Archives and Research Centre
The museum archives contain a wide range of information and items and we are actively working to expand the archives and associated research centre. Any information you have, particularly on the Wairarapa line which runs from Wellington to Woodville, would be most appreciated.
Please do not throw away those old railway photos, staff information, railway documentation or memorabilia. Once gone, it is lost forever. If you are not sure about what you have, please ask us.
A Brief History of the Carterton Railway Station Building
- The railway station building houses the Carterton Railway Museum.
- The building is the second oldest station in New Zealand that is still on it’s original site.
- It is a Vogel type and was completed in 1880.
- It is built of the native timbers Totara, Rimu and Kahikatea.
- Tongue and groove wall boarding was used for the inside walls.
- The veranda was added in 1899 and the ends of the veranda were fitted with sliding shelter panels circa 1900.
- In 1900 home signals were installed.
- In 1902 the Wairarapa line was the first in New Zealand to be equipped with the Tyers Tablet system. This system was decommissioned in 1994 and was one of the last stations in New Zealand operating tablets.
- By early 1908 the station was lit by gas and in 1928 was lit by electricity.
- The bookstall with its bay window was added in 1912.
- The portico on the Wheatstone Street side was added in 1923/24.
- The building was closed for business in 1988. The platform is still used most days by commuters and visitors for getting on or off passenger trains.
- Carterton had one
- Carterton was the last semaphore signalled station on an operating line in New Zealand. The signals were decommissioned on 17th September 2001.
- The men’s toilet block was built at the same time the station was built and is the oldest working railway men’s toilet in New Zealand. There is also a coal shed attached to the toilets.
History of the Carterton Railway Museum
In 1990, the Carterton Railway Station building was scheduled for demolition. A group of volunteers got together to work out how to save building. A year later, the group of volunteers became incorporated and were called the Wairarapa Restoration Society Incorporated.
The station was sub-leased from the Carterton District Council, who leased it from New Zealand Rails Ltd. The station is now owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council. At first, the lease was for the station, coal shed and men’s toilets only. The rest of the railway precinct was later added to the lease.
Not long after, the station became a museum and the society changed its name to the Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society Incorporated, home of the Carterton Community and Railway Museum.
In 2007 the Carterton Railway Station received a restoration award from the Railway Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
In 2009 the museum name was changed to the Carterton Railway Museum, as this more closely defines what the museum is about
In 2010 the Society celebrated it’s 20th Anniversary