November 2013 to February 2014
November 27th: Greg Tinnion was our guest speaker for this night. He talked to us about his recent trip to the South Island and to the 150 Years of Rail in NZ celebrations held in Christchurch. These celebrations were held jointly between KiwiRail and preservation groups with things happening at Ferrymead as well as mainline runs with visiting locos and railcars. Thanks a lot Greg for an interesting night. A lot of us were green with envy not being able to get down to it ourselves.
December 14th: We combined with the Wanganui Model Railway & Engineering Society and had our Christmas BBQ at
the WMR&ES club rooms on this Saturday afternoon. We all had a great time enjoying each others company talking about things we had got up to throughout the year as well as up coming projects and of course the food was
great.
January 18th - 20th: Over the Wellington Anniversary long weekend, more commonly known now in Wanganui as Heritage Weekend. SteamRail Wanganui opened it's doors to the public to show off our rail history that we are
restoring. We were asked by the organiser of the weekend to open our doors and at first it was meant to tie in with Mainline Steam coming to town to run trips to Castlecliff, East Town and Kai Iwi, but due to loco problems this had to be postponed to a later date. The main highlight for SRW over the weekend was our Steam Crane E120 ex the East Town Workshops engines being powered by steam for the first time in over 25 years. This was achieved not only by all the work Hamish Coull and Ewan Pound had put in freeing up and cleaning the engine parts as mentioned in previous newsletters but also a big thanks go to John Munro and the Steam Traction Society team for bringing up a Traction engine from Mawera to supply the steam so the crane engines could be running for the public to see them working. We also had our locos, trolleys and other items on display. We were amazed at how many people turned up to have a look. This was a great weekend for publicity for the club and we will look at doing more of these. Thank you to all members who helped out over the weekend. Photos taken by Charley Masters and Blair Jordan
December 14th: We combined with the Wanganui Model Railway & Engineering Society and had our Christmas BBQ at
the WMR&ES club rooms on this Saturday afternoon. We all had a great time enjoying each others company talking about things we had got up to throughout the year as well as up coming projects and of course the food was
great.
January 18th - 20th: Over the Wellington Anniversary long weekend, more commonly known now in Wanganui as Heritage Weekend. SteamRail Wanganui opened it's doors to the public to show off our rail history that we are
restoring. We were asked by the organiser of the weekend to open our doors and at first it was meant to tie in with Mainline Steam coming to town to run trips to Castlecliff, East Town and Kai Iwi, but due to loco problems this had to be postponed to a later date. The main highlight for SRW over the weekend was our Steam Crane E120 ex the East Town Workshops engines being powered by steam for the first time in over 25 years. This was achieved not only by all the work Hamish Coull and Ewan Pound had put in freeing up and cleaning the engine parts as mentioned in previous newsletters but also a big thanks go to John Munro and the Steam Traction Society team for bringing up a Traction engine from Mawera to supply the steam so the crane engines could be running for the public to see them working. We also had our locos, trolleys and other items on display. We were amazed at how many people turned up to have a look. This was a great weekend for publicity for the club and we will look at doing more of these. Thank you to all members who helped out over the weekend. Photos taken by Charley Masters and Blair Jordan
Construction/ Maintenance: Over the Christmas, New Year period work down the shed hasn't stopped. Hamish Coull and Ewan Pound as mentioned above have carried on working on the Steam Crane getting it ready for Heritage
weekend. Greg Tinnion has continued working on the cab of Price loco 212 ex Imlay. Russell Jackson and Colin Hughes have also continued working on the signal box. Thank you also to all the guys who helped with the clean up in the shed before we opened to the public, the place looks great. Also Colin, Greg and with the help from Charley Masters (thanks Charley) have been archiving all the club's books, mags and plans etc.
weekend. Greg Tinnion has continued working on the cab of Price loco 212 ex Imlay. Russell Jackson and Colin Hughes have also continued working on the signal box. Thank you also to all the guys who helped with the clean up in the shed before we opened to the public, the place looks great. Also Colin, Greg and with the help from Charley Masters (thanks Charley) have been archiving all the club's books, mags and plans etc.
August To October 2013
August 20th: Erin Johnson from EJ Videos was our guest speaker for this night. This was a combined club night with WMR&ES after they invited us along. It was held at the Trinity Church Hall. This was a great night seeing footage of New Zealand trains and Erin's trips around America. Members also bought some of his DVD's. We finished off the night with supper. We would like to thank Erin for this great night and look forward to the next one. We also thank the Trinity Church for the use of their hall.
September 25th: Movie Night. We all sat back and enjoyed one of the first British comedys to be filmed in Technicolour - The Titfield Thunderbolt starring Stanley Holloway, George Relph and Sidney James. Hornby Model Railway put out a limited edition (of a 1000) set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the film release, which included model loco, carriage and guards van based on the ones in the film, a movie poster, a certificate of authentication and a dvd of the movie. We all had a great laugh. Thank you Blair for the use of this dvd and if you are wondering what number he got with the limited edition, it was 465 (the same number as the TMS number of his TR loco).
October 23rd: This was an others hobbies night, where members brought along other things they collect. Colin brought along his LP picture disc, which feature a lot of rock bands like Deep Purple, Kiss and AC/DC. Ewan showed us some of his Steam Engine makers plates, a steam safety valve and oiler and some old NZR tools and finally Blair with his collection of circus models including figureines, trucks, tents, side stalls and a circus train. He plans to build a portable display with these at some stage.
September 25th: Movie Night. We all sat back and enjoyed one of the first British comedys to be filmed in Technicolour - The Titfield Thunderbolt starring Stanley Holloway, George Relph and Sidney James. Hornby Model Railway put out a limited edition (of a 1000) set to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the film release, which included model loco, carriage and guards van based on the ones in the film, a movie poster, a certificate of authentication and a dvd of the movie. We all had a great laugh. Thank you Blair for the use of this dvd and if you are wondering what number he got with the limited edition, it was 465 (the same number as the TMS number of his TR loco).
October 23rd: This was an others hobbies night, where members brought along other things they collect. Colin brought along his LP picture disc, which feature a lot of rock bands like Deep Purple, Kiss and AC/DC. Ewan showed us some of his Steam Engine makers plates, a steam safety valve and oiler and some old NZR tools and finally Blair with his collection of circus models including figureines, trucks, tents, side stalls and a circus train. He plans to build a portable display with these at some stage.
Construction/ Maintenance: Work has carried on down at the shed and at last I can report that the signal box roof is now finished and looking great. We just need to now finish the sanding inside and out and paint and it will be looking like new. The new heat shield to protect the LPG tanks from the engine heat has been mounted in the Price Loco 212 ex Imlay. The steam crane engine componants have also continued to be cleaned up and repainted. There has been another trip to Waverley to bring back more items. The club has also taken delivery of a new drill press thanks to Ewan Pound.
Dominion Post Tour: Once again SteamRail Wanganui got hired to do the security of one of the KiwiRail Passenger trains. This was for the Dominion Post. It was in town for two nights from the 29th to the 31st of October. Thanks to all members who helped out with this. It is a good money earner for the club.
May - July 2013
May 23rd: Lindsay Benbrook from Rail Scene Videos was our guest speaker for this night. We made this a combined club night with both groups SRW and WMR&ES as we asked WMR&ES to come along too and we held the night at the Trinity Church Hall. This was a great night seeing footage of the old NZR through to today. We even finished off with films from around the Wanganui area and especially several different excursions on the Castlecliff Branch over the years. We finished off the night with supper. We would like to thank Lindsay for this great night and look forward to the next one. We also thank the Trinity Church for the use of their hall.
June 26th: We once again enjoyed a DVD/Video night. Members brought along bits of film footage that they thought others would be interested in.
July 19th: Members and partners of both clubs once again had an enjoyable night out at the Liffiton Castle for the Annual Mid Year Dinner. A big thanks to the Liffiton Castle team for all that great food.
Construction/ Maintenance: The last few months have been very busy for the guys down at the shed. The big project has been the reroofing of the ex Aramoho North End Signal Box. We have put in a few full weekends on this project so far and now only have a bit of ridging to still put on. This was a big job as it wasn't a case of just replacing the roof. We had to rebuild the whole roof structure due to the old timber being full of borer or being rotten. We also pulled out about a ute load of birds nests from the ceiling. The building is starting to look really good now with the new roof. Other work has also carried on. Hamish Coull has continued to work on the Steam Crane. Greg Tinnion has put the floor back into the ex Imlay Price loco. Some of the members have again done trips to the Waverley Group to bring items that we have been donated back. We have also had a clean up to make room for the Lc wagon from Waverley that was delivered to us along with their Yb wagon by Emmetts Crane Hire on the back of their Hiab truck and trailer on the 23rd of July. Thank you to Emmetts and The Friends Of The Waverley Railway Station Group. We will also over the next few months be getting Waverley's Xc box wagon which will be great for more storage space. Photos taken by Colin Hughes and Mark Seconi.
June 26th: We once again enjoyed a DVD/Video night. Members brought along bits of film footage that they thought others would be interested in.
July 19th: Members and partners of both clubs once again had an enjoyable night out at the Liffiton Castle for the Annual Mid Year Dinner. A big thanks to the Liffiton Castle team for all that great food.
Construction/ Maintenance: The last few months have been very busy for the guys down at the shed. The big project has been the reroofing of the ex Aramoho North End Signal Box. We have put in a few full weekends on this project so far and now only have a bit of ridging to still put on. This was a big job as it wasn't a case of just replacing the roof. We had to rebuild the whole roof structure due to the old timber being full of borer or being rotten. We also pulled out about a ute load of birds nests from the ceiling. The building is starting to look really good now with the new roof. Other work has also carried on. Hamish Coull has continued to work on the Steam Crane. Greg Tinnion has put the floor back into the ex Imlay Price loco. Some of the members have again done trips to the Waverley Group to bring items that we have been donated back. We have also had a clean up to make room for the Lc wagon from Waverley that was delivered to us along with their Yb wagon by Emmetts Crane Hire on the back of their Hiab truck and trailer on the 23rd of July. Thank you to Emmetts and The Friends Of The Waverley Railway Station Group. We will also over the next few months be getting Waverley's Xc box wagon which will be great for more storage space. Photos taken by Colin Hughes and Mark Seconi.
February - April 2013
February 27th: This was our first Club Night for the year and members enjoyed another DVD evening.
March 2nd & 3rd: SteamRail was once again involved with the WMR&ES Show at the Wanganui Racecourse. We had a display there which included a lot of old railway memorabilia. This included maps, plans, number plates, loco lights, crockery, operating points lever and a Motor Jigger. This was a great show. Thank you to all our members who helped with this weekend. See photos of our display below.
March 27th: Blair Jordan hosted another one of his popular quiz nights on this Club Night. Members had a lot of fun. There were four main sections which covered the following :- SteamRail Wanganui knowledge, New Zealand Railway Knowledge, New Zealand Preservation Knowledge and a Film Segment. Each section had 15 questions. Thanks Blair for this great night.
April 24th: This night was SteamRail's A.G.M. It was well attended by members. There were are few changes on the Committe. Rob Walker stood down as the President. We would like to thank him for his 8 years in the top job, keeping us in line. Rob will be staying on as a committee member. Stephen Shaw has also stood down from the committee and we thank him too for all he has done while on the board. The new Committe is as follows:- President Blair Jordan, Secretary/Treasurer Greg Tinnion and Committe Members Colin Hughes and Rob Walker plus we welcome new to the board Russell Jackson, Ewan Pound and Hamish Coull. We finished off the night talking about club projects. See Presidents report below.
Construction/ Maintenance: We have carried on with the projects down at our shed. Greg Tinnion has carried on with the Price loco 212 (ex Imlay). He has continued work on the cab area and back part of the underframe with derusting and repainting. The cab floor has also started to go back in. Ewan Pound has also welded two new bits of steel in to replace other rusted out sections. They had removed the back Shunter's step to help with the clean up of the headboard. Colin Hughes has cleaned and repainted this step and it has now been mounted back on the loco. Price loco 149 (ex Waiouru Army Museum) continues at this stage to be our only runner and is performing well other than the battery having to be recharged due to the loco not being used for a while. Hamish Coull with help from Ewan and Colin has continued to work on Steam Crane 120 (ex East Town Workshops). They removed the water tank from inside and Colin has cleaned and repainted this. Hamish has removed more of the engine parts to clean and free them up before he gives them a repaint. The crane was also pushed out the back door slightly to check the axle bearings. We have now brought the new roof for the small signal box (ex Nth end Aramoho Yard). We plan to have a full weekend working bee on this on the 18th and 19th of May (weather permitting). This will involve taking off old iron and replacing rotten or bora filled boards before we put the new iron on. Members help with this weekend would be great.
March 2nd & 3rd: SteamRail was once again involved with the WMR&ES Show at the Wanganui Racecourse. We had a display there which included a lot of old railway memorabilia. This included maps, plans, number plates, loco lights, crockery, operating points lever and a Motor Jigger. This was a great show. Thank you to all our members who helped with this weekend. See photos of our display below.
March 27th: Blair Jordan hosted another one of his popular quiz nights on this Club Night. Members had a lot of fun. There were four main sections which covered the following :- SteamRail Wanganui knowledge, New Zealand Railway Knowledge, New Zealand Preservation Knowledge and a Film Segment. Each section had 15 questions. Thanks Blair for this great night.
April 24th: This night was SteamRail's A.G.M. It was well attended by members. There were are few changes on the Committe. Rob Walker stood down as the President. We would like to thank him for his 8 years in the top job, keeping us in line. Rob will be staying on as a committee member. Stephen Shaw has also stood down from the committee and we thank him too for all he has done while on the board. The new Committe is as follows:- President Blair Jordan, Secretary/Treasurer Greg Tinnion and Committe Members Colin Hughes and Rob Walker plus we welcome new to the board Russell Jackson, Ewan Pound and Hamish Coull. We finished off the night talking about club projects. See Presidents report below.
Construction/ Maintenance: We have carried on with the projects down at our shed. Greg Tinnion has carried on with the Price loco 212 (ex Imlay). He has continued work on the cab area and back part of the underframe with derusting and repainting. The cab floor has also started to go back in. Ewan Pound has also welded two new bits of steel in to replace other rusted out sections. They had removed the back Shunter's step to help with the clean up of the headboard. Colin Hughes has cleaned and repainted this step and it has now been mounted back on the loco. Price loco 149 (ex Waiouru Army Museum) continues at this stage to be our only runner and is performing well other than the battery having to be recharged due to the loco not being used for a while. Hamish Coull with help from Ewan and Colin has continued to work on Steam Crane 120 (ex East Town Workshops). They removed the water tank from inside and Colin has cleaned and repainted this. Hamish has removed more of the engine parts to clean and free them up before he gives them a repaint. The crane was also pushed out the back door slightly to check the axle bearings. We have now brought the new roof for the small signal box (ex Nth end Aramoho Yard). We plan to have a full weekend working bee on this on the 18th and 19th of May (weather permitting). This will involve taking off old iron and replacing rotten or bora filled boards before we put the new iron on. Members help with this weekend would be great.