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ELLERSLIE DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
Trains, Trams, and Postal Services
 In December 1873 a railway line between Onehunga and Auckland via Newmarket,
Ellerslie, and Penrose was opened with great public celebration. The station
at Ellerslie was initially situated between the railway bridges with the main
road running directly through the village and intersecting the line at a level
crossing. By 1874 residents became concerned at a number of accidents that had
occurred at the crossing and successfully lobbied for relocation of the station
to the opposite side of the road, requiring realignment of the road to its present
route. The railway encouraged suburban settlement and allowed a daily delivery
of letters to the station until the opening of a post office in 1911.
From its opening the station was kept extremely busy with passengers and cargo
travelling to the port of Onehunga, visitors to the racecourse and gardens, and
racehorses travelling from around New Zealand to compete at the Ellerslie racecourse.
Four or five sidings were constructed specifically for horse carriages and hundreds
of residents often gathered to witness their arrival and unloading. Railway traffic
increased considerably with industrial development and between 1950 and 1959,
when William Durbridge was appointed stationmaster, up to 10 staff members were
permanently employed. However, in November 1959 a new station with modern loading
facilities was opened at Tamaki and Durbridge was subsequently transferred. For
the first time in its history the Ellerslie station was restricted to passenger
services.
During the late nineteenth century transport was also provided daily by a horse-drawn
carriage operated by Mr Crawford between the townships of Ellerslie and Howick.
In addition, by the 1890s George Hunter began a parcel delivery service to the
central city, a business that his sons would continue with motorised lorries
well into the 1950s. During the 1920s tramlines were extended to the Harp of
Erin and the trams departed every half hour from Ellerslie to Customs Street
via Anzac Avenue. In recalling their childhood many residents remembered their
days 'riding the trams' as a popular pastime for local children. In 1952 the
service came to an end and the trams were replaced by trolley and then motorised
buses.
Despite the increasing availability of motor vehicles, by mid-century the majority
of Ellerslie families did not possess a car. Many of those who could afford the
luxury often reserved their cars for family outings and the infamous 'Sunday
drives'. Perhaps the greatest change in public transport came with the construction
of motorways during the 1960s, uprooting many families whose homes were purchased
and then demolished to complete the route. Several streets in Ellerslie were
closed, the railway station was removed, and one side of Mitchelson Street containing
houses and stables completely disappeared.
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