In the late 1870s, sleepers were needed for the Foxton & Wanganui Railway (later the Wanganui Branch, the now-closed Foxton Branch, and parts of the North Island Main Trunk railway and Marton - New Plymouth Line).
Accordingly, a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) line was constructed from Taonui, near Feilding, in a northeasterly direction towards Colyton through a stand of totara trees.
[1] It was laid with light 30lb rails[2] and opened on 17 November 1879 It was overseen by three separate authorities: initially the Railways Commissioners; then the Public Works Department (PWD) from 20 April 1881; and finally the New Zealand Railways Department from the start of July 1882.
[2] The line was not just used to provide the national railways with sleepers; some private timber companies also offered traffic.
[2] Closure was authorised by the Taonui Branch Railway Act 1894, which said the line opened in June 1879.