Stack Talk
December 13th 2011.
Our Auckland Depot will be shutting down for a Christmas break on the 22nd December. Starting on the 17th December extensive track work will be taking place on the adjacent mainline with all the track between the Parnell Bridge and the Parnell tunnel being removed and the gradient reduced through the area where the new station will eventually sit. This will sever our mainline connection until the end of January. We have been assured that it will well and truly be reconnected in plenty of time for the Northlander trip in early February. Our yard will be a staging area for some of the track and turnouts during the work period. The work will also sever the rail link for suburban trains between Newmarket and Britomart from the 17th December. During this period the Parnell Depot will be closed to visitors.
November 21st 2011.
We had an excellent trip to Helensville and return yesterday behind Ja1275. The trip was a fund raiser for the South Auckland Hospice Trust. The weather was perfect and there was a party atmosphere aboard the train. The Hospice Trust raised a reasonable amount of money and the Chairman thanked Mainline Steam for our efforts in helping to make the day happen.
November 17th 2011.
Our New Zealand Steam tour is still running with passengers having a free day in Wellington today before starting back to National Park on Friday and finishing in Auckland on Saturday afternoon. It has been a fantastic trip with a great bunch of people. It was wonderful to visit so many areas of New Zealand and see so many locals come out to see the trains. This certainly raised the awareness of rail and Mainline Steam. We will get some photos on our web site but in the meantime you might like to have a look here and here. Update: There are now photos in our Gallery section from the tour.
October 3rd 2011.
The Open Weekend at Parnell went well and it was nice to catch up with some of the out of town members who called in to say hello. The Bagnall and Ja1275 performed sterling service giving rides around our depot yard. Thank you to everyone who helped out for the weekend.
September 28th 2011.
Parnell Depot will be having an Open Weekend this coming weekend 1st and 2nd October. No need to book, just turn up. See the Excursion page for all the details.
September 13th 2011.
September 11th saw the last of the Arthurs Pass excursions from Christchurch for this season. Well done to all the team in our Christchurch Depot for running a great series of trips this year. Richard Cocker and Darryl Houston have provided some excellent photos from the excursion and you can view them on our Gallery page here.
September 9th 2011.
Ja1240 Update. Although we were intending to transfer Ja1240 from Auckland to Christchurch with the steam tour in November we have decided that this will not be possible. Some area's of the restoration are taking longer than expected, notably the new cylinder liner and the new spark arrestor, which is being built from scratch. The plan now is to complete 1240 before the end of the year and then transfer it to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway for break in running and certification test runs. In June next year we intend to organise a delivery trip from Auckland to Christchurch which will tie in with the first of the winter Arthurs Pass excursions. Details are still being worked out but keep an eye on our Excursion and Facebook pages for details when they become available. A photo of 1240 taken today is here.
September 7th 2011.
The weekend of 3rd and 4th of September was a busy one for Mainline Steam. Our Christchurch Depot operated the two day Midland Mountaineer between Christchurch and Greymouth behind Jb1236 and in Auckland the Kaipara Cannonball ran to behind Ja1275 to Helensville. The Midland Mountaineer was very successful with everyone having a great time. On Sunday as Jb1236 was leaving Greymouth Ja1275 was pulling out of Otahuhu. Not many organisations can run two steam trips at the opposite ends of the country at the same time, so well done to all the volunteers who make it happen.
The Kaipara Cannonball went well with nearly 300 people riding the train to Helensville where they enjoyed browsing the market and exploring the town. Unfortunately on the way home one of the carriages derailed at Henderson as we were running through a siding to get back on the right line after  bypassing some infrastructure work. This meant that we had to transfer the passengers to buses for the rest of the return trip. Everyone seemed to take the whole thing in good spirits and we had all passengers away within an hour and a half. KiwiRail maintenance crews turned out and rerailed the carriage and repaired the track and the train was heading back to Auckland by 9pm. Thank you to all the team from KiwiRail. Thank you to Finn O'Regan for the photo of Ja1275 at Waimauku (right).
August 28th 2011.
We ran our first intentional non-steam excursion today. we used the Silver Fern Railcar RM24 to go from Auckland to Matata in the Bay of Plenty. A stop was made at a Kiwi fruit orchard, Kiwi 360, for lunch along the way. The Bay of Plenty turned on a beautiful day for us and at Matata everyone took the opportunity to stretch their legs and take in the views of the coastline with the active volcano White Island clearly visible on the horizon. The photo is of the train about to depart Matata for the return journey.
July 12th 2011.
Our first trip to Arthurs Pass for the winter season operated on July 10th. The train departed Christchurch under clear skies but by the time it reached Arthurs Pass it was in the snow, much to everyone's delight. Not only was there snow on the ground but it was actually snowing. This was wonderful for the passengers but made turning the locomotive and servicing it more difficult for the crew. However, turning and servicing were completed in good time for the train to head back to Christchurch. The photo below, courtesy of Daniel Garland, shows Jb1236 being turned on the Arthurs Pass turntable. The July 24th trip was sold out but we have managed to add another 48 seats so if you want to go call us ASAP. 0800462978.
June 22nd 2011.
A great day out was had by all on the 18th June on our Fieldays train and the side trip to Waharoa. Despite a shocking start to the day with heavy rain in Auckland as we were departing the weather cleared and we only had a couple of showers. Over 300 people joined us for the side trip to Waharoa while those that had come down from Auckland were away at the Fieldays. Darryl Houston has been kind enough to provide some photos he took on the day and you can see them here. Thank you to everyone that helped to make this a fun day out.
May 28th 2011.
The Northlander went extremely well today with everyone seeming to enjoy their trip over the scenic North Auckland Line. Ja1275 put on a great show during the photo runs and despite the horrendous weather earlier in the week the clouds disappeared and the sun shone adding to the enjoyment of the day. Some photographs are available here.
May 3rd 2011.
We had a great trip to Helensville on Sunday 1st May. Despite the weather being overcast the rain held off so everyone could look around the Market day taking place at the Helensville Station and we managed to get in a photo run on the way home. For the many that missed out on this excursion we are looking into running another one on the 4th of September. Watch the excursion page for details.
On Monday the 2nd of May Ja1240 took another large step towards becoming operational with the fitting of the tender body back onto the underframe A photo is available here.
March 22nd 2011.
As many of you are aware Mainline Steam is working towards developing
the current Parnell Depot area into a heritage precinct. A recent
Article from the Aucklander magazine can be read here. http://www.theaucklander.co.nz/local/news/picking-up-steam/3944494/.
To move the project along we have been working with an architect to
put some of our concepts into a visual form. Hence the attached photo
which shows an overall concept with a Parnell station, the old Newmarket
station, in place. The tents out the front are there to show how the
area could be used, on occasion, for market days etc.
The
depot itself would be turned into a working museum with the lower roofed
building being tuned into a proper entrance-way and smaller shops, art
studios and cafe. Similar in some ways th e the Christchurch Arts Centre.
The
remaining land to the left would be left free for commercial
development by KiwiRail to deliver a return on the site. we would
envisage that development being low rise with both commercial and
residential use.
The Auckland City Council is enthused
with the concept, as are local business owners. The site could become a
tourist attraction for Auckland, especially with the station in place,
and bring people and business to the area. I would stress this is only a
concept at this stage and we have a number of others working on the
brief so we will be interested to see their ideas as well. We feel that
the final design will be an amalgam of ideas but will certainly be a
major asset to Parnell and Auckland as a whole.
March 18th 2011.
An article about our Parnell Depot appeared in the Aucklander Magazine yesterday. You might like to have a look at it here.
March 17th 2011.
A small milestone was passed today on the road to returning Ja1240 to service. We lit a fire in it and warmed to boiler bringing the pressure up to 35psi. Well below the 200psi the loco will run on but it was where we planned to go to run  some leak tests and it was reached with little effort. Our intention is to have 1240 back in full operation and returned to Christchurch in November this year. The same same city and the same month it retired from service in 1971, 40 years ago. Picture to the left. A short video is also available here.
February 24th 2011.
Parnell Depot Update: Here is a link to an article in a local paper regarding the installation of a station at Parnell. Nothing is officially in writing as yet but negotiations are continuing with goodwill on all sides.
February 23rd 2011.
Our Christchurch Depot has survived yesterdays Earthquake in one piece. We have heard from some of our members in the area who are well and safe.
February 14th 2011.
On the 10th of February we put the last of the driving wheels back into Ja1240. We also realised that as we were moving locomotives around in the depot to access the drop pit and we currently have four of our five J's in Auckland we had a golden opportunity for a unique family photo. See here and here for a couple of the resulting photographs. You can also see this collection for some more.
February 4th 2011.
We have started a group on Flickr which you might like to check out. If you are a Flickr member, and I know many of you are you might like to consider adding your photos of Mainline Steam's operations and equipment to the photo pool.
January 26th 2011.
Plans are underway for a series of excursions during 2011 so make sure you keep an eye on the Excursion page. The 2011 tour went well and we have received lots of very positive feedback. For a small taste of what happened on the tour your might like to go here for a booklet about our adventures.
Ja1240 is making progress with the last of the driving wheels returned to Parnell with new bearings. A lot of the pipework on the locomotive has been fitted and the tender body is being cleaned and new steel being added as required. It is our intention to transfer 1240 to Christchurch during the November 2011 tour when Jb1236 will be returned to Wellington.
December 13th 2010.
With Christmas rapidly approaching we thought you might like a small present. If you follow this link it will allow you to download and print a 2011 Calendar. You will need to print it double sided and bind it. We figure you are computer literate so you shouldn't have to much problem with that. You could also put it on a memory stick and take it to your local print shop who will print it for you. Remember it is for personal use only and cannot be on sold. Enjoy.
December 5th & 6th 2010.
As this is written (morning of 6th) Ka942 is heading back to Paekakariki after the completion of filming in the Otaki area yesterday. The filming went well and the train looked great with 942 acting as Ka949. The whole event was another example of co-operation between Preservation groups, KiwiRail and Private enterprise. Some photographs of the train are posted in our Gallery section.
December 2nd 2010.
On December 5th Ka949 (942 minus streamlining) will depart from Paekakariki at 8:35am with a train of Steam Incorporated and Feilding & District Rail Societies red carriages for Otaki. Over the last few months all three organisations have been working together with Lippy Films producing a movie that includes the Tangiwai disaster. This move on Sunday will represent the final filming of the live train action. Please note: If you wish to get photos of the train please do so between Paekakariki and Otaki. During the overnight filming at Otaki the station area will be closed off and patrolled by security and we ask that railfans stay away from the area. At about 3:30am the next morning the train will run to Feilding to drop off the Feilding cars before returning to Paekakariki. Expected departure time from Feilding on the 6th is 7:20am with and arrival time in Paekakariki of 10am. We ask anyone out photographing the train to act responsibly and stay off railway property and away from the Otaki station.
October 28th 2010.
Over the last month we have been running our annual tour which has covered a large piece of New Zealand. Starting in Auckland on the 8th we have visited Wellington, Christchurch, Greymouth, Westport, Napier, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Whangarei and finally finishing back in Auckland on the night of the 27th. Along the way we have used Ja1275, J1211, Ab663, Jb1236 and Ka942 and met some wonderful people. Thank you to our members and KiwiRail staff who helped to make this tour such a success. Our overseas visitors were blown away by the trains we operated and the beauty of New Zealand. All of them vowed to recommend us to their friends back home and spread the word that New Zealand is the place to come for some fantastic steam action. Over the next week we will add photos from the tour to our Gallery Section so check in from time to time for a look.
September 26th 2010.
It is the second day of the Parnell Depot Open Weekend today. The weather is currently, treating us well and despite a bit of wind the sun is shining as this is written. Good crowds turned out yesterday and we hope the same will happen today. The Bagnall is in steam giving rides and there is a lot of interest in the progress being made on Ja1240. If you didn't make it yesterday come along today for a look. Remember that if you produce your MLS membership card you get in for free.
September 26th 2010.
With the Super City Elections coming up in Auckland this was a billboard we just couldn't disagree with.
September 14th 2010.
On Saturday 18th Ja1275 will be leading the official train from the Strand station through to Onehunga for the opening of the rebuilt Onehunga branch. This train is a co-operative effort between Mainline Steam, Railway Enthusiasts Society, ARTA, KiwiRail and Veolia. The train will be made up of Ja1275, two RES carriages and MAXX DC4444. Arrival time for the Official train in Onehunga is 1030am. The branch will be open for public trains the following day with scheduled services between Onehunga and Britomart. If you are in the area come along and say hi. Remember to stay off railway property while taking photographs.
September 13th 2010.
Well done to the team in Christchurch who ran a successful trip to Arthurs Pass and return on Sunday 12th. This despite the fact they have all been shaken around over the last week and the weather turned sour in the afternoon with heavy rain.
September 6th 2010.
Despite the damages to tracks around the Christchurch area KiwiRail track gangs have been working hard to repair the lines and restore services. As a result of their efforts the Midland line is now open and we will be able to operate the last Arthurs Pass steam excursion for this year on the 12th of September. All other repairs should be completed before we operate the tour in October so no changes should be required.
Important News:
04/09/2010.
Our Christchurch team have now checked our depot. There is no major damage although virtually all the crockery in the lunch room has been destroyed and tools have been thrown off shelves. The Ab was on jacks having work done and has collapsed off the jacks although no damage has been done. Jb1236 is OK. None of our members have reported any injuries at this stage. All the Christchurch team have responded well to the emergency despite them all suffering personal loses. Updated 2:53pm.
The Midland Mountaineer will
have to be cancelled. The Midland line has been damaged just out of
Rolleston and it is not known at this stage when it can be re-opened.
The Tranz Scenic carriages are currently trapped in their depot due to
damage to the depot. All signaling is also out of action in the
Christchurch area. Our members in the area are reporting damage to their
homes both internal and external. The Earthquake was 7.4 and centered
30km's west of Christchurch. Several buildings have collapsed in central
Christchurch. We apologise to all our passengers but there is nothing
we can do at present. Updated 08:34am.
There has been an earthquake in Christchurch this morning.
We are currently trying to gather further information. If you are booked
on the Midland Mountaineer please go to the station at the appointed
time. We will have MLS representatives available there who will keep you
updated. After such and event all bridges and lines will have to be
checked for damage. Once we know more on the state of the line we will
update our representatives. Updated 6:11am.
September 1st 2010.
Mainline Steam in conjunction with RES/GVR will be operating Ja1275 from the Strand Station to Onehunga on the 18th September for the official opening of the refurbished Onehunga Branch. The train will use RES carriages to carry dignitaries and officials to the opening. The line will be open to the public for passenger services on the 19th of September. I will publish more details as they become available.
July 31st 2010.
A great trip with the Main Trunk Trekker from Auckland to National Park and return. This is a long day trip starting in Auckland at 5am and returning at 11:30pm. It is, however, an adventure that takes us through the pastoral grasslands of the Waikato and on into the more rugged central North Island culminating in a climb up the Raurimu Spiral to National Park in the shadow of Mount Ruapehu. From here passengers are transferred by bus to the Grand Chateau for a meal before busing back to Taumarunui to rejoin the train home. During the course of the trip we had some photo runs, two during the day on the way and then a spectacular night run on the way home. There is a short video here showing some scenes from the trip. Some photos are available here. If you missed the trip this year make sure you book when it becomes available next year.
July 20th 2010.
Work has been progressing on Ja1240 with new bearings being fitted to three of the main axles and overhaul of the tender body, underframe and bogies commenced. If you have checked in on the progress for a while take a look at the photos here.
July 5th 2010.
On Sunday July 4th J1211 and Jb1236 were both in action in different Islands. J1211 was standing in for Feildings Wab on the Tranz Scenic Overlander Steam Engine Sunday and Jb1236 was running our first 2010 season winter trip to Arthurs Pass. Both trips ran without problems. The Arthurs Pass trip saw 1236 running under clear blue skies with snow capped mountains as a backdrop and J1211 did some excellent running between Taihape and Palmerston North to make up some time lost by the Overlander north of Taihape. By all accounts a great day was had by everyone on both excursions. Mark Stout has been kind enough to provide some photos of 1211 at Taihape. The two photos here show 1211 being turned at Taihape and departing south with the Overlander.
The photos below are compliments of Richard Cocker and were taken during the 4th of July trip to Arthurs Pass. More photos are available here.
June 25th 2010.
Saturday 19th June saw us head to Hamilton for the Fieldays. This year, as well as taking a trainload to the Fieldays, we also ran an excursion to Waharoa and return which was sold locally. The whole day was a great success with hundreds turning out to ride and view the train. Despite threats of rain the weather held out giving those that went to the Fieldays a dry day to view the exhibits and it also meant we were able to do a photo run on the Waharoa leg of the trip. Thank you to PGG Wrightson at Walton for allowing us to use their yard as a vantage point. Some photos from the day are available here.
June 3rd 2010.
On Saturday the 29th May Ja1275 led our excursion to Whangarei from Auckland. With all the work that has been taking place on the western line this was the first opportunity to operate the Northlander in some years. The weather leading up to Saturday was terrible with heavy rain and high winds in many areas, including Northland. However, Saturday was one out of the bag with sunny skies and only a couple of showers to deal with. One of the major projects on the western line has been the new station at New Lynn which is now located in a trench. Ja1275 can now lay claim to being the first steam locomotive to pass through the trench and station. North of Helensville the North Auckland Line (NAL) is currently one long speed restriction with one after another. It was pleasing to see KiwiRail does have the Tamper on the line working to improve it. We did manage a couple of photo runs on the way north and the stop at Wellsford gave passengers and locals a great chance to get up close to the locomotive with many taking the chance to have their photo taken in front of the engine and to have a look in the cab. At Whangarei a number of passenger took the side trip to the museum while others went into town for some lunch and a look around. For the return trip we had to add a diesel in front of the steam locomotive as there was not enough steam crews from KiwiRail to operate the Ja back to Auckland. The return trip went as smoothly as the outward trip and we arrived back in Auckland right on time with a train load of tired, but very happy, passengers. A short video shot on the day can be seen here. There is also a video of Ja1275 on the Whangarei turntable here. This turntable is from Taneatua.
May 20th 2010.
Jb1236 passed her annual visual boiler inspection and had the radio certificate redone as well.
The boiler was washed out two weeks ago and is very clean inside, there are some other small jobs to complete as well as a live steam test before we head to The Pass on July 4.
Several bolts have been removed from Kb 968's tender and these will be replace by rivets, we are working on getting the remaining baffles in place inside the tender.
We now have a new roller door on road 2, the container that was beside the building has been shifted over by the boundary fence on the south side of the complex, the yard is being tidyed and the ballast level is being raised to railhead height to make easier walking and working conditions, the outside pit has had covers made and fitted.
We are planning on refitting the Hiab to Urk66 in the near future and Uc2753 is in line to be painted shortly, Ab663 is waiting for 1236 to clear the pit so we can do some jobs on it.
We have also gained a few new members lately which is good to see, we have two mechanics and a cabinetmaker/ex NZR shunter, and a retired engine driver along now.
Lindsay
May 7th 2010.
Mainline Steam is on Twitter. The @ name is mainlinesteam.
May 7th 2010.
Parnell Progress.
Our main project, the overhaul of Ja 1240 continues with good progress being made.With the boiler now back on the frame new cladding has been made up and fitted
to the firebox and the throat sheet cladding is now under repair.The cab was refitted last night to allow the mounting holes to be drilled to match the frame and to ensure it is straight (it wasn't), once this is complete it will be removed for final painting and finishing.
The steam pipes from the header to the cylinders have all been fitted and work has started on a new set of super heater elements. A start has been made on cutting out the cracked RH cylinder liner, once this has been done the spare liner will be machined and fitted.The left hand guide bars, piston and new rings have all being fitted and the guide bars aligned.
The tender was recently dismantled and work is now underway on cleaning and painting all the component parts.The bearings on one bogie have been cleaned and checked with only two bearings requiring replacement, refurbishment of the brake gear is underway for both bogies.The tender underframe is about 50% cleaned and painted and should be complete next week.
Ja 1275 has also received some attention recently with the mechanical lubricator stripped down for cleaning and reseating the valves in the pumps which were found to be leaking and suspected of being the cause of the erratic feeding on recent outings.
On top of all that shunter training and refreshers are underway and a planned review of our Safety Systems, never a dull moment.
Also a hats off to our Christchurch members who at short notice prepared Ab 663 to stand in for the Wab during its problems while down south, and some of whom
took time off work to then help repair the Wab.
Grant
April 23rd 2010.
Work is progressing on Ja1240 with cladding and insulation being applied to the boiler and the cab getting new rivets all round. The tender has also been starter with the body being removed from the underframe and the bogies also being separated for inspection and cleaning. Photo here.
Mainline Steam has also been involved with the Fielding and District Rail Societies tour of the South Island over the last several days. Unfortunately their Wab locomotive suffered a few problems on the way to Christchurch from Picton. Mainline Steam was able to step in and provide our Ab663 for their train to Waipara the next day and then to Greymouth a couple of days later. The Wab was based in our depot while repairs were undertaken before it was towed to Greymouth to catch up with their train. The Ab waited in Greymouth until the Wab headed back to Christchurch and came back on that train.Today the Fielding train departed for Picton as the first part of their return journey to Fielding.
April 12th 2010.
The Easter Weekend event at Ferrymead went very well with Ab663 and Jb1236 went very well and congratulations are in order to all the Christchurch team. Ab663 also ran a successful trip to the Weka Pass Railway on the 10th of April. Unfortunately Weka Pass A428 was out of action so we weren't able to double head over the Weka Pass as originally intended. However, Ab663 handled the train without incident over the line. While there 663 was the first locomotive to water from the newly installed water vat. Thank you to Weka Pass for hosting us. Photos are here.
March 30th 2010.
Ab663 & Jb1236 are going to the Ferrymead Heritage Park in Christchurch over the Easter weekend where they will be in steam and operating over the Ferrymead line. If you are in the area make sure you get along for a look and say hello to the Christchurch team.
March 25th 2010.
The restoration of Ja1240 took a big step forward today with the refurbished boiler being placed back on the underframe. A photo is here.
March 10th 2010.
Ja1275 is safely back in the Parnell depot after a successful sojourn to the Bay of Plenty for the Kiwi Festival. As well as the trips there and back we operated a day of shuttle trains between Mount Maunganui and Te Puke and ran a charter train to Kawerau and return and a public excursion to Matata. The train brought people out in their thousands to see it and on the Saturday trip to Matata the train was sold out and the roads jammed with spectators. We took every opportunity to allow people a look in the cab of Ja1275 and many, many families will now have a photo of their child in the cab. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all the KiwiRail staff for their hospitality while we were in the area. It helped to make for a successful trip. Photos are posted here.
March 2nd 2010.
The weekend of the 27th and 28th February was a busy one for Mainline Steam.Our Wellington Depot was support the Kiwi Hutt Workshops by exhibiting Ka942 and Aa1013. Both were very well received and although Ka942 was not permitted to run it made its presence known with load blasts of the whistle. Meanwhile Some of our Auckland team traveled to Mount Maunganui on Saturday 27th with Ja1275 and on the Sunday operated a series of shuttle trains between Mount Maunganui and Te Puke. These went very well with lots of people turning out to ride the trains and to see Ja1275 in operation. The Sunday morning started with a Tsunami warning just as 1275 was be fired up in Mount Maunganui yard. As many of you will know that yard is not very far above sea level. Everyone was looking around for something to climb should the Ports warning alarms go off. However, the warning was lifted just before the train departed for it's first run of the day.
February 26th 2010.
Ka942 and Aa1013 will be heading out to Hutt Shops today for Open Day on Sunday 28th February. It is 70 years, this year, since Ka942 rolled out of the gates of Hutt to begin its career with New Zealand Railways so it is appropriate that it should be on display on Sunday. Aa1013 is a little older being built in Petone in 1908. Both pieces of equipment are being provided to the Hutt shops free of charge by Mainline Steam. As well as these historic pieces of equipment, visitors will be able to see Dx and Dc locomotives and some of the modern track maintenance equipment as well as a chance to see inside the shops. Entry to the Open day will be via Bell Road, Lower Hutt from 11am to 4pm with gold coin donation. All funds raised go to local ambulance services.
February 25th 2010.
Ja1275 is in steam and ready to go for the trip to the Kiwi Festival on Saturday. Mainline Steam will be operating a number of trips as part of the Kiwi Festival starting on Sunday with shuttle trains to Te Puki from Hull Road in Mount Maunganui. Please remember if you are coming out to see the train keep off railway property and in particular stay out of rail yards at Mount Maunganui and Kawerau. Good views can be had from public property so please stay safe and don't trespass.
February 19th 2010.
On the 18th February 2010 we provided Ja1275 for the re-opening of the
old Auckland signal box which has been converted to office space for a
company called Datamine. They have done a terrific job of preserving
this building which would have otherwise probably been demolished. We
provided Ja1275 free of charge for their corporate event in
recognition of their efforts. All the guests were given a short cab ride
and 1275 proved to be the star of the party. Some photos are available here.
February 18th 2010.
Ja1275 is going to a corporate function this afternoon to celebrate the refurbishment of the old Auckland Signal Box. It has been leased by a company called Datamine and they have turned it into their offices. A short video of Ja1275 being fired up can be found here.
February 10th 2010.
Ja1240 has passed a milestone in its restoration today by successfully passing the hydro pressure test on its boiler. This means the boiler can now be reunited with the frame and from here on it's basically like a big kit set that has to be put back together. Well done to Lindsay and all involved. A video can be seen here.
February 2nd 2010.
Ka 942 will be going to the Hutt Workshops Open Day on the 28th February. It will be in steam and operating over the Test track during the day.
January 18th 2010.
The Kiwi Festival excursions are all go so see our Excursion page for all the booking details. This trip will be hauled by Ja1275.
Our Christchurch Depot has undergone a change of Manager over the Christmas break. Richard Baird has stood down and Lindsay Challis has now taken on the job. Richard has done an excellent job over the last few years but also has a number of other interests to pursue and found that the amount of time being spent with Mainline was increasing to the detriment of other interests. He will still be involved in a more relaxed capacity as a volunteer and is currently working on the rehabilitation of the diesel shunter. His efforts over the past few years have been very much appreciated.
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