Helensville Railway Museum

15/04/2026

As we have mentioned in previous posts, and many you have seen in person, we are extending the model railway so that we can have room to model one of the industries which was an iconic part of Helensville for many years. The Kaipara Dairy Company. Today Neville brought along the first of the structures, he is building for this scene, to test fit it into the layout. He has drawn up the plans and then used a laser cutter to make all the walls and windows. Still a bit of work to do and several more structures to build, but, I think you'll agree that this is an excellent start.

10/04/2026

10/04/2026

With the predicted storm event on the weekend it is possible that the museum will not open on Sunday. Hopefully it will not be as bad as predicted. Keep yourselves safe and watch our page for opening information.

10/01/2026

Over the Christmas / New Year period a small group of volunteers have been working on an extension to the museums model railway. The extension will allow us to model the Kaipara Dairy Company which, for many years, was an iconic industry in Helensville. While planning the extension we also decided to add another yard so we could store, and operate, more trains. This takes the form of the the three tracks you can see in the photos and the track against the back wall. We decided to base the area that curves around the end on Waitakere Station. Yes we know Waitakere is not on a curve like this but we are using a bit of "modellers license" to fit the area available. The scene will include the Waitakere Station as it was before the current block work "bomb shelter". The wooden station can be seen at MOTAT. The extension is being built in a way that allows the current layout to remain operational until we are ready to cut in the new mainline.
The first Sunday we will be open in 2026 is the 18th of January. Come along and have a look at what we are doing.

18/12/2025

As we approach the end of 2025, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt appreciation for the people who make everything we do possible.

To our volunteers and members of the community: Your dedication and assistance are the backbone of this organization.

To our donors: Thank you for your continued generosity and belief. Your support allows us to preserve, restore, and operate the historic Helensville Railway Station and our museum recording the history of rail in Helensville. Each contribution—big or small—helps keep our work moving forward, and we are truly grateful for your commitment.

To our visitors who stopped by to see what we have been doing. We have met some very interesting people and heard lots of stories over the year. Your enjoyment of the museum and kind comments keeps us going.

Thank you all for helping us continue a mission. We look forward to the work ahead—with gratitude for the people who make it possible.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

17/12/2025

Those of you who follow us on a regular basis will know that we have talked about extending the layout so that we can model the Kaipara Dairy Company. Well today was the day. After much discussion, and a lot of planing, construction has started. Neville prefabbed the benchwork in his home workshop and today we installed it. There is still a section to add but it was necessary to get these pieces in to check measurements for the final piece. Over the Christmas period we will continue the construction. The museum re-opens on the 18th January so feel free to call by and check on progress. If you'd like to help and support the project please donate at our Give-A-Little page. https://givealittle.co.nz/.../helensville-railway-station...

10/12/2025

Recently the photo of the large Kauri Log crossing the bridge appeared on another Facebook group. That got us looking through our records and on the net. It was the last Kauri log to be cut at West's Mill in Helensville. Here's a series of photos we have come up with from 1963.

07/12/2025

Helensville Station in 1916