Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society

The Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society is a railway heritage and preservation community group in the town of Carterton, in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand's North Island. The society has leased the Carterton railway station building through the Carterton District Council, though it is owned by the New Zealand Railways Corporation.

The society operates a museum from the station using volunteer labour, in which items of railway and other local historical interest are on display. This includes static displays in the station building, as well as items of railway rolling stock which are stored in the station yard. The Wairarapa Line runs through the site and the station also serves as a stop for the Wairarapa Connection passenger train.

History

The impetus for the formation of the society was a proposal in the 1980s to demolish the historic station building at Carterton station and replace it with a more modern structure. Some concerned locals formed a group in 1990 with the goal of preventing this and restoring the station building. After recovering from an arson attack in 1993, the refurbishment was finally completed in 1996.

Since then, the society has been responsible for maintenance of the buildings and fences at the site, and has worked with other local like-minded groups to acquire items of local historical interest for their archives and display in the Carterton Railway Museum at the Carterton railway station.

Affiliated groups

The society is a member of the following organisations:

Wairarapa Heritage Association
Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand (FRONZ)

The society has also worked with the Carterton District Historical Society to acquire memorabilia for the museum, and has the support of the Carterton District Council and Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.

Museum

A&G Price TR170 (TR724 TMS), stored offsite.

The museum normally opens to the public on Sundays. Displays include:

Rolling stock
Photographs
Railway artefacts
Waingawa station building
Railway signalling apparatus
Railway motor trolleys
A&G Price Shunting locomotive TR 170 (TR 724 TMS) - stored offsite

Upon occasion, the society has been involved in or associated with plans to relocate other buildings of historical railway interest in the Wairarapa to the Carterton station precinct for preservation purposes, including the Greytown station goods shed (currently located on West Street in Greytown) and the class 6 passenger shelter building from Solway station.

External links

Society's official website

Railway preservation in New Zealand New Zealand railway heritage and preservation groups

Upper North Island	Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Bush Tramway Club Driving Creek Railway Glenbrook Vintage Railway Goldfields Railway Helensville Railway Station Precinct Mainline Steam Heritage Trust Museum of Transport and Technology Papatoetoe Railway Station Preservation Trust Railway Enthusiasts Society Rotorua Ngongotaha Railway Trust Waikino Victoria Battery Tramway and Museum Whangarei Steam and Model Railway Club

Lower North Island	East Coast Museum of Technology Feilding and District Steam Rail Society Fell Locomotive Museum Gisborne City Vintage Railway Mainline Steam Heritage Trust Main Trunk Rail Ohakune New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Ormondville Rail Preservation Society Paekakariki Station Precinct Trust Pahiatua Railcar Society Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust Silver Stream Railway Steam Incorporated SteamRail Wanganui Tokomaru Steam Museum Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society Waitara Railway Preservation Society Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust Wellington Heritage Multiple Unit Preservation Trust Wellington Tramway Museum

South Island	Blenheim Riverside Railway Canterbury Railway Society Canterbury Steam Preservation Society Diesel Traction Group Ferrymead Railway Ferrymead Two Foot Railway Kingston Flyer Lumsden Heritage Trust Mainline Steam Heritage Trust Midland Rail Heritage Trust National Railway Museum of New Zealand Nelson Railway Society Oamaru Steam and Rail Restoration Society Ocean Beach Railway Ohai Railway Board Heritage Trust Pleasant Point Museum and Railway Project Steam Reefton Historic Trust Board Dunedin Railways (inc. Otago Excursion Train Trust) The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum Tramway Historical Society Waimea Plains Railway Weka Pass Railway West Coast Historical and Mechanical Society (inc. Shantytown) Westland Heritage Park Westport Railway Preservation Society

Coordinates: 41°01′18″S 175°31′24″E / 41.0217°S 175.5234°E / -41.0217; 175.5234

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