Manawatu rail: Shannon Traditional Cache
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One of a series of simple, easy to find, caches at railway stations in and around the Manawatu.
Welcome aboard the WMR service to Wellington! Last stop Makerua, next stop Kereru. There is also a construction siding to Buckley's Wharf.
Wellington is brilliantly sited - a safe harbour accessible from both the east and west coasts and halfway along the length of the country. But in the mid 1800's it was feared that without access to the hinterland Wellington would stagnate. The Wairarapa land lobbyists obtained a railway into Masterton but that did not generate enough business and interest in a west coast railway increased, especially to the Kapiti and Horowhenua districts. A railway to the Horowhenua did have one big advantage - it would solve an unemployment problem, but it had one big stumbling block - John Hall's cost-cutting government had no money for such a large project. In 1878 a proposal from a private company to build the line convinced the government that the need was real.
By July 1879 a rail route from Wellington to Foxton was partially surveyed (a private rail line between Foxton and the small town of Palmerston had been running since 1876). Nearly all the land as far as Johnsonville had been donated to the government. The line to Johnsonville was fully surveyed and construction of this segment started in August. However construction was slow and hampered by the need to save money. In 1880 the £10M from the Vogel Public Works borrowing from London had nearly dried up, and a Royal Commission was engaged to review all public works projects. They recommended the abandonment of the Wellington to Foxton railway, and that the workmen be transferred to Masterton to work on the Masterton to Hawkes Bay and related rail projects. This recommendation was immediately implemented - all work on the Johnsonville line ceased.
This decision did not go down well in Wellington or in the Manawatu towns of Foxton and Palmerston. John Plimmer, the "Father of Wellington", W.H. Levin, James Wallace, W.T.L. Travers, James Linton, G.V. Shannon, James Bull and others had a proposal for a privately built line: In return for completing the line to Foxton the government would transfer to the company's ownership all lands currently acquired for the line, all surveys, rails and bridges on hand, a grant of land in the harbour to be reclaimed from tunnel material. This was approved in principle and on 15 February 1881 the new company's first prospectus was issued. The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR) needed to raise £50,000 locally, with the remaining £450,000 from London though a share offer of 100,000 £5 shares. By May the £50,000 share allotment had been oversubscribed. Even Maori were interested, swapping land for shares.
On 19 February 1881 Travers held a meeting at Palmerston to put the proposal to the public there. Although he gained a lot of support, a new controversy started: Foxton. The WMR saw more potential and cheaper costs with a connection direct to Palmerston, even though at the time Foxton had a bigger population. This was to cause much debate.
In October a government bill was passed allowing a private railway. In addition to the above agreement the line had to be completed within 5 years, and the government also handed over what rolling stock it had and three blacksmith's shops. After appointment of engineers and tender of contracts, construction to complete the Johnsonville line started in May 1882. After Johnsonville the next stop was Tawa flat, then the line would follow the current railway route and end at Longburn, just south of Palmerston North, to join to the now government owned Foxton-Palmerston Railway. Along the way were some major engineering feats – a series of tunnels to Johnsonville and at Paekakariki, the 38m high Belmont viaduct near Johnsonville, major bridges over the Pauatahanui inlet and the Waikanae, Otaki and Manawatu rivers, and a raised embankment over the vast Makerua Swamp.
The whole route was completed on 3 November 1886, taking 4 years 3 months. The first dividend, of 3.5%, to be paid back to investors was announced six years later, at the tenth annual general meeting in 1891. Profit at last!
Public and goods cars to and from Palmerston had to switch between the Government Foxton-Palmerston Rail and the WMR services at Longburn, just south of Palmerston. The WMR refused to pay the rental charges that the government were asking for access to the line from Palmerston to Longburn. This state continued until until 1908, when the completion of the North Island Main Trunk led to the WMR's purchase by the government. By this time dividends to shareholders had risen to 7% - the line was quite profitable.
Shannon
George Vance Shannon was born in Ulster, Ireland in 1842 and after marring Emily Hewitt came out to Nelson in 1865. They moved to Wellington in 1874 entering into a partnership with a wholesaling and manufacturing company.
In 1881 Shannon was elected as one of the directors of the just founded WMR, and purchased 2000 £5 shares. He returned to England in 1884 to represent the directors on the London Board, as 80% of the funding for the WMR had been raised there. The town of Shannon was named after him by the WMR in recognition of his services to the company. He returned to New Zealand and received a commission as Major for the Wellington Rifles 1st Battalion in 1886 and retired in 1887. In 1888 he accepted a post as adviser to the Customs Office and saved them £5000 within the first 7 months. Shannon died in 1920, leaving 7 children.
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G.V. Shannon, 1882
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Shannon town stands on land that was part of the 1881 Makerua swamp purchase by the WMR. The first auction of town land to settlers was on 8 March 1887, making this the date the town was founded. The town became an important centre for flax milling (flax to hemp, which was exported to be made into rope products).
Shannon Station started as a simple shelter shed in 1886 and was replaced in 1893. It was upgraded in 1902 and a verandah added in 1910. The station was closed in 1980 and the building is now being restored for use by community groups.
Shannon, about 1890.
Note the Shannon Hotel, stockyards and that the bush has been cleared to the town boundary.
Shannon, early 1900s.
The original building was removed to Paraparaumu.
References:
Cassells, K.R.: "Uncommon Carrier", published by the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society, 1993.
Victoria University of Wellington Library: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand "Wellington Provincial District"
NZ History online: "1886 Manawatu rail link opened"
Wikipaedia: "Shannon, New Zealand"
The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: New Zealand Militia
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Abg genpxfvqr