So many memories in a short clip. In the 1960’s my family caught trains like this to the coast during summer holidays. I walked past Crofton Park Station to get the bus to school, I picked elderberries and lilac which grew wild, right through the railings on the embankment. Loved standing on the bridge (where this was filmed) when a steam engine passed below! ❤
Wow I had no idea the rail crossed the runway, can't be too many airports like this in the world? reminds me of Gibraltar with the road crossing the airport! Who gets right of way?
I came to New Zealand twice in the early 1990s and rode the rails as much as I could. My big regret is driving from Napier to Palmerston North with my wife and daughter when we could have used the train. The line is spectacular and should be the North Island answer to the Tranz Alps. Art Deco Napier should be on any tourist's list which is more than you say for aptly named Greymouth. I only wish I had come to New Zealand in 1964, when travelling home to the UK the long way round after working in Canada, and seen the railways when they still played a vital part in the life of the country and steam was still dominant and all those magical branch lines were still working. I have the picture books but they are not the same.
It's crazy how Nz had so much rail infrastructure before the war. And how much it has been lost and was allowed to become underused and underinvested-in.
Not just tourism. It would offer great opportunities for freight at least as much. But there are some beautiful vistas on this journey that are now lost.
Yes all the way thru to Taneatua would help develop the East Coast My Grandfather sold quite a bit of Land NZR very early 1900's Now they don't use that land .. Just Shear Crazyness
Kiwirail has neither the money nor desire to reopen the line. While it would be nice it's not realistic today as it's always been a money pit and freight / passenger volumes would never cover costs. Maybe patch up the two washouts to extend rail cart journeys? Taxpayers are not a bottomless pit and Gisborne has coped OK with just road access for years now. Look at the history of weather event damage to the Gisborne line over its life - the section south of Wairoa had a lot spent to re-open it but has been closed for extended periods on occasion due to weather related damage. A better case could be made for the Stratford - Okahukura line but I travelled SH4 last Labour weekend and didn't notice the combined road / rail bridge across the road and river where it connects to the main trunk. A look at Google Earth seemed to show its been demolished so that's now a dead end. The Wanganui line is again under threat due to low traffic volumes. Maybe the problem is Kiwirail? The ferry debacle appears to show a lack of business acumen.
And then what was he supposed to do? Given the constant, gentle slipping she was doing, she was at the limit of adhesion. Having said that, she is a slippery engine as I don’t think think the weights on her driving wheels were correct.
What I'd like to know is why the DC was even required if one of the steamers was fired up? Surely a Kiwirail licensed steam crew must have been available.
Not a sign of a nanny in a high-viz vest, not a barrier in sight (other than on the carriage), people wandering freely, no goons directing them hither and thither - absolutely wonderful!
Anybody here hope 5051 runs again? I may just be a Yank, but I have great respect for the GWR Castles and Kings. In fact, it is my dream to see 5051 steam again while retaining the name "Earl Bathurst." I have nothing against renaming her back to "Drysllwyn Castle," but I personally prefer the name "Earl Bathurst." Also, it'd be nice to see the first GWR King, #6000 "King George V" steaming again, but, as I read on Wikipedia, she would need to be modified to run on Network Rail due to being built to the GWR's maximum loading gauge. If anyone agrees, sound off! Cheers from the Keystone State of Pennsylvania!
Well done! You even got the shot crossing the runway at Gisborne Airport but I notice he didn't whistle to alert any aircraft! Ha Ha .What a shame for this line to close. Ka942 certainly looks better without the streamlining!
can u spot me up in the footplate?,a little further back along the track we were going full boar then we rounded the corner and the farmer was crossing his cows accross the track,so we stopped reasonbly fast about 15 meteres away from them.
yes - i will be out chasing but not sure exactly. Hopefully around oakune area. I am doing the chch-inv-chch then going to napier gisborne to chase or ride. last chance to get shots of that line. see you around
Darryl, Are you chasing the Mainline Steam Tour. Will be doing so next weekend and then heading over to Napier two weekends later given the signifance of that trip. Really glad that was on the Gisborne trip last year. See you down the line. John
