Goldfields Railway

The Goldfield Railway Waihi - Waikino Inc. is a daily circulating museum and tourist train on the North Island of New Zealand between the towns of Waihi and Waikino.

The 6.5 km long route, the only remaining stretch of the former East Coast Main Trunk Railway between Paeroa and Tauranga is carried out in the known as Cape gauge standard gauge railway in New Zealand of 1067 mm.

History of the railway line

With the extensive expansion of the Martha Mine in Waihi early 1900s to one of the largest open-cast mines of the country grew, the need for a connection to the under construction rail network. On November 5, 1905, the connection to the rail network of the North Island was carried out by the opening of the railway line between Paeroa and Waihi through the Karangahake Gorge to the 1,006 meter long tunnel Karangahake. For 23 years Waihi was now endpoint of the segment. At this time, numerous alternatives to tap the Bay of Plenty region were tested with the railroad, the plan was eventually adopted in 1909, with the East Coast Main Trunk Line to the connection from Auckland via Tauranga to Whakatane and possibly even up to Gisborne realize. The First World War and the subsequent depression phase caused a delay of these plans so that only in 1928 with the completion of the Frankton - Taneatua branch line Waihi was a through station.

Due to its tortuous course and the steep inclines along the route, an increase of freight from Auckland in the Bay of Plenty district was hardly possible. After the maintenance work by the rising use of track tended to take larger sizes, of the nine -kilometer Kaimai tunnel was dug through the Kaimai Ranges between Gordon and Apata. With its opening in 1979, the route through the Karangahake Gorge Waihi and was closed.

Development of the Railway Museum

In 1980, the Goldfield Steam Train Society was founded by a group of railway enthusiasts with the aim to take over the disused railway station Waihi and the derelict railway tracks between Waihi and Waikino. Already at that time the objective was defined to carry out a museum with historical passenger vehicle material and to familiarize visitors with the railway history of the area.

Mid-nineties, the name was changed to the modern marketing requirements, such as in Goldfield Railway Incorporated.

Today's museum railway operation and vehicles

Taking advantage of various historical vehicles of the New Zealand Railways is done today on the 6.5- kilometer route with three pairs of trains daily operation.

The information presented on the museum railway vehicles have been left behind in the Waihi Station partly after the closure of the line, or be brought up by the railway and friends of other routes in New Zealand.

Sources and links

• Churchman, Geoffrey B.; Hurst, Tony: The Railways Of New Zealand - A Journey Through History, HarperCollins Publishers ( New Zealand ) (for 1st edition 1990), transpress New Zealand Wellington ( 2nd edition 2000), ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
• Goldfield Railway Waihi - Waikino (English )

- 37.383055555556175.83305555556Koordinaten: 37 ° 23 ' S, 175 ° 50'

• Rail ( New Zealand)
• Railway Museum in New Zealand
• Museum Railway
• Track width 1067 mm
• Historic Place Category II