Friday 14 October 2011

NIMT Sidings Linton-Marton

This might seem a bit esoteric but I have mapped all these into the NIMT maps recently so there is enough detail for a post. Contrary to what I stated elsewhere these maps are all mapped from the NZ Rail Maps website, but they will be from the latest version of the map and that version could be updated in the future.

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Siding (purple) to Linton Army Camp top right. Came off old bridge route of NIMT (aqua). Hypothetical siding in Linton-Longburn area. Not sure it existed.

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Here are sidings at Longburn. Foxton Branch to left & old PN city line to right. Private siding at Milson.

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More sidings at Milson. The Electricity Department had this siding at Bunnythorpe. Last used about 1992.

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Also at Bunnythorpe is Glaxo's first factory (they started in dairy) which was later a bike manufacturer's premises. Sidings on outskirts of Feilding, southern one a freezing works.

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Feilding has a steam rail society based here. Just north of the town at Makino there used to be this dairy factory. Owned by Glaxo at one stage.

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Approaching Halcombe this track realignment is passed. There might have been a siding to this Kakariki factory once.

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Another possible siding site at Kakariki. Also at Kakariki may have been a ballast metal site.

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Just outside Marton are these sidings for a malt works, owned by Malteurop. Taonui near Palmerston North once had a short branch running off the NIMT.
Thanks to Steve Watts for confirming the NZED Bunnythorpe siding. You can see his photos here. Like other NZED sites such as Islington it is set well back from the main road and is a big site with a long siding. NZED's (this part is now Transpower) major substations are often set back some distance from rail tracks and roads. The result is a track length of some 800 metres. The Glaxo factory at Bunnythorpe was built in 1904 and used for some 70 years to make infant formula. Later on it was the Pantha BMX bike factory and had its own BMX track on the site. The route that its siding might have taken isn't clear on the overheads, whether it was separate off the NIMT or off the NZED one. When the map of the factory above updates you will be able to see a hypothetical route directly off the NIMT.