Cass - New Zealand
Posted by: 
superstein
S 43° 02.157 E 171° 45.415
59G E 561659 N 5234915
Small railwaystation on the trackline Christchurch - Graymouth.
Waymark Code: WMNJ88
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 03/22/2015
Views: 4
Cass is a small, simple, timber-framed lean-to structure. The building is clad with shiplap weatherboards and the roof is corrugated iron. There are two rooms: one a waiting room, the other, with a double-door entrance, is a goods or parcels office, now not used.
History
Cass is a stop on the Midland line, and it was its terminus from 1910 to 1914 while the line pushed its way towards the West Coast. The history of the building is not clear. The first station building, a shelter shed, was approved and completed at a cost of £90 in 1911 - this may be the present station. A shelter was requested for Cass when it "ceases to be a temporary terminal". A goods shed was also erected at the time. In 1913 a refreshment room, long since removed, was added. The first station was augmented, reasonably soon after, by another, larger, building. Photographs show a class B station there while it was a terminal. This building was removed in the 1920s when the Otira tunnel and the Midland line were completed. In 1936 or 1937 Cass featured in a now-celebrated painting of the station and nearby mountains by Rita Angus. It serves as the base for track maintenance gangs in this difficult, mountainous section of railway. The stockyard closed in 1979 and the goods shed was removed in the late 1980s. Since 1986 Cass has been used for passengers and for operating purposes only. Sourde - Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: Yes
Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Kiwi Rail
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: Not listed
Station/Depot Web Site: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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