Ashburton Railway Station

Rimu chose the Ashburton Railway Station as the Ashburton Treasure we wanted to find out more about. Firstly we divided into groups of four and from our A to Z list of Ashburton Treasures we each chose a treasure and drew a group question map. Our class favourite from all the question maps was the Ashburton Railway Station.

We used question starters to record suitable questions for research. We put our inquiry questions that we chose into carriages on a train..

We have presented our information and answers to our inquiry questions under two headings "Then" and "Now" so that we can compare what the railway station was like many years ago and what it is like today.

When Great-Grandma and

Grandpa went to the station...

When I visit the Railway Station...

Ashburton people were very proud of their first railway station which was opened in 1878 opposite the Post Office.

Ashburton's second railway station was built in 1917 and designed by George Troup. It was built further north on East Street and included a waiting room, a book stall, a refreshment room, a booking office, a parcels office and a station master's office.

Passenger trains took people from Ashburton to Christchurch and Timaru for shopping, picnics, boarding school and to catch the ferry at Lyttelton. The trains stopped at all the little country stations on the way e.g. Dromore, Chertsey and Rakaia. People also came to Ashburton for the races, the show and to picnic at the domain. Each train had a guard's van for luggage and parcels.

Today more people travel by car, bus or plane so there are no passenger trains passing through Ashburton. Some Ashburton people want the railway station to remain as part of Ashburton's past and some want it demolished.

Freight trains carried coal, timber and grain in open top wagons.

Freight trains still pass through Ashburton. They carry lots of containers and refrigerated wagons.

This is Ashburton's overhead bridge. People were able to walk down steps onto the station platform.

People use the overhead bridge to cross the railway tracks safely from East Street to West Street.