Turangarere railway station
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Turangarere railway station | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hautapu Bridge from the horseshoe curve in 2018. A substation is at the site of Turangerere station | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | New Zealand | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°35′08″S 175°43′57″E / 39.585536°S 175.732558°E | ||||||||||
| Elevation | 702 m (2,303 ft) | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | North Island Main Trunk | ||||||||||
| Distance | Wellington 270.79 km (168.26 mi) | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1906 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 23 October 1966 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | June 1988 | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Turangarere was a flag station[2] on the North Island Main Trunk line,[3] in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand, in the Hautapu River valley.[4] Turangarere is part way up a 1 in 70 gradient from Mataroa to Hīhītahi,[5] so that it is 62 m (203 ft) above Ngaurukehu and 39 m (128 ft) below Hīhītahi.[1] The station was on a horseshoe curve, formed to avoid an even steeper gradient, by adding about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to the route.[6] Only a single track now remains through the former station site.[7]
In 1909 it was proposed to name the crossing siding Hautapu. However, it became Gardner & Son's Siding,[8] usually abbreviated to Gardners Siding,[9] which was changed to Turangaarere on 25 October 1928. The Geographical Board recognised a change from Tarangarere to Turangaarere in 1929.[10] Hīhītahi, the next settlement up the line, had its name changed from Turangaarere in 1910.[8]
History
Bridge
Turangarere Bridge has five 44 ft (13 m) spans to cross the Hautapu.[11] It was built under a co-operative contract by 1899. All the timber other than the maire blocks had to be brought from Taihape.[15] The river was diverted in 1905 to avoid the need for a further two bridges.[16]
