As outlined in previous posts, Volume 6 is a priority for completion. The main part of updates to Volume 6 is to update the Wairarapa Line suburban stations with recently obtained 1951 aerial photo coverage, and to add all the current stations on the NIMT between Wellington and Palmerston North that aren’t already mosaiced.

NZR aerial surveys for all of the Volume 6 main line corridors were obtained in a data dump from Linz at the start of this year and simply mean it will be possible to map all those stations that were open when those surveys were flown. Apart from the stations in the Wellington suburban area that have been mostly mapped already, the stations to be mapped will include: Paraparaumu, Waikanae, Te Horo, Otaki, Manakau, Ohau, Levin, Koputaroa, Shannon, Tokomaru, Linton, Longburn, Whakarongo. Some of the stations in this list have already been mapped like Otaki, Linton and Longburn but will be checked over to see if any additional work is needed. There are several stations in the Wairarapa Line north of Masterton that were not previously mapped and these will be added also, such as Hukanui and Mangamaire.

The Foxton Branch is also going to be mapped in some form although the quality of the aerial imagery available considering how long ago it closed, will be sufficient to map its route but not the full details of most of the railway yards along the branch.

Work is underway to identify the surveys needed for volumes 7-9 to be put in a new data request over the next few weeks.