Story: Wairarapa region

Remutaka rail accident

Rimutaka rail accident

The railway line over the Remutaka Range opened in 1878. Two years later, high winds on the Wairarapa side blew three carriages off the line and over the bank, killing four people. The catastrophe was depicted in this New Zealand Mail lithograph. Fences were built along exposed sections of the line to prevent further similar accidents.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: B-034-004
Lithograph by J. H. Wallis

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Ben Schrader, 'Wairarapa region - Transport', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/12115/remutaka-rail-accident (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Ben Schrader, updated 1 Mar 2017