Pigeon Bush railway station was a single platform, rural railway station in an area of the South Wairarapa

Wairarapa

Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...

 district known as Pigeon Bush, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south-west of Featherston

Featherston

Featherston is a name of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings contribute to the collection of pages in the website called "The Featherstone Society".The name is applied to people and...

, in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

’s North Island.

History

During work on the Incline Contract, land was taken just north-east of Lucena’s Creek (known today as Owhanga Stream) for a road diversion around what was to become the yard for a station identified on plans as Lucena’s. By the time the station was opened in 1878, its name had been changed to Pigeon Bush. It had a passenger platform and shelter shed, loading bank, and crossing loop.

The chief traffic through this station was sheep, but its main purpose was to provide a crossing point for trains. H class

NZR H class

The NZR H class locomotive was a unique class of locomotive used by the New Zealand Railways Department on the famous Rimutaka Incline, the three-mile section of 1 in 15 gradient between Cross Creek and Summit, over the Rimutaka Ranges...

 Fell locomotives

Fell mountain railway system

The Fell system uses a raised centre rail between the two running rails on steeply-graded railway lines to provide extra traction and braking, or braking alone. Trains are propelled by wheels or braked by shoes pressed horizontally onto the centre rail, as well as by means of the normal running...

 were used occasionally to bank

Bank engine

A bank engine or helper engine or pusher engine is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a grade...

 trains from Pigeon Bush to Cross Creek until about 1943. The station was fully signalled in 1922.

As a result of the derailing of a mixed train

Mixed train

A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...

 that had just departed Pigeon Bush for Featherston on 19 January 1888 due to severe wind gusts, windbreak fences and rows of willow trees were erected along the length of line most prone to the wind. However, on 9 October 1936, the Wairarapa railcar

NZR RM class (Wairarapa)

The NZR RM class Wairarapa railcar was the first truly successful class of railcars to operate on New Zealand's national rail network...

 Mamari was overturned by a strong wind gust just north of the Pigeon Bush windbreak, coming to rest on its side. There were no fatalities, but several of the passengers required hospital treatment in Featherston. This incident led to the extension of the windbreak fence during the following three months.

The station was closed on 30 October 1955 when the old line over the Rimutaka Ranges was closed while the Rimutaka Deviation

Rimutaka Tunnel

The Rimutaka Tunnel is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Rimutaka Ranges, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line.The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 November 1955, is long...

 was prepared for being opened to traffic. Once the old line and station facilities had been removed, the road reverted to its original course.

Today

There are no obvious signs of the station remaining today, save for the road deviation which is still visible and now provides access to a neighbouring farm. The railway house that was on site and outlasted the station by several decades has been removed. The piles of the rail bridge south of the station that once crossed the Owhango Stream are still in situ.

Future

The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust

Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust

The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is a non-profit, charitable trust in New Zealand that was established in 2003 with the objective of reinstating an operating heritage railway over the Rimutaka Ranges using the original route of the Wairarapa Line between Maymorn and Featherston,...

 aims to restore the original line over the Rimutaka Ranges from Maymorn. At this stage, they have made no firm plans regarding a line between Cross Creek and Featherston.

See also

• Rimutaka Incline
• Rimutaka Tunnel
  Rimutaka Tunnel
  The Rimutaka Tunnel is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Rimutaka Ranges, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line.The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 November 1955, is long...
  
  
• Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust
  Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust
  The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is a non-profit, charitable trust in New Zealand that was established in 2003 with the objective of reinstating an operating heritage railway over the Rimutaka Ranges using the original route of the Wairarapa Line between Maymorn and Featherston,...
  
  

External links

|last=McCracken |first=Hugh |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=Rimutaka Incline Railway}} |last=McCracken |first=Hugh |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=Rimutaka Incline Railway}}