Railway

The Cambridge Branch Line was opened on October 8th, 1884. A special train carrying 100 passengers travelled the line to mark the occasion.
When the Newstead Station opened it comprised a shelter shed, platform, 30ft x 40ft goods shed and a loading bank. The station was originally called Maungaonua after the creek. The name was changed to Newstead Station on November 1st, 1894.
Originally there were two lines of sidings and in 1885 a third was added but, by 1898 only the goods shed siding remained.
The railway was an important means of transport for passengers and freight. During a particularly busy week in early May, 1890, it was recorded that 60 wagons of wheat were sent to Auckland from the Cambridge Line, each wagon carrying six tons, a total of about 3000 sacks of wheat.
The line's last regular passenger train was on September 9th, 1946.
The largest number of passengers to travel the line was on February 7th, 1950, when three special trains carried a total of 1500 passengers from Auckland to the Empire Games rowing at Lake Karapiro. A fleet of buses met the train at Cambridge.
Farm goods were freighted until the early 1960's. In the early days cream was sent to Ngaruawahia and then Frankton. In later years bagged fertiliser was one of the main items until the advent of bulk spreaders. In the 1930's one farmer would send a sack of potatoes by rail from Newstead and it would be delivered to his relatives door in Wellington the next day.
Passengers made regular use of the station.
The first railway bridge over the Mangaonua Stream was 350ft long and nearly 80ft high. It was replaced in 1909. The present bridge was graded down so that it is 270ft (98m) long and 48ft (15m) high.
There were two railway houses on the north side of the goods shed.
The last time a steam locomotive used the line was on June 26th, 1967.