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The Waitara Branch is a 7.245 km long branch line railway in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island. It was built as part of the region's first railway, linking New Plymouth with the closest suitable port, then the river port of Waitara. In 1884 the Breakwater port was opened in New Plymouth, but the line was saved when a (meat) freezing works was opened at Waitara in 1885.
For many years the line served the Borthwicks freezing works in town, until it closed in 1995. Services ceased on 16 June 1995. The branch was closed on 2 February 1999. The line has since been purchased by the Waitara Railway Preservation Society, who now operate tourist trains on the line.
In 1874, while the land was being cleared at Sentry Hill for the new railway, the daughter of William Perrett (a labourer working on the line) was abducted after he had ignored requests not to dig through a Māori burial ground from the New Zealand Wars a decade earlier. Caroline Perrett (known to all as "Queenie") was not seen by her parents again and not rediscovered by her original family until 1926, 52 years after the incident occurred.
Waitara's role as the main port for New Plymouth did not last long. Shortly after the line was completed a breakwater was built at what is now Port Taranaki and Waitara became a local port only. The establishment of a freezing works in 1887 provided steady traffic over the line and prevented the line from closure. Other notable traffic included plants from the Duncan & Davies nurseries and produce from the Waitara Taranaki Co-operative Dairy Factory (later Moa-Nui Co-op Daries) sidings, both located at Waitara Road station.
The original track was replaced with 53lb rail in 1911, allowing heavier locomotives to work the line. Workers were camped in portable railway huts at Waitara Station.
Passenger accommodation was removed from Monday, 28 April 1946. They were replaced by buses operated by the Railways Road Service, who had purchased the private New Plymouth - Waitara bus service the previous year. These continued operating until 1991 when private enterprise took over the services.
By the 1950s the line was operated by tender engines such as the AB class, the last of which (AB 708) departed Waitara Station on 8 November 1966. These were replaced with the DB class in the 1970s and DBR, DC and DSC class in the 1980s and 90s. In the final years it was not uncommon for trains to be replaced with trucks as tonnages declined.
| 22 Sep 1986 |
| 5 Dec 1963 |
| 2 Feb 1999 |
| 2 Feb 1999 |
Station buildings at Waitara Road and Sentry Hill were simple Class 6 shelter sheds, befitting their status as flag stops only.
The station complex was upgraded again at the end of 1911 with a full repaint and the addition of a veranda to the station building.
With this solution came a new issue, however, as it caused direct trains to bypass the old Sentry Hill station site which was now located on the branch line instead of the main line. For a time, trains needing to stop at the station would reverse into or out of the station yard before continuing their journey, but this wasn't a satisfactory solution.
To fix this problem, in 1894 a new Sentry Hill passenger station was opened located roughly 49 chains south of the old station and just past the junction points for the new loop line. The old Sentry Hill station was closed and passenger facilities removed (though the yard and goods shed remained at the old location pending completion of the new station site).
The new Sentry Hill station location was not entirely satisfactory. There were complaints about poor access to the new platform, and the station location was located on a grade that was less than desirable from an operational perspective. In 1903 a new passenger shelter was even constructed at the old Sentry Hill station site after petitions from the local community and was served by branch line trains, despite the new station still being in operation a short distance away on the mainline.
On the same date that Lepperton Junction opened both the “new” Sentry Hill station and the original Lepperton station (located closer to Manutahi Road) were closed to all traffic. From the same date the “old” Sentry Hill station was fully reopened, now serving as a branch line station only. The rails for the direct link between Waitara and New Plymouth remained in situ (though largely unused) until 1914. In that year the rails for the original direct link between Waitara and New Plymouth were finally lifted and the triangle junction arrangement was removed for good.
A practical route for the line was found by heading north from Waitara along the coast until reaching the Mimi River valley, before heading inland along the river valley. From the top of the valley, a tunnel to Tangarakau was needed, before following the Ohura River Valley. "The total distance is 40. miles, and the steepest gradient one in 50, and only two small tunnels will be required. The country is somewhat broken."
This proposal was still under consideration in 1893 (along with an alternative route linking just south of Stratford, which would eventually become the Stratford – Okahukara Line). An alternative survey considered taking the link up the Urenui River. A report in 1899 ended any chance of the route being built through Waitara, citing that the land for most of the route is not well suited for development and, as the route would not be able to compete with sea travel, the aim of the route should be to connect as much back country as possible with the local port instead.
Such an extension would have required a substantial bridge over the Waitara river, with an opening span to allow for steamer traffic to pass through.
In 1929 preparations were made to replace the level crossing between the railway and Mamaku Road (later Devon Road and now part of State Highway 3) at Big Jim's Hill. This location had become the site of a few near-misses over the previous decades, including from 'trolleys' which provided no warning to road users of their approach. The level crossing was replaced with an overpass for the highway, known today as Big Jim's Overpass.
On the 3rd March 1962 AB817 was taken for a joyride from the Waitara Engine shed to the top of Big Jims hill by four locals (including a former railways employee) in the early hours of the morning. The engine was then driven back to the Waitara station yard.
In the 13 July 1970 the Waitara railway station had part of its roof torn off in a tornado. The tornado (which travelled inland along Domett Street) also ripped roofs of several houses and the St Johns Anglican church hall.
At the other end of the line, the island railway station at Lepperton Junction was replaced in 1965 with a smaller station adjacent to Mountain Road (State Highway 3A), that survived onsite until 1994 when the building was removed (having been sold in 1992).
Since that time passenger services have resumed and work is being done to rehabilitate the line. The former Tahora railway station building has been relocated to the site of the former Waitara Road station and various carriages, locomotives and other rolling stock is being restored to operational standards for use on the line. The former port sidings have been removed as part of a riverside redevelopment, shortening the branch to 7.03 km in length.
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