Otahuhu Workshops

Though officially a Car and Wagon Shop, Otahuhu did some repair and maintenance work on steam and diesel locomotives and railcars.

NZR called for tenders for "new Car and Wagon Shops at Otahuhu near Auckland" on 30 September 1926,[1] following the Fay-Raven report on New Zealand's railways of 1925.

It was intended to be used to train apprentices in aircraft maintenance, but the Royal New Zealand Air Force occupied the building for the duration of the war.

One special job was the conversion of six 56 ft (17 m) second-class carriages into ambulance cars,[4] for the transport of wounded soldiers.

Though the programme was cancelled after much of the material needed for their construction had been imported, the infrastructure proved useful in the 1950s when the D class electric coaches from Wellington were overhauled there.

Another batch of 50 ft (15 m) carriages was completed for the new Rotorua Limited Express service,[5] including two observation cars.

As the use of diesel locomotives increased it was necessary to provide dedicated facilities, with the Steel Wagon Shop being converted for this purpose.

In 1958, Otahuhu received the first of its Fiat twin-set railcars for an overhaul, and in 1962 RM 125 was repaired at the workshops following a level crossing accident in Tauranga.

The ability of Otahuhu to handle diesel-electric locomotive and railcar repair work was much improved in 1962 with the opening of a new Diesel Shop.

Prior to entering service, many DA, DB, DH, and DX class locomotives first made a visit to Otahuhu for preparation.

In an effort to alleviate its financial problems the Corporation underwent a major restructuring program, which included a review of all its workshops in the 1990s.