Silverhope railway station

Silverhope railway station was a station on the North Island Main Trunk in New Zealand, 12 mi 9 ch (19.5 km) from Marton.[1][2] Goods were first carried to the station on 19 October 1887,[3] though the official opening of the 15 mi 57 ch (25.3 km) Marton to Hunterville section wasn't until Saturday 2 June 1888, when the station was served by two trains a week,[4] reported as losing £15 a week.[5] A Certificate of Inspection for the line was issued on Wednesday, 6 June 1888.[4]

Silverhope railway station
Silverhope railway station in 1971
LocationNew Zealand
Coordinates39.965741°S 175.529723°E / -39.965741; 175.529723
Elevation224 m (735 ft)
Line(s)North Island Main Trunk
DistanceWellington 200.28 km (124.45 mi)
History
Opened19 October 1887
Closedpassengers by 19 June 1959
goods 24 October 1971
ElectrifiedJune 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station
Hunterville
Line open, station closed
5.05 km (3.14 mi)		   North Island Main Trunk
KiwiRail		   Rata
Line open, station closed
4.82 km (3.00 mi)

Construction of the line from Marton to Silverhope was under the £27,300 Porewa Contract,[6] for which tenders were sought in March 1885.[7] In May 1885 James Johnston, the contractor, was blamed for only employing 60 navvies, rather than about 200.[8] The contractor's sureties were approached by government in August 1885[9] and in September 1885 the navvies were laid off.[10] The contract was relet[11] to Mr Howe, who completed it about 2 months late.[12] It was due to such problems, that works further up the line were mostly let to worker cooperatives.[13]

Silverhope had a population of 174 in 1901,[14] which had declined to 55 by 1911.[15] In 1905 it had two sawmills, cutting rimu, matai, and kahikatea, which was sent to Marton.[16] One mill moved to Taihape in 1907,[17] but there was still one mill here in 1958.[18]

Silverhope was named after London merchant, Stephen William Silver, after whom Silvertown in London is also named.[19] About 1879,[20] he bought the 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) property and converted it from bush to farming.[21]

By 1896 Silverhope had a shelter shed, passenger platform, cart approach, urinals and a passing loop for 21 wagons. Stockyards were added in 1908.[3]

The bridge over the Porewa Stream, just south of the station,[22] was damaged by a flood in 1904.[23] A slip blocked the line in 1907.[24]

A report on 19 June 1959 said there was no passenger, parcels, or outwards small lots goods traffic and only three inwards loads of livestock, potatoes, and manure in the previous two years. The station closed on 24 October 1971 and tenders were called for removal of buildings in 1972.[3]

Little remains of what was always a very small station. Only a single track runs through the station site.[25]

References
  1. New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas (First ed.). Quail Map Co. 1965. pp. 3 & 4.
  2. Pierre, Bill (1981). North Island Main Trunk. Wellington: A.H&A.W Reed. pp. 289–290. ISBN 0589013165.
  3. "Stations" (PDF). NZR Rolling Stock Lists. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  4. "INTERPROVINCIAL. EVENING STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2 June 1888. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  5. "Local and General News. FEILDING STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 24 July 1888. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  6. "THE TRUNK RAILWAY. AUCKLAND STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 22 January 2021. |first= missing |last= (help)
  7. "NEW ZEALAND HERALD". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 7 March 1885. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  8. "NEWS AND NOTES. HAWERA & NORMANBY STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 27 May 1885. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  9. "LOCAL AND GENERAL. WANGANUI CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 25 August 1885. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  10. "LOCAL AND GENERAL. WANGANUI CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1 September 1885. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  11. Public Works Statement. 25 June 1886.
  12. "LOCAL AND GENERAL. WANGANUI CHRONICLE". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 7 May 1886. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  13. C. McPherson and K. Astwood (31 January 2012). "IPENZ Engineering Heritage Register Report Makohine Viaduct" (PDF).
  14. "Results of the Census of New Zealand, taken for the night of the 31st March, 1901".
  15. "Report on the results of a census of the Dominion of New Zealand, taken for the night of the 2nd April, 1911" (PDF).
  16. "Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives — 1905 Session I — C-06 THE TIMBER INDUSTRY OF NEW ZEALAND". atojs.natlib.govt.nz. 1905. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  17. "Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives — 1907 Session I — C-04 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS: THE TIMBER INDUSTRY IN NEW ZEALAND IN 1907". atojs.natlib.govt.nz. 1907. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  18. "THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE" (PDF). 4 December 1958.
  19. "S. W. Silver and Co". www.gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  20. Linnean Society of London (1848–1968). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. London, Published for the Linnean Society of London by Academic Press [etc.]CS1 maint: date format (link)
  21. "The Traveller. NEW ZEALAND MAIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 16 October 1891. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  22. "Silverhope, Manawatu-Wanganui". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  23. "THE WANGANUI FLOOD. EVENING POST". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 31 May 1904. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  24. "THE WEATHER. FEILDING STAR". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 27 June 1907. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  25. "38 Silverhope Rd". Google Maps. Retrieved 16 January 2021.


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