From 18 December 1917 to 1 January 1968, Raetihi was served by the Raetihi Branch, a branch line railway that diverged from the North Island Main Trunk in Ohakune. The station building remains in the town today, relocated from its original site and restored as part of the Waimarino Museum. The museum holds an archive of documents and photographs from the broader Ruapehu area, some of which are available online. It was originally situated on Station Road which lies off to the right over the Makotuku River bridge on the road to Ohakune. The railway reached Raetihi in 1917 and played a vital part in the logging industry. The line was closed to passengers in 1951 and shut completely in 1968 with the decline in tree felling & milling.