Clareville Railway Station
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Clareville
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New Zealand Government Railways (NZGR) regional rail |
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| Location | 48 Chester Road, Clareville, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 41°0′16.51″S 175°32′48.35″E / 41.0045861°S 175.5467639°E |
| Owned by | Railways Department |
| Line(s) | Wairarapa Line |
| Platforms | Single side |
| Tracks | Main (x1) Loop siding (x1) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1 November 1880 |
| Closed | 16 September 1956 (freight) 30 November 1970 (passengers) |
Clareville railway station was a flag station serving the small settlement of Clareville, north of Carterton in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand's North Island. It survived for nine decades from when it opened in 1880 until closure to all traffic in 1970.
Following the opening of the Greytown Branch in May 1880, construction of the line northwards steadily progressed towards Masterton. The first train was able to cross the Waingawa River in late July and due to a donation of 2 acres of land by Donald and Frances Nicolson a shelter was able to be erected at Clareville by the end of August. The station opened to all traffic along with the Woodside – Masterton section of the line on 1 November 1880.
In addition to the shelter shed there was also a loop siding with a capacity of 19 wagons and a loading siding that was used by William Booth's timber mill. The mill, which was located between Carterton and Clareville, later established its own private siding in 1885.
The loading bank was extended to a length of 100 feet (30 m) in 1924 to enable the loading and discharging of race horses. The extra capacity was required to serve up to six 4-wheel horseboxes. The work order noted that the extension should be ready by 15 October 1924 in preparation for use for race traffic on 18 October; work was completed on 4 October.
The Taratahi Dairy Company complained in April 1925 that it, and others, had experienced difficulty in delivering cans of cream to the station. The provision of a cart dock was requested which was duly authorised by the District Engineer. It was constructed at the south end of the station and the District Engineer was advised that work had been completed on 30 June 1925.
Services through Clareville started with two return weekday mixed trains, an arrangement that lasted many decades. No regular passenger-only workings were provided save for the occasional holiday excursion trains. As was typically the case for flag stations, trains only stopped to pick up or set down passengers and wagons if required to do so.
The Wairarapa Line was completed to its northern terminus at Woodville in 1897 and this enabled the Railways Department to introduce the Napier Mail to the Wairarapa Line. This train had earlier run as the Napier Express via the Wellington and Manawatu Railway and the Manawatu Gorge. This arrangement lasted until 1909 when the Napier Mail once again became the Napier Express and reverted to its original route. Thereafter the primary passenger service through the Wairarapa was the Wairarapa Mail which was essentially the Wellington to Woodville portion of the old Napier Mail.
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Wikipedia