The building to the left at the starting point was the Station Masters House.
This is an easy multi and no need to go onto the garden at GZ - BYO pen please.
Riccarton Station
There was still a reasonable amount of steam being used around Christchurch in May and June 1968. The diesels that would soon take over the majority of South Island workings had been arriving since the start of the year but so far had not made much of an impact on the local scene.
A couple of C class 2-6-2 could still be found shunting at Addington or elsewhere close to town. The Ab 4-6-2 were being used on local shunting services out to Kaiapoi and Templeton with occasional journeys further afield. The larger J & Ja 4-8-2 could be seen on anything heading south: shunts to Templeton, long distance goods trains and of course the South Island Limited Express. To complete the picture there were still four Kb 4-8-4 in service on the Midland Line: usually they only came down to Christchurch when repairs and washouts were needed but with a little bit of planning (and luck) you could be in the right place at the right time and catch one.
It was still possible to head out any time of day knowing you would be extremely unfortunate not to see steam. Of course a little bit of timetable knowledge helped as well! None of these shots are dramatic, scenic or exciting.......they're just the town and around steam scene, it back in the time of 'real steam' operations.
Heading north out of Christchurch the second station, Riccarton, was only three miles away. Early one morning and Ab718 waits in the crossing loop whilst working a No2 Kaiapoi Shunt.....whether it was about to shunt the station yard or cross another train. Riccarton was always a neat and tidy little station though with a well cared for flower garden.
Another shot of the No2 Shunt. It could run to a sizable load but Ab780 seems to have everything under control with barely a wisp of steam visible.
The Riccarton railway station was last serviced by a single weekday return service between Christchurch and Rangiora in 1976. These services were popular with commuters working in the eastern parts of the city, and also with railway staff based at the Addington Workshops.
In 1959, there were still two daily return services. Riccarton station at the time had a small but busy freight yard, handling coal consignments for local merchants, timber from the West Coast, and wheat and flour traffic for the mill sited on land that now forms the grounds of Christchurch Girls’ High School.
For many years, a special train ran through Riccarton station to the October meeting of the Kaikoura Trotting Club. It conveyed patrons, horses, trainers, sulkies and jockeys. The popularity of this train diminished as horse floats were used to take horses and trainers to the meetings, and patrons opting to travel using private cars. The fact that the meetings were held midweek also limited the appeal.
In its heyday, in addition to the platform, station building and main line, the station also had a couple of loops and a curved siding from the north end of the yard that provided access to the flour mill. Today, no obvious signs of the station remain. The yard is now a bus and car park, and a cycle/walk way runs along the western side of the line connecting Fendalton Road with Kereru Lane, which runs the length of the former yard.