One of NZ's first two railway stations

As those who have our books know, the first railway line with locomotives in NZ opened in 1863 between Christchurch and nearby Ferrymead. This shows the Madras Street site of the 1863 railway station in Christchurch, now occupied by the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.

The two upper pics are easterly views from Madras Street. The original site of the 1864-1867 railway station is readily verifiable by the chimney of Samuel Manning's Brewery at the corner of Ferry Road and Fitzgerald Avenue. The lower left photograph is a westerly view across Madras Street from the roof of the engine shed. In the lower right is a recent map of the Polytech campus with the position of the railway line indicated in red and the station in blue. (Canterbury Heritage)