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STEVE HOULKER

DUNEDIN RAILWAY STATION

19th November 2008

The Dunedin Railway Station was the last of three stations build in the city between 1873 and 1906, and was the largest and busiest station in New Zealand.

The station was designed in Flemish Renaissance Style by the Railways Department Chief Architect, George Troup, and is constructed from two types of Otago stone

viz. a dark, volcanic stone from Kokonga, and a lime stone from the Oamaru district.

The columns are of Aberdeen granite.

The broad area outside the station at the foot of Stuart Street provided a space for vehicles carrying goods and passengers.

This area later became known as Anzac Square after the Australian and New Zealand forces that served in the 1914 - 1918 war.

Sadly, their is no passenger service between Dunedin and Christchurch, and the only service train is the scenic Taieri Gorge railway.

GLENMARK - WAIKARI

17th November 2008

FERRYMEAD 

14th November 2008

It is a very interesting place and certainly one where you could easily spend all day looking around.

It has a steam railway, and is made up of old buildings that have been moved from around New Zealand to create a township-feel rather than having them demolished.  

De 511 (De class) were New Zealand 's very first diesel electric locomotives, and were intended for shunting and transfer work. They were built by the English Electric company in England in 1951/52.

When first introduced, they were used extensively on suburban passenger trains in the Auckland and Wellington region, and also on construction and logging trains on the Murupara Branch.

A number of the class also did duty on the Royal Tour Train of 1952-3.

Initially, they were only used on the North Island, but some were later transferred South to work at Dunedin and Invercargill, where they were mainly used for heavy shunting. Two of the class were re-engined in the early 1980's with 750hp Mk II engines from scrapped Dg class locomotives. The Class was progressively withdrawn between 1984 and 1989, six are preserved, and one is still owned by Tranz Rail in Wellington.

De 511, and one other De locomotive, were saved from the scrap yard by the diesel traction group, and moved to Ferrymead from Dunedin in 1987. De 511 was restored back to her original appearance, and returned to service with an excursion to Springfield in October 1988.

De 511 is on display in operating condition and not in regular use since that duty falls to sister loco, De 1429, also preserved at Ferrymead.

Specifications are Engine EE 6 SRKT Mk II, in line 6 cyl (Turbo charged}, 850 rpm, 660 hp, weight 52 tons.

QUEENSTOWN

Below are some photographs of the T.S.S. Earnslaw, as it is certainly worth a visit.

I know it is not "railways", but, as it is a steamship, and  fuelled by coal, I think this is a good enough connection.

HISTORY

At the beginning of the twentieth century, New Zealand Railways awarded 21,000 pounds to John McGregor and Co shipbuilders of Dunedin to build a steamship for Lake Wakatipu . The Earnslaw was named after Mount Earnslaw, a 2889 metre peak at the head of Lake Wakatipu. She was to be 48 metres long, the biggest boat on the lake. Transporting the Earnslaw was no easy task. When construction was finally completed she was dismantled. All the quarter inch steel hull plates were numbered for reconstruction much like a jig-saw puzzle. Then the boat was railed by goods train across the South Island from Dunedin to Kingston at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu.

Six months later, after being rebuilt, on 24 February 1912, the TSS Earnslaw was launched and fired up for her maiden voyage to Queenstown, with the Minister of Marine as captain.

She then became a valuable vessel for the New Zealand Railways and was known as the "Lady of the Lake".

The Earnslaw worked with her sister ships, the paddle steamers Antrim and Mountaineer and the steamer Ben Lomond , transporting sheep, cattle and passengers to the surrounding high country stations.

In 1968, the Earnslaw was very nearly scrapped but she was fortunately rescued. She was purchased by Fiordland Travel (now Real Journeys).

She was taken out of service for a huge makeover in 1984. Her 12 metre high funnel was painted bright red, with the hull a snow white, and her kauri timber decks glassed in.

During her long years on the lake, the most serious accidents to occur were two groundings on the shingle shores of the lake.

In March 1990, the Earnslaw carried Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. Other royalty to travel on board have been the King and Queen of Belgium and the Prince of Thailand.

The TSS Earnslaw made a brief cameo appearance in the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) as an Amazon River boat.

(freely reproduced from Wikipedia)

PELORUS JACK

Pelorus Jack was a Risso's Dolphin that was famous for meeting and escorting ships through a stretch of water in Cook Strait, New Zealand, between 1888 and 1912.

Pelorus Jack was usually spotted in Admiralty Bay between Cape Francis and Collinet Point, near French Pass, a channel used by ships travelling between Wellington and Nelson .

Pelorus Jack is also remembered as the subject of a failed assassination attempt. He was later protected by a 1904 New Zealand law.

Pelorus Jack would guide the ships by swimming alongside a water craft for twenty minutes at a time. If the crew could not see Jack at first, they would often wait for him to appear.

Despite his name, he did not live nearby Pelorus Sound; instead, he would often guide ships through dangerous passages of French Pass. However, some local residents familiar with his habits claim that he never went through French Pass itself. [3]

Pelorus Jack was first seen around 1888 when it appeared in front of the schooner Brindle when the ship approached French Pass, a channel located between D'Urville Island and the South Island . The area is dangerous to ships with rocks and strong currents but no shipwrecks occurred when Jack was present. [ citation needed ]

Many sailors and travellers saw Pelorus Jack, and he was mentioned in local newspapers and depicted in postcards.

Jack was last seen in April 1912. There were various rumours connected to his disappearance, including fears that foreign whalers might have harpooned him. However, research suggests that Pelorus Jack was an old animal; his head was white and his body pale, both indications of age, so it is likely that he died of natural causes. [2]

Since 1989, Pelorus Jack has been used as a symbol for the Interislander, a ferry service across the Cook Strait , and is incorporated into the livery of the ships in the fleet. [4]

Assassination attempt

In 1904, someone aboard the SS Penguin tried to shoot Pelorus Jack with a rifle. Despite the assassination attempt, Pelorus Jack continued to help ships. According to folklore, however, Pelorus Jack no longer helped the Penguin , which was later shipwrecked in 1909. [5] [6]

Following the unsuccessful assassination attempt, a law was proposed to protect Pelorus Jack. He became protected by Order in Council under the Sea Fisheries Act on 26 September 1904 . Pelorus Jack remained protected by that law until his disappearance in 1912. It is believed that Pelorus Jack was the first individual sea creature protected by law in any country. [3]

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4790 at Wellington

after hauling my train from Petone

with old Mk II converted carriages

The Tokomaru Steam Engine Museum is a private collection of machinery belonging to Colin and Esma Stevenson.     

The Museum opened to the public in 1970 after constant requests from steam enthusiasts.

Thousands of visitors from all over the world have enjoyed reminiscing amongst the relics of New Zealand's industrial and agricultural heritage.      

The village of Tokomaru itself was established to support the surrounding farming district. Nowadays, the Steam Engine Museum is the most striking feature of the village.

To all you railway widows, who think you are hard done to, spare a thought for Esma Stevenson when husband Colin bought the old station, and his hobby spiralled to running a full size railway in the back garden.

Yes, it is certainly worth a visit for any enthusiast of steam.  

Situated on the West Coast of the North Island and is within easy driving distance of Wellington. 

Click to visit the Tokomaru Steam Engine Museum Official website

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CHRISTCHURCH

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KINGSTON FLYER - South of Queenstown

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