been built up next to the main line for the siding.

I started at the northern end of the old siding site at the Caledonian Street railway crossing.

Looking north from the Caledonian Street railway crossing. 25/11/22.

The northern turnout for the siding was located just south of the Caledonian Street railway crossing. You could see where the ground to the west of the main line had been built up for the siding.

Looking south from the Caledonian Street railway crossing. 25/11/22.

Looking south from the southern end of the former siding. Note the old grandstand in the show grounds. 25/11/22.

Looking south along the former siding. 25/11/22.

The southern turnout for the siding was at the end of Lynn Street and to the north of the Foyle Street railway crossing.

The southern end of the siding. Note the southern siding turnout at the end of Lynn Street. November 1956. Care of the National Library of New Zealand - Oamaru Woollen Mills, Otago. Whites Aviation Ltd.

Looking north from the Foyle Street railway crossing. The southern turnout for the siding was located near the white house to the middle left of the photo. 25/11/22.

Looking south towards Oamaru railway station from the Foyle Street railway crossing. The Oamaru Woolen Mills is to the right. 25/11/22.

After finishing up at Foyle Street I headed into the show grounds to see if there were any remnants of the loading bank but there was nothing to see. The ground looked like it had been leveled sometime after the siding closed.

I was able to get a photo of the historic grandstand. The 1200 seat grandstand was designed by J.M Forrester, son of the famed Oamaru architect, Thomas Forrester. 

Oamaru Show Grounds grand stand. 25/11/22.

The show grounds are still in regular use with the annual A&P show, equestrian events and soccer. The show grounds are also a popular New Zealand Motor Caravan Association camping ground. Many of the covered pens and yards still remain.

For more information on the show grounds visit the New Zealand History page here. 

Information for this profile came from the Dunedin Office of the New Zealand Archives, the New Zealand History website and the National Library of New Zealand website which you can find here.

And that's about it.

Whakatu - The Cold Store

Whakatu Cold Stores. 4/10/22.

While visiting Whakatu in early October I was able to take a number of photos of the large cold store complex. Construction of the cold store was an important step in the growth of the Whakatu Freezing Works and it still continues to serve the primary producers of the Hawkes Bay.

In early 1972 the Hawkes Bay Famers Meat Company needed to replace their aging blast freezers and cold stores. This was due to upcoming rule changes by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to meet new European Economic Commission standards. The new standards included the removal of wood from refrigerated areas. HBFMC investigated upgrading the existing cold stores within the Whakatu Freezing Works but it was found this would be too difficult to do while maintaining production. 

Instead HBFMC decided to build a completely new cold store complex that included 10 blast freeze rooms each capable of freezing 2000 lamb carcasses in 14 hours, three large freezer stores, a covered railway siding capable of holding 12 UK class bogie container wagons carrying 24 insulated 20 foot containers, an office block and staff amenities. The new cold store would be linked to the freezing works by a covered bridge that crossed the Palmerston North - Gisborne railway line and Anderson Road. 

A newspaper supplement from January 1976 celebrating the opening of the new Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company Cool Stores at Whakatu. Photo courtesy of the Knowledge Bank - Hawkes Bay Digital Archives Trust. knowledge.org.nz

Construction began in November 1972 and the new cold store was opened in January 1976. The cost of the new cold store was just under $11 million. 

Meat from the freezing works was transported to the cold stores through the overhead bridge. Once at the cold stores the carcasses would be blast frozen and stored. Refrigerated railway wagons or insulated containers on flat wagons would be shunted into the enclosed area where they would be loaded before being sent mainly to ports for export.

In October 1986, it was announced that Whakatu Freezing Works would close. While many of the old freezing works buildings were demolished the relatively new cold stores remained. The cold stores are still in use and are operated by Lineage Logistics.

Overhead view of the Whakatu Cold Store.

The Whakatu Cold Store is located on Anderson Road which has easy access to a number of main arterial roads. The Cold Store is also connected to the Palmerston North - Gisborne line by a siding that comes off the Whakatu loop. Looking at the track leading to the cold store, it doesn't look like any wagons have been loaded there for some time.

The siding coming off the loop at Whakatu and heading towards the cold store. 4/10/22.

The siding crossing Anderson Road. 4/10/22.

The approach to the cold store sidings. 4/10/22.

The line then connects with the cold store sidings. The layout of the cold store sidings is unusual and is similar to the old sidings on the wharfs at New Zealand ports.

The sidings consist of three lines that merge into two lines at the eastern and western ends of the cold stores. A single line passes through a long enclosed loading area. 

The access siding connecting to the cold store sidings, 4/10/22.

The western end of the cold store. 4/10/22.

The sidings are connected through a series of crossovers. All the track is embedded in concrete which allows for a large flat area suitable for use by trucks, forklifts and other vehicles. It also provides a nice, obstacle free surface for shunters and other railway staff. Overhead lighting is provided along the length of the sidings. 

The cold store sidings looking towards the western end of the sidings. 4/10/22.

An old bogie shunters wagon was parked at the eastern end of the sidings. This wagon looked like an early version of shunters wagons that have been repurposed using the underframes of old ZA class covered wagons. A hand rail goes around three sides of the wagon to provide a secure hand hold for shunters. Looking at the condition of the wagon and the track its unlikely this wagon has had any use for a long time.

The old shunting wagon sits at the western end of the cold store sidings. 4/10/22.

Another shot of the shunting wagon. 4/10/22.

Looking east towards the cold store from the western end of the sidings. 4/10/22.

At each end of the sidings there were concrete and gravel stop blocks to prevent wagons from going over the end of the siding tracks.

The western end of the sidings. 4/10/22.

Heading to the eastern end I was able to have a good look at the cold store building. The cold store is built up so the floor is level for wagons. This allowed forklifts to have better access to wagons and containers improving loading times.

The cold stores looking west from the eastern end of the sidings. 4/10/22.

Looking towards the eastern end of the sidings. 4/10/22.

The eastern end of the sidings. 4/10/22.

As far as cold stores go this is one of the larger ones that I've seen. The multiple tracks and crossovers would have made for some interesting shunting moves and I would have enjoyed seeing old DE, DI or DSC locomotives shunting these sidings back in the late 70's and early to mid 1980's.

And that's about it.