Tūātapere History - Business and Industry, Railway buildings before refurbishment

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Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

Tūātapere History - Business and Industry, Railway buildings before refurbishment: Shown here is very forlorn looking relics of the once proud Tūātapere Branch Railway line. A series of photos shows the Station building, the Goods Shed and the Water Tower. All these are taken after the line closure and before the station building was put to other purposes and renovated a number of times. The donor tells us these photos are from around 1990. The images have faded over time, but still show the station buildings, the town itself and the Main Road, in a different state than what it is today. We are attempting to put a more thorough time-line in place for the Railway buildings and uses over the years, so if anyone can help with more photos or dates that various businesses used them, please do let us know! TŪĀTAPERE BRANCH RAILWAY & STATION MILESTONES: Opened on 23rd September 1909, but some buildings were not finished! FIRE… On 9th January 1915, the station is lost in a blaze. It was rebuilt. On 20 October 1925, this branch line was extended out to Ōrawia. From June 1968, no more steam locomotives ran, the line was dieseled. On 1 October 1970, the later Ōrawia extension ceased to operate. On 30 July 1976, finally the line to Tūātapere was also closed down. Various local enterprises ran from the old Station for some years until Colin Brown, Fairfax rail enthusiast got the buildings to protect them. For many years the buildings had not been used and were left derelict. Recently, Tūātapere Te Waewae Community Board secured both the historic buildings & the site, to develop for the township’s benefit. During 2023, local Fiordland scenic painter, handyman and Chair of the Tūātapere District Promotion Incorporated, along with being a Tūātapere Te Waewae Community Board member, Wayne Edgerton and his helpers, have been renovating the Railway Station, as seen in the photos above. At the beginning of 2024, the Southland District Council put out an RFI or request for information from any interested parties to take over the ownership and operation of the Tūātapere Railway Station as a going concern. Recently, the Tūātapere Te Waewae Community Board have voted that the Railway Station will be passed over to a local group set up to restore it, once they have gained Charitable Trust Status. This transfer of the Railway buildings and land has now taken place and plans are currently afoot to have the station restored and operating as a Rail & Heritage Precinct, which includes an Information Centre and Cafe. The expected date for the completion of this project is late 2025. This entry will be updated as progress is made. Those townspeople who had long hoped to see it retained as a community heritage asset, await this new development with anticipation. Our Community Archive Hub sits adjacent to this building and we have photo and information of Railway history in our windows facing it. We also look forward to the old Railway Station once again being a hive of local activity, as we both tell tales of our past - the station by story boards and objects, and the Community Archive with records, photos, stories and news of the branch line and buildings. HISTORY OF THE STATION: The first station was erected at the time the railway was built, but it did not last long. On the 9th January 1915 the Tūātapere Railway Station was completely destroyed by fire, according to local news. Then the second railway station was built, it is still in existence today, and that is the focus of this entry, as it is currently being refurbished. We had also hoped to see this old building restored to some of its future glory and being used for heritage, so eagerly await further development of this, currently set to be operational from late 2025. We wish them good luck. Sources used for the above are the excellent book, on Tūātapere, 'The Hole in the Bush, a Tuatapere Centennial Review', compiled by Des Williams, 'On The Edge of the Bush', by Sheila Natusch, West to the Fiords', by FWG Miller also published news items from Papers Past, Tūātapere Te Waewae Community Board Reports, local Stuff News Reports, Railway Enthusiast Facebook Groups and local news bulletins. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of the Tūātapere Railway during the years, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per the archive front page. PLEASE NOTE: A lot of times, community memories, such as those passed on by friends, family and contemporaries are used in our stories. It is not always possible to verify memories from others, so please let us know if you believe we have any incorrect information. If you believe that any public or personal record information quoted is wrong, if you can provide proof of any alternative fact to us in a document showing evidence of the correct details, that would be very helpful to us, and we can change it. Thank you.