Historic Railway Clocks Restored

Four iconic clocks have returned to their platforms after a community-led restoration spanning two years. Local firms donated materials and specialist labour, keeping heritage skills alive for future generations. Their mechanisms are still being tuned off-site and are expected back in time for summer.

Four historic railway clocks have been restored and reinstalled on the Invercargill railway tower, bringing back an important landmark after years of silence and disrepair.

The Railway Memorial Clock Committee was first formed in May 1946 by railway servicemen who had returned from World War Two. Their vision was to create a memorial that would honour their fallen colleagues and stand as a lasting reminder of sacrifice.

The plan included placing a clock halfway up the central tower in the railway yards, along with two memorial plaques to remember Southland railwaymen killed in both World Wars. These plaques were made at Hillside Railway Workshops and installed in the railway station vestibule.

By 1949, the committee had raised £500 through donations from Southland railway staff and the families of those commemorated. The clock cases were built at Hillside Railway Workshops in Dunedin, while the mechanisms, hands, and faces were ordered from England. Post-war economic struggles in Britain caused significant delays in delivery.

In late 1950, assembly and painting were completed in the Invercargill workshops. The four clocks were then installed by railway staff and unveiled by the General Manager of NZ Government Railways, F.W. Aickin, on 25 February 1951, in front of next of kin and dignitaries.

The clocks ran reliably for decades, with one dedicated caretaker maintaining them for 30 years. However, by 2010, the mechanisms had become too worn to function and were stopped. In 2011, the corroded cases were removed from the tower.

Following careful restoration, the cases and faces have now been returned to the tower on 9 July 2025. Several local businesses contributed to this effort, providing both time and materials, and will be formally thanked once the project is complete.

Work is continuing to restore the clock mechanisms themselves, with full operational status expected later this year. This restoration ensures that the memorial will once again serve both as a timekeeper and a tribute to Southland’s railway history.

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