A remarkable slice of homegrown engineering in Whanganui has found a new owner—but the miniature railway that’s captured imaginations will remain in motion. The Cornfoot Street property built by retiree Ian Jones has just sold for **NZ$240,000**, and the family purchasing it plan to honour the legacy and keep the railway alive.
## How a Weekend Hobby Became Whanganui’s Miniature Railway Marvel
Jones, 70, spent the past **11 years** handcrafting what he calls the **Nikau Junction Railway**, an extraordinarily detailed model railway meandering through his Castlecliff section. The layout includes **370 metres of track**, ten tunnels, **two bridges**, **two stations**, and an **artificial hill**—all arranged in two interconnected loops. A full circuit aboard the train takes approximately **12 minutes**.
The project began almost serendipitously. Jones bought a child-sized petrol locomotive via an online auction site after bidding somewhat whimsically—and unexpectedly winning. During a viewing at the seller’s place in Cambridge, he took his first ride on a private track. That experience lit the spark: he came home and began building, relying on his engineering background. Jones had trained as a coachbuilder at Woburn Workshops years ago, a skill set that later guided him in laying tracks, bending steel, welding, and constructing all the railway’s structural elements himself.
## Castlecliff’s Hidden Railway Wonderland
From the street, the property appears unassuming—behind a tall corrugated iron fence, few passers-by would suspect they’re walking past something extraordinary. Once inside, a boardwalk winds through mature **kawakawa** and **nikau palms**, offering views of tunnels and elevated bridges that curl through those lush plantings. A permanent house bus serves as one of the stations.
Jones estimates his investment in time and materials over the years at around **NZ$30,000–40,000**, though what he created is more than the sum of parts. For locals, the railway became a one-of-a-kind draw, with prospective buyers being given rides during viewings—an unusual twist in typical property inspections.
## Selling the Railway—Above Rateable Value
The sale price of **NZ$240,000** was **NZ$20,000 above** the property’s rateable value, a notable result in a market where plain residential sections are sometimes hard to shift. Though many interested parties saw value in the land alone and viewed the railway as a novelty or even an obstacle, the family who eventually bought it embraced the full package.
The new owners—a couple with a teenager—currently live in a bus. Once the transaction closed, they planned to sell their bus and relocate it to the property itself. Importantly, they committed to keeping the railway operating.
## What’s Next for Ian Jones and His Trains
For Jones, this sale doesn’t mean retirement from all things miniature rail. He has plans to renovate his own home—one intentionally neglected while the railway took up his time—and to assist a friend with a much larger model railway project near Castlecliff, which is intended to become a wedding venue.
He’s proud that his vision found buyers who appreciate the quirky, hand-built nature of his creation. “It just clicked,” real estate agent Kerryn Irvin said of finding the right match for this unique home.
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The story of Nikau Junction isn’t just about a home—it’s about one man’s passion, patience, and craft. And thanks to enthusiastic new owners, its tracks will keep turning. Visitors may no longer simply drive by; they’ll board the train, loop the tunnels, cross bridges, and ride through Ian Jones’s whimsical miniature railway future.
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