ah the memories. In 1957 I planned to sign on as cleaner and hopefully would-be fireman then driver at the old Ingill roundhouse but family had other ideas and I took a different career path, leaving a lingering regret that I never got to follow my dream. I spent many hours on the old footbridge over yard watching the action and when living in the country (Dad was a ganger and we lived in railway houses all over the place) travelled daily to high school on the Clinton -Ingill goods with car attached, riding now and again in the loco. Again, thanks for the memories.
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment, I wonder where you would have ended up if you had followed your dream. I consider myself blessed to be able to be able to experience my time on the NZR especially the end of the steam era. I wish that I had taken more videos and photos especially of workmates and people doing their jobs, people like the feller operating the Steam crane thing coaling up the steam engines, I think his name was Tom. After the currency changeover he didn't call dollars dollars, he called them clams, got it off the flintstones I suppose. All the best. Cheers
Good footage of the old days, I would have been aprox 3 years old at the time. JA1250 ( 5m;12s ) is still around, at Glenbrook Vintage Railway last i heard.
Good one John,so many memories and sadly most of those wonderful fireman and Enginedrivers have departed. First face was Ken (John) Perston (RIP) some others and will look a few more times to confirm,Johnny Helm,Gary Taylor,Slam the shunter riding on the front of a steam locomotive,Wayne Reardon fireman,Blacky Raumati driving the Hunslet,let me look again and might recognise some more as i mentioned.
Hi there Blease, I was hoping someone I knew would make a comment. You've certainly rattled my memory box, now I can put a name to the faces. It's sad to hear of people passing on, in the memory they don't age but dying is a part of life, sad all the same. I still have the video we took in the rec. hall for you getting your fireman's ticket with Ivan and a few of the gang. It's quality isn't the best but one can see what's going on. I was tossing up whether to up load it up or not, it would only of interest to people like you and I, give me a few days and I'll upload it, it's a real blast from the past. I wish you well and all the best. Cheers, John
Same here. I lived only about 2 blocks away from the engine shed and still remember hearing the trains coming in from and going out over the Rukuhia swamps, or heading east towards Morrinsville! Those were the days... :)
Hi John. Lovely to see. Looking for information on Cyril Strang, an engine driver from Southland who took the last train out of Wyndham in 1962 and married my great grandmother sometime after her first husband died. Cheers.
John Kirby Good as gold John, but I have just found out it was not MY Mary Eunson but a relative. I am completing a family tree at the moment so would love information regardless. I think Cyril died in the 1980s. Thank you!
Hello again James, I asked Eric but he didn't know of any Invercargill driver by that name. I'm figuring that to have worked on the Wyndham line he was most probably stationed at one of the depots further north perhaps Gore but I'm only guessing. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, John
