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Canterbury Railway Society memorials
The Canterbury Railway Society is responsible for a memorial plaque and garden dedicated to members of the Addington Railway Workshop who died in the Second World War.
Whangarei NZ Railways memorial plaque
A memorial plaque commemorating those of the Whangarei section of New Zealand Railways who died in the First World War.
Southland NZ Railways memorial plaque
The KiwiRail offices in Invercargill contain several memorial plaques commemorating New Zealand Railways employees who died in the First and Second World Wars.
Greymouth NZ Railways memorial plaque
A memorial plaque commemorating those of the Greymouth section of New Zealand Railways who died in the First World War.
Volunteers at Tangiwai disaster
A second-class railway carriage lies on its side as volunteers assist in the search and rescue after the 1953 Tangiwai disaster
Travel by train poster, 1948
A vibrant (and tempting) New Zealand Railways poster
Destroyed railway bridge at Tangiwai
View of Tangiwai in the aftermath of the 1953 railway disaster
Police officer and search volunteers at Tangiwai
Search and rescue at the scene of the Tangiwai railway disaster
Makatote Viaduct
The main trunk railway line united the North Island. This viaduct was one of its final links.
Lyttelton Rail Tunnel
Completed in 1867, this was the first tunnel bored through the walls of an ancient volcano.
Bere Ferrers rail accident
Ten New Zealand soldiers were killed when they were hit by a train at Bere Ferrers in the United Kingdom. The accident occurred as troops from the 28th Reinforcements, NZEF, were being transported from Plymouth to Sling Camp on Salisbury Plain.
Rail tragedy on the Rimutaka Incline
Four children were killed and 13 adults injured when two rail carriages were blown off the tracks by severe winds on a notoriously exposed part of the Rimutaka Incline railway. This was the first major loss of life on New Zealand’s railways.
Ōtira rail tunnel opened
The 8.5-km Ōtira tunnel, which pierced the Southern Alps and linked Christchurch with Greymouth, was formally opened by Prime Minister William Massey. At the time it was the longest tunnel in the southern hemisphere, the longest in the British Empire, and the sixth-longest in the world.
Hyde railway disaster memorial
The memorial cairn to the 21 people killed in the Hyde railway tragedy of 4 June 1943.
Railway workers at Chain Hills tunnel
Photo of railway construction workers at Chain Hills tunnel, Otago, about 1874.
Early railway construction workers
Photograph of early railway construction workers
New Zealand's first railway, Christchurch, 1863
Painting showing a train arriving at Ferrymead in December 1863
Vogel-era locomotive
Video of the locomotive used on the first rail trip between Christchurch and Dunedin in 1878.
Invitation to the Dunedin-Christchurch rail link banquet
In September 1878 Dunedin's mayor hosted a lavish banquet to celebrate the opening of the city's rail link with Christchurch.
D-class locomotive
An early locomotive engine now on display at Helensville.

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