News
Keirunga member rides Kuranda Scenic Railway
Mike and Dale Hartle recently visited north Queensland and spent a day riding the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail. The 12 carriage Kuranda train is pulled by two brightly painted locos from Cairns to Kuranda via the Barron Gorge.
Dale and Mike on board the Kuranda scenic railway.
The Kuranda train at Horseshoe Bend, heading up the incline.
View inside a Kuranda carriage.
Kuranda railway locos.
They also found an operational loco at Ravenshoe which travels up to Toumolin on weekend excursions, and a decommissioned loco at Atherton, which used to run to the tin mines at Herberton.
Loco at Ravenshoe.
Loco at Atherton.
At Townsville, they found a 7.25 gauge railway, and looked at their historic railway station from Oonoonba. This track operates on the 4th Sunday of the month. In the grounds of the park was another old loco on display.
Historic Oonoonba station at the Townsville DSME park.
Loco at TDSME park.
Easter 2010 a great success
I will start with saying a great BIG Thank you, to all the visiting drivers and their friends who brought their trains from all over the North Island to Keirunga Park Railway on Easter weekend. Without you all, we would not have had the great time and fun that we and the public had.
All of us must thank the men and women who were slaving in the kitchen all weekend to keep us all fed and watered. They did a great job, thanks.
We had put in more water points in the station, and I think that they worked well as the signal staff could put the smaller steamers anywhere in the station and saved any congestion in the North and Relief lines.
The weather was great all weekend until the Monday when the rain started and chased some of the public away. Overall, we did really well with over 2,500 people riding the trains over the weekend.
There were 48 people who came to the Hibernian Club on the Sunday night for the annual meal. The food, as always, was fantastic and we all had a great night out.
The track was looking and running great, and I must thank all the people who helped to prepare the railway for the long weekend.
We are trying to replace more old sleepers on the track and would be grateful if you could spare a couple of hours on a Saturday morning to help out.
If you have any photos or stories that you would like to put on our website, please send them to me and I will send them on to our webmaster who looks after the website and does a great job, thanks Dale. We get lots of visitors per month and many of them are from overseas.
Keirunga members attend 2010 Convention
Several members of Havelock North Live Steamers attended the Steam and Cinders Convention 2010 from 6 - 11 January 2010 at Nelson.
Day 1 - Wednesday 6 January
Wednesday was the first public day and it dawned fine and warm. There was a concert in the park next door, so plenty of people were around. Everyone did several rounds of the track, and at 1 pm the Grand Parade began, with all available locos out on the track. The public kept arriving to admire the locos, steam traction engines, model boats and other static displays in the clubrooms. In the evening there was a shunting competition which attracted plenty of interest, and was won by the Hamilton club.
Day 2 - Thursday 7 January
Another fine day in Nelson, with all locos fired up and ready for action by 10 am. Some of the ladies went off on the Bus Trip while the men ran their locos on the track or attended the MEANZ AGM after lunch. The club rooms were busy with people inspecting some of the displays on show, and watching the activities with the radio controlled models on the pond.
Day 3 - Friday 8 January
Friday's weather started off with a brisk but not too cold southerly breeze. All the steamers were out on the track by mid morning and more people and their locos arrived during the day. The track opened at 10 am for the public, and was soon busy with departing locos from the station filled with passengers. Late afternoon was the double-header with 71 people hauled by 2 Alaska locos from Christchurch. What a sight!
There were lots of traction engines and other static displays for the public to view, as these two photos below show. Some displays contributed to lively discussions.
Friday was also the night run and all locos were out on the track after dinner for drivers and families to have fun. Any members of the public who happened to be around got free rides.
Day 4 - Saturday 9 January
Saturday dawned overcast but the cloud soon cleared to a brilliantly fine day. The horrible wind from the previous day had gone, and though the temperature was down a few degrees, it was a welcome relief not to be sweltering.
All the locos - steam engines, models and displays - were out for public inspection and enjoyment. The steamers got out on the track around 10 am and chugged around all day, carrying lots of happy passengers.
The 3 course Convention Dinner began at 6.30 pm on Saturday night in the marquee, along with speeches and prizegiving.
Day 5 - Sunday 10 January
Fine, calm, warm - again! Looking promising for a great day's running. Then an ominous dark cloud appeared on the horizon to the south, and at 11.15 am the wind changed. However the cloud dissipated and the forecasted rain never eventuated at that stage.
The crowds were out early and in force, and we did lots of runs before lunch with full loads of happy passengers enjoying the sights and sounds of the Nelson track. The raised track was particularly popular.
At precisely 3 pm, after a few spots of rain and another wind change, the rain finally arrived. Everyone was scrambling to come in off the track, drop their fires and load up before the heavens opened. People rushed around helping each other or taking shelter in the marquee or under the nearest tree to watch the proceedings if they were not needed, especially the ladies! That was the end of the day's running as the heavens did finally open and those still outside got a real drenching. It was a shame the weather packed it in so soon, as everyone was having a whale of a time, but the public soon disappeared and the track took on a very sodden desolate look. The Convention was over! It was just a matter of getting packed up and outta there!
Thanks to the Nelson club for hosting a wonderful, friendly, enjoyable Convention.
Next Convention
The next Convention is being held in Whangarei from 5-9 January 2010. Visit the Whangarei Model Engineering Club website for details.
Keirunga appoints new Life Member
The Havelock North Live Steamers & Associates Inc announced recently that Fiona Fordyce has been appointed a Life Member of the Club. In presenting this honour to Fiona, the Club recognised her support and dedication from the instigation of the Club to the present day. This covers a period of some 25 years in which she has been an active member, from the early days of surveying the site, through the construction period and over the years that the railway has been in operation.
Fiona has done it all - mixed concrete, wheeled barrows, dug cuttings, laid track, planted trees, made morning tea, sold tickets, worked the platform, driven the club loco, and always with a smile. She is well known by our overseas visitors and out of town members and always asked after by her friends.
Fiona is the Club's fifth Life Member, and only one of 3 living Life Members. The award is seen by all our members as a fitting tribute to one who has done so much for so long and so consistently.
Congratulations Fiona!
Keirunga member rides Zig Zag Railway
Keirunga member Mike Hartle and his wife Dale rode the Zig Zag Railway in New South Wales in September 2009. The steam train descends the steep gradient from Clarence to Bottom Points, through historic tunnels and over sandstone viaducts, revealing the engineering brilliance of the Zig Zag and the impressive Blue Mountains scenery. The return journey takes about 1.5 hours.
Mike and Dale arrived at the Zig Zag Bottom Points station on the CityLink train from Katoomba, and waited for the train to come down the incline with a full load of passengers. During the wait, Mike inspected the loco storage sheds and yard.
When it arrived, the loco (a Queensland DD17) was reversed and attached to the front of the train facing backwards, and after a 20 minute break, all the passengers climbed on board for the ride up the Zig Zag incline.
At the mid way point (Top Points), the train stops and the loco changes ends, then pulls the train up to the Clarence railway station, now facing the right way again. This was the return point for most passengers, and the starting point for a new load.
Once again the loco changes ends, and after a lunch and photo stop, the train begins the trip back down the incline to Bottom Points. Luckily Mike was offered a ride in the cab from Top Points down to Bottom Points, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed.
On arrival at Bottom Points, Mike and Dale caught the CityLink train back to Katoomba.
About the Zig Zag Railway
The Zig Zag is a full size, narrow gauge tourist railway located at Clarence, ten km east of Lithgow in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. Built in the 1860s, the line was constructed to transport people and produce from the western plains of NSW to Sydney. It was replaced in 1910 by a 10 tunnel deviation. The trains, track and rollingstock are maintained and operated by the Zig Zag Railway Co-op Ltd, a voluntary, 'not for profit' co-operative. Visit the Zig Zag Railway website for more information.
Heritage Rail NSW - The Pay Bus and Cash on Tracks Exhibition
While in Sydney in September, Mike and Dale Hartle also inspected the Pay Bus and Cash on Tracks Exhibition at the Sydney Central Railway Station.
The Cash on Track exhibition charts the history of the unique railway pay buses (c1937). The pay buses operated across the state until the mid 1980s, delivering staff cash wages.
The Exhibition features stories from staff past and present, acknowledgements of the role of our apprentices in both heritage restoration projects and in the future of rail, and it also features the very first rail bus FP1 - the only surviving one.
The restored heritage rail pay bus FP1 is on show until May 2010. It has been beautifully restored to its original condition by a team of 16 RailCorp apprentices who were taught a combination of modern skills and heritage techniques during the 13 month project.
The Pay Bus Story
In 1937 the NSW Department of Railways introduced six rail buses to its fleet as an economical form of passenger transport on small branch lines. The concept derived from passenger rail motors, introduced in 1919, which used a traditional timber railway carriage mounted on a converted road truck chassis and drive train. Rail buses took the concept one step further and adapted road vehicle styling, coach-building and technology for rail use. Within a year of their introduction, they were withdrawn for economic reasons, having failed to attract sufficient passenger numbers to make the services viable.
By June 1939, five of the rail buses had been relaunched as mobile pay cars, while the sixth remained a rail bus until some time later.
For almost fifty years, the vehicles were used to move cash on NSW rail lines to pay employees at stations and maintenance gangs working on the tracks. The vehicles were a familiar sight on the network as they made the fortnightly pay runs and were affectionately known as 'pay buses'.
Today, they are no longer in operation, having been replaced by electronic banking. The sole survivor of the first fleet of pay buses, FP1, is today recognised as a significant item of rail heritage. Itvhas recently been restored by a dedicated group of apprentices as part of RailCorp's Apprentice Training Program in collaboration with RailCorp's Office of Rail Heritage, Training Division and Rollingstock Division.
More News
Read our News Archives for news and photos about Keirunga Park Railway over the past couple of years.
- Labour Weekend 2009 Report
- Labour Weekend 2009 Photo Gallery
- Easter 2009
- Convention 2008
- International Visitors 2008
- Easter 2008
- Labour Weekend 2008
- Centennial 2008
- Parliamentary Special
- Rare Lineup of locos 2007
- Easter 2007
Website News
The Keirunga Website has nearly 200 visitors per month - people love looking at our news and events, member profiles, and checking out our operation before visiting.
Keirunga DVD
Ask our stationmaster to buy your own personal copy of our Keirunga Park Railway DVD.
The 20 minute movie shows the operation of the various steam, diesel and electric locomotives at Keirunga, along with shots of the ride and the station area.
At just $15.00 per copy, it's a great memento of your visit to Keirunga.