The third incarnation of the Commercial Hotel was built in 1935 on the corner of Main Street and Te Marae o Hine, The Square. It was demolished in 1986. After the Milson deviation was completed in 1960 and the new Railway Station opend in October ...
Date: 1946 to 1954
This railway bridge near Ashhurst was completed in 1890. The railway line that runs through the Manawatū Gorge opened in 1891. This view is taken from the end of Mulgrave Street, Ashhurst.
This image is derived from a copy negative made from a pho...
Date: 1890
The railway line that runs through the Manawatū Gorge opened in 1891. Visible on the opposite side of the gorge is the road that was constructed between 1871 and 1872.
This image is derived from a copy negative made from a photograph that was loan...
Date: circa 1960
A train pulls into the Ashhurst Railway Station. Ashhurst Station operated as a simple flag station for its first year, then on 7 March 1892 the railway station was opened. It was an important stop before entering the Manawatū Gorge, on the Palmer...
Date: circa 1925
This image is derived from a copy negative made from a photograph loaned for copying. The original photograph is not held by the Ian Matheson City Archives.
Date: circa 1940
Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 4th October 2022. Part 2 of 2. Joined the railways in 1963. Shunting and local trips. Got boiler ticket, then fireman’s ticket. In Woodville to 1969, trips as far as Wellington, diesel. Go...
Creator: Stuart Birks
Place: Palmerston North
Date: October 4, 2022
Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 27th September 2022. Part 1 of 2. Born in Otaki maternity home. To Foxton when 6 years old (1951). Father’s work and health problems. Life in Foxton in 1950s. Early interest in trains. Grandfather was...
Creator: Stuart Birks
Place: Palmerston North
Date: September 27, 2022
Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 30th January 2024. Part 1 of 2. Hostess on the Silver Fern in the early 1970s. Uniforms. Hours of work. Duties, types of passenger, behaviour. Alcohol and smoking on the train. Moved on to office work after...
Creator: Stuart Birks
Place: Palmerston North
Date: January 30, 2024
Two railway cottages are visible on the left. The Associated Bottlers Company (ABC) depot is on the right. The ABC was a subsidiary of New Zealand Breweries and operated a beer bottle recycling depot in the good yards. After sorting, the bottle w...
Date: 1971 to 1974
The old gasworks were located near the railways sheds. For a full account of the event, see Manawatu Standard, 5 August 1913, Page 5 in an article entitled "Explosion and Fire" (available online on www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz).
Creator: Unknown
Date: August 5, 1913
Ian Matheson 12/9/1969 notes: This photograph was taken from either the footbridge over the railway lines or the signal box alongside the lines and looks eastwards towards the Square. The railway station (with roofed platform) can be seen on the l...
Creator: Unknown
Place: Palmerston North
Date: circa 1906
The official opening by Mr Moohan, Minister of Railways, at the Longburn end of the deviation, just outside Palmerston North. To his right is Mr W B Tennent, Mayor, and Mr W Nash, Prime Minister.
Creator: Manawatu Evening Standard
Place: Longburn, Palmerston North
Date: 1959
This image was taken for a story that ran in the Manawatū Evening Standard on 19 January, 1967. “A man was seriously injured on Saturday evening when he fell 10ft into the old subway on the disused railway land. He is Mr R. G. Wallace, aged 22, ...
Creator: Manawatū Evening Standard
Place: Palmerston North
Date: January 19, 1967
Creator: Palmerston North City Council, Engineer's Department
Date: 1939
This copy of John Tiffin Stewart's handwritten manuscript was typed in 1967 by Ian Matheson, who has annotated each paragraph with the page numbers of T. Lindsay Buick's Old Manawatu (1903) containing information derived from Stewart's manuscript.
Date: 1902 to 1967
The way is named “The Cutting,” a railway term referencing excavation in a land rise in order to lay railway tracks. There is a deep cutting at the rear boundary of this street, on the North Island Main Tr...
Creator: Heritage Team, Palmerston North City Library
Date: 2025
Work began on the deviation of the railway line to the outskirts of Palmerston North in 1926 but it was not completed until 1959.
Creator: R B Hall
Place: Palmerston North
Date: circa 1929
Creator: Palmerston North City Council
Date: 1972
Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 17th November 2020. Part 4 of 4. Drinking culture. Driver’s last trip to Hawkes Bay. HB line nicknamed “Disneyland”, union activity. Scheduling. Inspectors. The guard in charge of the train. Drink dri...
Creator: Stuart Birks
Place: Palmerston North
Date: November 17, 2020
Local historians weekly "Back Issues" article in the Manawatū Standard. The establishment and development of the railways have been very important for the development of Manawatū and Palmerston North. The first connections were from Foxton throug...
Creator: Geoff Watson
Date: October 22, 2022
This viaduct is 258 feet high. It was built by Andersons Ltd, at a cost of £53,369, out of fabricated steel. It was built to take the the 11.5 axle load of the "X" class engine, and therefore had to be strengthened before the "K", with its 14.5 t...
Creator: Frederick Radcliffe
Place: Palmerston North
Date: circa 1905
Palmerston North Railway Station in central city, 1963
Place: ?
Date: 1963
In 1927, the Railways Department installed an American designed rail crossing called a wig-wag on Main Street, opposite Millar Street. Whilst the loud bells prevented accidents, late trains caused disturbance for residents, and even more so when ...
Creator: Tina White
Place: Palmerston North
Date: September 12, 2020
This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 13 September 1958: "This strange looking vehicle is a Swiss made Matisa railway track recording car which was in the Palmerston North yards testing yesterday. Weighing n...
Creator: Manawatu Evening Standard
Place: Main Street, Palmerston North
Date: September 13, 1958
This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on 30 June 1961 "Once the Rangitikei Line overbridge is completed in the near future incidents such as this with cars held up by trains crossing the roadway will be part of...
Creator: Manawatu Evening Standard
Place: Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North
Date: June 30, 1961
This photograph was created by William James Young in the early 20th century. A large variety of subjects are depicted in the collection, but family, rural life and travel are the most prominent themes. The exact location of the photographs in the...
Creator: William James Young
Place: Auckland
Date: 1909 to 1911
This photograph shows the east side of Frankton Junction Station, looking north. The North Signal Box, which was constructed in 1910, can be seen at the end of the platform.
This photograph was created by William James Young. A large variety of ...
Creator: William James Young
Date: circa 1910
A programme from the opening ceremony of new Longburn railway bridge and deviation. Speakers included R.M. Collis (Chairman, Kairanga County Council), W.B. Tennent (Member of Parliment for Manawatū) and Hon. Michael Moohan (Minister of Railways). ...
Creator: New Zealand Railways
Place: Longburn
Date: circa 1960
The Tokomaru River rail bridge which passed through the Liggins flax mill.
Creator: Russell Liggins
Place: Tokomaru
Date: 2010
An aerial view of the Longburn Rail Bridge.
Creator: Royal New Zealand Air Force
Place: Longburn
Date: 1963-11-19T00:00:00+00:00