From small beginnings the Society is now recognized as having the largest collection of archival material relating to New Zealand Railways, a collection which is continually being added to.

 The Society's premises are located in North Street, Ava, opposite and on the south side of the Ava Railway Station on the Wellington to Upper Hutt line. The premises are open most weekdays, but not to any fixed hours. People wanting to do research are advised to make prior arangements with the Archivist, Mark Cole. Contact by voice or phone message at (04)568 4938, fax to (04) 586 5554 or email to nzrls@actrix.gen.nz. If you are a Society member, please always quote your membership number.

Our archives consist of the following :

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• Newspaper clippings should always record the name of the newspaper and the date of issue.
• NEVER use SellotapeŽ or other adhesive tapes and REMOVE all pins and staples.
• Scrapbooks - material should be mounted single-sided, NOT on both sides of the paper. This makes for easier filing should the scrap book be broken up.
• NEVER use biros or ink on the back of photographs. It is recommended that a black pencil (preferably 2B or softer) or a chinagraph pencil be used.
• Negatives should be retained wherever possible.

Newspaper clippings collection	menu

This collection has been compiled by the society from publications dating back to 1860. It is a comprehensive collection of clippings from::

• Principle New Zealand newspapers of Auckland and Wellington
• The Auckland Weekly News
• The New Zealand Free Lance
• Provincial Papers (items from many)
• even The New Zealand Truth

If you can give us date / publication / topic / place as near as you can with these we will attempt a match. The papers are filed in chronological order and photocopying is possible.

Plans referenced by NZR Drawing numbers etc.	menu

There is an extensive series of drawings, tracings, blueprint etc. that have been produced by various departments of the old NZR.

• CCE list (Civil Engineers Office):
• Chief Mechanical Engineer for the workshops at Lower Hutt, Addington and Hillside, Dunedin:
• Signal and Electrical Branch (Wellington):
• Many unnumbered NZR Plans (for which we have created an index):

These are stored in branch and drawing number order. They vary in size from 8x11 inch and even smaller to very large similar to A1 size or bigger, especially CME plans. At present the reference method is by drawing number. We will endeavor to find something for you by name and approximate date reference but cannot promise a successful result.

Signalling and Interlocking circulars	menu

These circulars were distributed to staff to advise of changes to signalling arrangements and consequently the running rules. They have been catalogued and are referenced by the number of the circular, date and location. Dating from March 1901 to now, this collection is not complete in the early part.

A sample of the index:: Manor Park (the location) 843, 944, 1535 1824, 2243 (Sept 1993)
These are the circular No.s applying to this location. Each subsequent number replaces the previous one.

Holdings of Aerial photographs	menu

These complement the plans of station yards and were used by the Engineering and Land offices to derive yard layouts and alterations, for property definitions and many other applications. They comprise an invaluable record of the Railway's growth and often show other areas of importance in the locality. The reference is by station location.

These cannot be reproduced by the society but can be inspected at Ava. Copying can be done by the copyright holder whose name and photo reference number can be supplied.

Listing of Technical Manuals	menu

We have technical/operations manuals for some of the equipment in use by the NZR. This covers items from Locomotives to air compressors to commercial items ie. Westinghouse Braking Systems. These can be partly photo copied for information about specifications, instrument layouts etc.

Reference them by equipment name, year of manufacture and/or number.

The Library	menu

The Library collection of railway related books is  being catalogued and contains about 570 hard and soft covered books.

A list will be published on site in due course. Unfortunately while in storage no reference can be made to individual books. Note: At present photocopying is not possible, or even when books are available,  due to the book's binding preventing it from lying flat.

Periodicals and Newsletters.	menu

There is a comprehensive collection of periodicals from all over the world and also many local preservation society's new-sheets. The go back many years as many collection have been donated by members. A list of titles will be published in time.

Maps and Plans	menu

The map collection is catalogued and referenced by location and drawing number. Most originated from the CCE's office and include many annotated with railways additions, property lines etc.

We also hold a comprehensive collection of New Zealand topographical series maps, in both imperial and metric measurements, issued by the former Lands and Survey Department. 

Loco 204 Work Orders.	menu

Loco 204 Work Orders were issued by the CME's office for work to be done by the Railway Workshops. These work orders covered work to be undertaken on locomotives, rolling stock and other sundry items.
Approximately 7,000 copies are held in our archives.

Engineering Society papers etc.	menu

There is a collection of the following proceedings, papers, gazettes etc. bound and unbound

• Proceedings of the Institute of Civil Engineers; 1932 on.
• NZ Engineering
• Engineering (London) from 1869 on
• Railway Age 1923 on
• Railway Gazette from 1906 to 1947.

These can only be consulted by arrangement but will not photocopy easily in the case of bound volumes.

Railways and Public Works annual statements.	menu

A complete sets of these from 1885 until 1992 is held.

Reference by year, category and topic for information.

Technical Operations of the NZR	menu

A large collection of Railway Department correspondence files is held at Ava. (These are in addition to those held by National Archives at various locations throughout New Zealand. A register of such files is held by the Society.)

• Correspondence files from various branches and divisions of the Railways Department.
• Technical writings on various railway matters, particularly engineering, originating from staff and consultants.
• The Staff Magazine. Produced at various intervals containing information about staff and of interest to staff.
• Official staff lists. Recorded annually, these are consulted frequently by those doing genealogical research.

 Reference by description. If you are seeking names from the staff lists please be careful with the position held and advise as much information as is already known, particularly full names. The lists are divided into Departmental divisions, Management and permanent staff. Accurate identification will assist the searcher. No information is held on temporary staff.

Train Advices and working timetables.	menu

Train advices are amendments or additions to normal train services and operational requirements not covered in the working timetable. There are thousands filed in chronological order in decades. These are available for perusal.

Working timetables were used within the department and detailed the train numbers, distances, station structure, crossing points etc. - information not available to the general public.

Working Time table

Tickets and Forms of the NZR.	menu

A large collection of tickets, forms and other items is held and will be displayed when suitable space is available

Some ticket types

General Archive.	menu

The Society also maintains archives on such items as various lines of railway (open and closed) and general railway subjects such as weed spraying, railway vehicles and rolling stock, Royal tours etc.
These boxes contain correspondence, plans, descriptions newspaper cuttings and some photographs on a variety of subjects::
Royal Trains, Railway houses, Painting and colour schemes, Circus trains, Refreshment Rooms, Windmills - to name a few.

In the same style there are folders containing lines of railway and branch railways. Some are:: - North Island Main Trunk, Fairlie branch, Cambridge branch, the closed Foxton branch.

Locomotive collections are also included. Items specific to a type of locomotive but not having a home in any of the more structured archives. Here you will find correspondence, tests, odd facts, colour schemes, incidents, scaled drawings and other interesting items.

 

The Register of Railway Related Accidents.	menu

The register, which is regularly being added to, is estimated to contain 10,000 entries. Entries are listed chronologically with each entry recording the date, location, the type of accident (eg collision, derailment, slip etc), a brief description and a list of references. Printouts of portions of the register can be arranged, for details please contact the Archivist.

Below is a sample page from the register::

ACCIDENTS (1980 -1984)
(see other listing for slips & earthquakes not directly involving trains) Note: "Collision" refers to a train hitting a person or small animal
References B=Box on accidents;N=Newspaper; P=Photograph; CFJ=CF Johnson's list FT=Funnel Talk; RX=Rotorua Express; S/phore=Semaphore; T/talk=Trains Talk; Wh=Whistle; Yn=YARN DA=Danger Ahead;F&W=Foxton & Wanganui Rly; LHW= Learning the Hard Way; NZTW=NZ Train Wrecks; TD=Tangwai Disaster & 30 other railway accidents; TT=Tragedy on the Tracks; Vulcan=VuIcan Railcars in New Zealand; GM; CCE; DE etc = NZR Files; GM-RO=GM's Review of Operations; D.2=Railways Statement; DTM CM=DTM Circular Memorandum
Date	Description	Reference
6 Jan 1980 Palm. North	Derailment. Wagon "UC" 2309 while being shunted	DE 260/6A
7 Jan 1980 Napier	Derailment. Wagon "UK" 4220 + "UK" 11430 on shunting service	CCE 9401 P, DE 260/6A
7 Jan 1980 Napier	Derailment. Wagon "UK" 7574 + "UK" l3670 on shunting service	CCE 9401 P, DE 260/6A
8 Jan 1980 Mahuta	Capsize. 40-ton steam crane No 200 capsized while unloading components for bridge No 7	CCE 29313/78
9 Jan l980 Arowhenua	Collision. "Dj" 1203 on Christchurch - Invercargill express goods collided with herd of cattle	CCE 9161 GM-RO YE 31/3/80
11 Jan 1980 Aratika	Derailment. Wagon "ZP" 4330 on Middleton - Greymouth goods	CCE 9161
19 Jan 1980 Staircase	Derailment. 5 wagons on Greymouth - Middleton goods due to broken axle	CCE 9161 GM-RO YE 31/3/80
20 Jan 1980 Wellington	Derailment. "Dsc"' 438 while shunting	DME 80/17
21 Jan 1980 Breakwater	Derailment "Da" 1448 rtunning light while shunting	DME 80/17
23 Jan 1980 Piriaka	Slip "Dx" 2641 + 2 wagons derailed on Auckland - Wellington express goods	GM-RO YE 31/3/80 CFJ, DA
24 Jan 1980 Morley Rd Loco (New Plymouth)	Derailment. "Dc" 1559 running light	DME 80/17
24 Jan 1980 Puketutu	Derailment Wagon "UK" 685 on Westfield - Wellington goods	CCE 25265 N

We also hold copies of reports issued by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission on railway and tramway related accidents.