Talk to us about our bespoke tour options, whether you are just hiring bikes or looking for luxury supported and guided tours. People wanted to sell their meat and vegetables to people in wellington and to get machinery and goods from the ships but there was a problem. On 27 september 2015, as part of a reenactment of the remutaka crossing, a memorial was unveiled. Apr 21, 2020 the rimutaka incline railway heritage trust aims to reinstate and operate a worldclass heritage railway between wellington and the wairarapa. Over the garden wall story of the otago central railway. An order was placed with the avonside engine company, in bristol, england four engines were built. Jackie breen from the heritage team tells the story. Pictorial history of the steam locomotives of glenbrook. The railway from upper hutt to the wairarapa included five tunnels, several large bridges and many steep grades. Remutaka rail trail tourism information from destination wairarapa. The rimutaka incline is now one of the 10 most significant railway heritage sites in the world.
The extension of the wellington to upper hutt line to kaitoke. Second hand books for sale at nzrls book title authors. For lots more on the rimutaka incline and other nz railways, see our books. Sep 27, 2015 on 27 september 2015, as part of a reenactment of the remutaka crossing, a memorial was unveiled. Survey work was carried out by chris cochran during may and june 2010. The rimutaka incline railway heritage trust aims to reinstate and operate a worldclass heritage railway between wellington and the wairarapa. If you are travelling as a group, tranz metro can increase bicycle carrying capacity but you need to book in advance.
Fell engine and train exiting siberia tunnel on the rimutaka incline circa 1910. Rimutaka incline railway building a sanctuary for steam. Rimutaka incline, state highway 2, kaitoke, upper hutt. We get off through the tunnel at maymorn station and are back 5 hours later after a glorious day cycling the historic rimutaka rail trail.
The journey even inspired a childrens book, freddy the fell engine. The rimutaka railway was built as part of an ambitious 1871 government policy to construct a national railway network to attract immigrants and to help improve new zealands economic base. The wairarapa is a large and bountiful region with a long and complex history. Second hand books for sale at nzrls book title authors 100 years of progress 18631963 163 class f locomotive. New zealand railways and land transport smiths bookshop. Running from kaitoke to summit, the remutaka rail trail links with the.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Here the fell locos finished their work for conventional locos to take over on the less severe run down to kaitoke and maymorn in the hutt valley. A guide to the rimutaka incline national walkway paperback 1904 by graeme jupp author see all formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Starting from cross creek, the worldfamous rimutaka incline wound its way up to summit station. The fell locomotive museum and its gutsy little engine. Rimutaka rail trail lower hutt, new zealand landmark. Evening post, 26 june 1942 military take over control mastertons main street was a sorry sight yesterday. Located a short walk from the present railway station, the. September 11, 1880 new zealand the rimutaka incline railway accident on the rimutaka incline, new zealand. Remutaka rail trail greater wellington regional council. At cross creek at the foot of the incline, the train was rearranged with two passenger cars and the luggage carriage in front of the fell engine. Today i walked 42 km from trentham to featherston doing the old rimutaka rail trail and incline. Covers both the main lines and the smaller industrial railways and bush tramways as well as the rimutaka incline. Additional photos of the rimutaka incline bridges were taken in august because of poor weather.
The rimutaka railway was built as part of an ambitious 1871 government policy to construct a national railway network to attract immigrants and to help. The rimutakas identify the southern end of these mountains and divides wellington from the nearby region of the wairarapa this range extends from turakirae head a promontory on the southern coast of the north island, to the end of the hutt valley. The recently completed track upgrade of the rimutaka rail trail has added width to the narrowest section of track which now provides users. Most other instances of fell railways were shortlived affairs, but the rimutaka incline was not made obsolete by tunnel replacement until 1955. The rimutaka rail trail is managed by doc from one end and wellington council from. Masterton anglican history new zealand books online auckland university new zealand electronic text centre victoria university new zealand food history online new zealand museums papers past picture wairarapa rimutaka incline railway sir george grey collection auckland public library te papa website te papa blog tinui parish anzac. The book is about the gradients and the gorges, the mountains and the mighty. The line is slated to be soon reopened as a heritage railway. Green jersey has the most experience and best options for riding this fantastic trail. Maori history of the greater wellington region maramataka nga hapu.
A guide to the rimutaka incline national walkway graeme jupp on. The railway will be a unique tourist attraction for wellington and new zealand, and a major contributor to the regional economy. The remutaka rail trail spelled rimutaka rail trail prior to 2017 is a walking and cycling track in the north island of new zealand. Photographic negatives and prints of the evening post newspaper.
The last train over the rimutaka incline, october 1955. A pleasant day trip starts with a short rail trip from wellington to featherston through the tunnel which bypassed the steepest railway incline in the country and possibly the southern hemisphere. The term rimutaka incline is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to other parts or all of the closed and deviated section of the wairarapa line between upper hutt and speedys crossing, near featherston. Woodville railway station, manawatuwanganui wikipedia. The construction of the original wellington to masterton railway was authorised by the new zealand government in 1871, one of a number of key railway schemes built during the term of julius vogel, colonial treasurer. Yes it is a history, starting more than 100 years ago when the engineers started to build very steep track 1 in 15 gradient over the rimutaka range between summit and.
The name trains and journeys cover a considerable period of new zealands history, from the late 1800s to the golden era of train travel the first five decades of the twentieth century. It was this system that was used for the rimutaka incline. Refreshed and rested we headed down the incline taking care as we rode through the gravel patches. Biking the rimutaka rail trail cristina sanders blog. Getting to the start of the trail was a bit of a mission because i didnt have a car but mainly because of all the trail closures that i wasnt aware of despite researching my route extensively.
Check out other day rides on the trail or ride the full trail. A life bookended by the rimutaka incline s birth and demise is told in a new historical novel. The remutaka rail trail is a walking and cycling track in the north island of new zealand. On sunday, 27 sept 2015, marchers will walk from the featherston military camp site over the rimutakas to kaitoke remembering our wwi heroes. At seventyseven years new zealands fell incline railway was far and away the longestlived fellworked route of railway. Its a fairly easy ride with lots of stops, packed with. There was a big very steep hill covered in bush between. The rimutaka incline section of the line over the rimutaka ranges between wellington and the wairarapa used the fell system on the steep 1 in 15 section which was 4.
Antique printed postcard of a train with three locomotives ascending the steep rimutaka incline on the north island of new zealand. The railway reached the summit of the rimutaka range by conventional means, but such a route could not be found to descend to the wairarapa valley. Rimutaka incline map further to our post yesterday, here is a map from the fell museum of the incline showing the route of the old line, the walkway sections, the current line through the rimutaka tunnel and the state highway which is relevant to our posts about cars at the summit of that in. A life bookended by the rimutaka inclines birth and demise is told in a new historical. Behind them are the information boards with the history of the fell locomotives rusty remnants of the fell engines that once rode the rimutaka incline the summit tunnel. As the line was a superior route to wellington compared with the wairarapa line over the rimutaka incline, as much freight as could be diverted to the new route was, and the napier express passenger trains were also diverted to run through woodville via palmerston north to wellington. It runs between maymorn and cross creek, and follows 22 kilometres 14 mi of the original route of the wairarapa line over the remutaka range between the mangaroa valley and the wairarapa, including the worldfamous rimutaka incline. Prebook a shuttle to accommodation, towns and train services from cross creek with rimutaka shuttles. It is a very special museum, staffed by volunteers, dedicated to preserve the fell steam engine, the special steam engine to tackle the very steep gradient at rimutaka incline. For almost 80 years, until 1955 the rimutaka incline linked the wairarapa with wellington. This is the remarkable history of the fell railway. A portrait of porirua the creation of a planned city, by neil and june penman our story follows the coming of man, the settlement of the district, the porirua hospital and the u. Over a hundred years ago more and more people came to the wairarapa to make farms with animals and vegetables for food.
The rimutaka incline was a 3milelong, 3 ft 6 in gauge railway line on an average grade of 1in15, open 1878 to 1955. The book traces the trains journey up the incline during a particularly stormy night. For almost 80 years, until 1955 the rimutaka incline linked the wairarapa. With huge piles of brick and masonry sprawling across the footpaths and roadway, shattered shop windows, and trailing hightension lines, the condition of the milelong thoroughfare was testimony to the intensity of the previous nights earthquake. This was the first major loss of life on new zealands railways. Apr 12, 2019 behind them are the information boards with the history of the fell locomotives rusty remnants of the fell engines that once rode the rimutaka incline the summit tunnel. The stories recorded here describe the ancient and bloody wars fought, lost and won by whiao along with their more recent courtroom battles. Media in category rimutaka incline the following 41 files are in this category, out of 41 total. Jun 01, 2018 today i walked 42 km from trentham to featherston doing the old rimutaka rail trail and incline. Nov 20, 2017 we get off through the tunnel at maymorn station and are back 5 hours later after a glorious day cycling the historic rimutaka rail trail. The remutaka rimutaka cycle trail is truly one of new zealands great rides. Running from kaitoke to summit, the remutaka rail trail links with the docmanaged incline down to cross creek in the wairarapa. It commemorates 60,000 new zealand troops who made the crossing between the military camp in featherston and hutt balley between 1915 and 1919. In 2011 the rimutaka incline railway heritage trust put forward a proposal to.
Enjoy swimming and fishing in the nearby pakuratahi river and picnic or camp in the pleasant surrounds of ladle bend and summit. Wonderfully evocative pictorial history of the new zealand railways as they transitioned from steam to diesel in the 1950s. Material relating to the history of each bridge is now gathered into. The rimutaka cycle trail is a great way to explore the landscapes and history of the wellington region. The line becomes the first in new zealand to be wholly dieselised. A pictorial history of steam trains in new zealand, illustrated with photographs from. Rimutaka rail trail wellington 2020 all you need to. Nationalisation of the wellington manawatu line in 1908 resulted in several operational changes at woodville. Toilets are located at the kaitoke and cross creek entrances. It was my first time in my new boots and i developed blisters at the back of my heels i had plasters, otherwise they were very comfy, and i know theyll serve me well. Camborne author irene swadling, 75, based her self published novel cross creek return on the railway. Camborne author irene swadling has written a novel based on the rimutaka incline railway. The rimutaka range is part of a north island mountain chain that runs from the gisborne region down to wellington region.
A life bookended by the rimutaka inclines birth and demise is told in a new historical novel. Its a fairly easy ride with lots of stops, packed with bush and mountain scenery and haunted with history. For 77 years specially built fell engines climbed the rimutaka incline connecting wellington and the wairarapa. The rimutaka incline railway accident occurred on 11 september 1880 when the leading three carriages on a greytown to wellington train were blown off the track in strong winds near the siberia tunnel. Marine deployment in the district up until city status was achieved in 1965. Christmas card designed by a p godber, using a montage of images of railway interest relating to the rimutaka incline. This is the track the railway took before they cut the tunnel through the hill in 1955. A guide to the rimutaka incline national walkway g jupp a line of railway 1976 w n cameron. Maori oral tradition tells us the area is a part of the huge fish te ika a maui, hooked and caught by maui a polynesian tupua super hero. The remutaka incline, completed in 1878, was one of new zealands most ambitious early engineering projects. Aratois pathways, a brief timeline of the wairarapa. Christmas card designed by a p godber, using a montage of images of.
Just below prices tunnel see the map in an earlier post was this quarter mile 400 metre or so straight section which in an otherwise very twisty stretch of railway between cross creek and summit earned it the nickname of the long straight. Four children were killed and adults injured when two rail carriages were blown off the tracks by severe winds on a notoriously exposed part of the remutaka incline railway. The long straight, rimutaka incline, railroad tracks, new. Shows passengers sitting on steps, and walking beside the train, as the five fell engines pull it up the incline.
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