Dalefield Railway Station

Story

Dalefield railway station was a station on the Wairarapa Line that served the small rural community of Dalefield, just south of Carterton in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand’s North Island. It survived for just over a century from when the line opened in 1880 until it was closed in 1981.HistoryFacilitiesLike most of the Wairarapa stations as far north as Masterton, Dalefield opened along with the line between Woodside and Masterton on 1 November 1880. Several months after the opening of the Greytown Branch in May 1880, a shelter shed had been constructed at Dalefield which, along with a short loop siding, comprised the few amenities that were provided there.Concerns about the possibility of stock straying along the line, brought about by the recent decking of the bridge south of the station yard in 1910 for shunting purposes, led to a request for the original road alignment through the station, which had earlier been moved north in 1895, to be restored. As the road crossed both the main line and the loop siding, access through the station yard on the road was controlled by station gates which were frequently being left open, making it possible for stock to escape. Various remedies were suggested and in 1912 the Wairarapa South County Council submitted a proposal to the Railways Department which called for the loop siding to be shortened and cattle stops to be installed so passage along the road could be permitted without the need for gates.A meeting between the council and the department was arranged to discuss possible modifications. The council expressed its concern about the existing road crossing which, for example, caused problems when wagons were left in the siding thus blocking access through the yard. As objections had been raised over the idea of shortening the loop it was suggested that the loop instead be extended northwards which would also require the moving of the platform and shelter north also.