The street side of Waimate station is seen here shortly after opening in 1907. (From a postcard in the C.E. Dash collection.)
The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust was delighted to receive a grant of $19,200 from the Rimutaka Trust towards the preparation of architectural design work, working drawings and specification of a heritage station building at Maymorn. The Trust appreciates the ongoing support of the Rimutaka Trust for the railway in its planning stage.
A heritage station building replicating that designed by George Troup is planned for Maymorn, the southern terminus and operational base of the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust. The station building will be the focal point of the heritage railway precinct, within which the Trust proposes to house interpretative displays for the public, and promote knowledge of the Rimutaka Incline Railway (refer to Newsletter 11 for more details).
A number of ‘Troup’ stations were historically associated with the Wellington to Masterton Railway, including that at Lower Hutt, and those formerly at Kaiwharawhara, Petone and Masterton. Having determined the range and scope of activities to be carried out within and about the station building the Trust drew up a short list of designs of suitable size (33m long by 6m wide), including Blenheim, Kaiapoi and Waimate. By replicating an existing design the Trust hopes to reduce the extent of new design work. The former Waimate station design has been selected as it includes all the desired features including:
- gables at each end of the building decorated with scrollwork
- 20' wide, pitched verandah with decorative ironwork at each end
- central twin gabled wings on the street side
- eaves and gables supported on large corbels
- bay windows, dormers and porches on the street side
It could be viewed as being a smaller version of the former Masterton ‘Troup’ station. The station building will be the perfect compliment to heritage train services that the Trust proposes to operate between Upper Hutt, Maymorn and Summit.
The entrance to the replica station building at Maymorn will be similar to that at Blenheim. Photo: Glenn Fitzgerald.
The Trust has commissioned the preparation of architectural design work, working drawings and specification with Chris Cochran, a renowned conservation architect, who has been involved with a significant number of projects, including: Shackleton’s Nimrod Hut at Cape Royds, Antarctica; heritage building conservation guides for the Historic Places Trust; an inventory of Non-Residential Heritage Buildings, Wellington City; the restoration of St Joseph’s church, Pauatahanui; Solway Showgrounds, Masterton; amongst others.
The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is planning to develop a heritage railway between Upper Hutt and South Wairarapa, reinstating the majority of the former government railway route, including the internationally significant Fell-worked Rimutaka Incline.