Ohakune Junction, the hub of the North Island Main Trunk

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 535, 10 May 1994, Page 8

Ohakune Junction, the hub of the North Island Main Trunk

Sunday's reopening of the Ohakune rail turntable prompted a review of local rail history.

By

Graham

Parker,

with acknowledgements to Merrilyn George and Bill Pierre.

Continued from last week's Bulletin Picture trains would run from Taumarunui in the north picking up patrons from Erua, Pokaka and Horopito, and from Taihape in the south picking up people from Tangi wai, Karioi and Rangataua. Reputedly if you lived in points between, the driver could be flagged down. He would not stop but slow sufficiently for people to get on and off. Local drivers knew where all people lived in those days!. Picture patrons would pay their admission, place coats and hats on their seats and go off and do their shopping at the Junction. By 1935 there were three grocers, a bakery, a barber, two billiard rooms, a fruiterer, a radio shop, a butcher, a dentist, two drapers, as well as tearooms, hotels and boarding houses. The first motor garage was started by Archie Webb just below the Kings Court Hotel. Little did he know that his model T Fords, Dodges, Willys Knight and Whippets would signify the beginning of the decline of the Railway - not yet though, Rail was in its zenith!. The iron road with its 3ft 6inch gauge dominated transport from the opening of the Trunk through to the end of the Second World War. Cars, trucks and planes were what dreams were made of. The slow, noisy dirty "Buck X" dominated the central section of the Trunk. This era is brilliantly recalled in Tom Masterton' s book "Mountain Engine Men". A train journey was an adventure in the early days of

rail. However the first passenger trains provided a revolution in transport - a far cry from the traditional Cobb & Co type stage coach. In the early days, before the rail was continuous from Auckland to Wellington, passengers would train to the Railhead, coach the gap and then train on to their destination. For some time Ohakune East was the northern terminal for the Wellington section of the line. Passengers would leave the train at Ohakune and coach to the southern terminus of the Auckland section. Often they would stay overnight in Ohakune. Two notable Junction hotels, Kings Court built in 1 9 1 3, and the Eastern Grande, built in 1910 more lately called the Argonaut, Regent and now Turoa Lodge, were built for this purpose. Refreshing Ohakune Once the Main Trunk Line was officially opened on 6 November 1 908 by Prime Minister Joseph Ward, Ohakune became an important maintenance station, the change over point for locomotives and crews, and after the withdrawal of dining cars in 1917, an important refreshment stop. Railway refreshment rooms are part of New Zealand's heritage. As express trains approached Ohakune from north and south the guard would pass through the train (in his black uniform with silver buttons with a red & green flag in the top pocket, a fob watch on a chain and a whistle) shining his torch on sleepy faces saying "Ohakune Junc-

tion - time for refreshments". Almost before the train stopped bleary-eyed passengei would pile off the train through the steam clouds from th carriage heating pipes and rush to the counter for th famous Railway pie, fruit cake, huge ham and tomat sandwiches and tea and coffee in the thick Railway cup After pushing and shoving, travellers would take the food and drink back to the carriages and await the "bump as the locomotive was backed on to the train after servic ing. Look out the window and you would see a uniforme porter pushing a loaded red baggage barrow along to th Guardsvan. Shortly after the Station Public Address sys tem would burble a semi-audible warning that the Limite Express for Wellington was about to depart. "All aboard please passengers" would just be discen ible through the fogged-up carriage windows by passer gers running back to their carriages slurping their tea an coffee into the saucer. A bell would ring then the shri blast of the guard' s whistle would be heard and with (hopefully gentle) "clunk" (depending on the mood an skill of the driver) the train would slowly slip into th night, gathering momentum as it clicked and clacked ovc turn-outs and past yard lights railway buildings, Jiggc sheds and signals. The carriage would start gently rocking as it picked u speed - just enough to make it difficult to eat and drink. A they said in New Zealand folklore "As you raced down th carriage aisle doing the 4 minute mile just to get a stale pi and cuppa". The Ohakune Refreshment Rooms were open day an night with the staff working a day shift one week and night shift the next. In the early days the food was all bakei on the premises in a coal range oven. The rooms were ; meeting point for locals at all hours, somewhat like ; milkbar of the 50s and 60s. A popular local pastime was t go up to the Station and watch the people and the trains a a refreshment stop. The Depression of the 1930s brought the first signs o decline in the importance of Ohakune Junction. Loca business from the station began to drop, especially th timber trade. By 1 935 departmental telephone circuits hac simplified control of traffic and distribution of informa tion, extensive widening of cuttings and fillings had made the district office no longer essential for line maintenance Staff numbers began to be scaled down. With the introduction of the Ka class locomotive, train; could carry heavier tonnage, directly through the centra North Island. Fewer trains needed remarshalling. Thc number of locomotives based in Ohakune could be reduced and consequently so could staff. However war in th Pacific from 1941 revived the local economy with th market gardening. Nearly all of the local produce o carrots, swedes, potatoes and sprouts was taken by rail ii Z KP and KS wagons to the city markets. Packing wa done in the Ohakune Goodsheds. Motor car hits rail However a more threatening development as far as th future of rail was concerned was slowly gaining momen tum in the late 30s and 40s. In an attempt to solve thi economic depression the Savage Labour Government ha been priming the economy. Public works schemes madi roads in the region much more useable. At the same timi New Zealand was becoming a car-oriented society. Thi car gave travellers much more freedom and independenci along with door-to-door service. At the same time thi quality of rail travel for passengers did not improve. Fron the post war era people began to use their cars for lonj distance travel. At the same time the National Airway: Corporation began regular flights for passengers betweei main cities using ex-US Airforce DC3 Douglas Dakota: cutting travel times considerably. The impact of the motor vehicle was felt among thi business community of Ohakune Junction. They now hac to compete directly with retailers in Ohakune town. Junc tion residents could easily get to town by car on improvec roads. Slowly the number of shops began to decline. Fortunately for Railways, rail freight did not decline significantly, at least initially. As a Government Depart ment the Railways were protected by law from competi tion from road transport. Trucks were only allowed tc travel a certain distance from their registered base. How ever, through the 50s and 60s Railways lost credibilit) with a lot of their customers. Many felt protection hac made them overconfident and overstaffed and grossl) inefficient. Damages werecommon as was pilfering. The) did not possess 'the right attitude' according to some. Diesel does it Ohakune Junction Station suffered further blows in thc mid 60s with the decision to scrap steam trains in favoui of diesel. The introduction of the DA 1425 horsepowei diesel electric engine in the mid 1950s meant that thc locomotive depot at the Junction could be scaled righ down as diesels did not need servicing mid-journey. The) could also pull heavier trains through the central hil country and shunt successfully on their own. Steam 'banking' duties at Ohakune were no longei required, nor was remarshalling of trains so important Railway staff numbers declined, and so too did the Junction population and the number of shops. Continued next weei