SUBS: Yes, its still that time of year, but if you haven't paid yet, you have until the end of March! If the box contains a red dot our books show that you are still unfinancial. Any Members who haven't paid by the end of March are automatically removed from the membership list.
ROTOWARO STATION: This has had tremendous amount of work done on it since the last newsletter. Wingnut & Teresa did quite a few days work before the "advertised" working bee on 31/1-1/2. This was very well attended. Those helping were Wingnut, Teresa, Jan, Ken & Una, Kerry, Issac, Richard, Bruce, Wayne, Paula and Andrew-with others helping on the vehicle repairs (Colin J, Colin E, Sid, Alan).Talk about 'green people', those sanding down got covered in green dust from the old paint. A lot of paint was put on the front over this time. During the next week, we contracted one of our club members - Colin Webber and his son, to replace the roof - Ian also spent a couple of days helping with this. The station now has a new colour steel roof and spouting (thanks to the Trust Bank Community Trust Grant of 1996- and the discounted purchase price). The barge board was replaced where necessary at the back. Sanding down has revealed some rather suspect timber, so we will be replacing as we go.
The advertised working bees for Waitangi weekend were a 'dead-loss' with only Ken, Una and Sid turning up on the Sunday. Alan, Ian and Teresa were there on Friday, also Saturday along with Brian and Jan. We are hoping to get Colin (the builder) for another week soon to tidy up the rest of the woodwork. There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done BEFORE THE STATION CAN BE USED!
LOCOMOTIVES: A lot of work has been put into getting our 3-steam locomotives cleaned and ready for their annual inspections. The boiler inspector called on 20/1/98 and, with a new inspector, spent about 3 1/2 hours crawling under and over the locomotives.Some minor repairs have been carried out on all three locomotives.
CB a stud on a mudhole door was replaced. The inside of the boiler plate at one mudhole door had a piece missing. This area was built up with a high temperature 'bog' called Belzona and flushed off. The boiler inspector has used this many times while at sea, so was very happy with the repair.
PECKETT -The studs on three mud-hole doors were replaced and the landing areas built up with weld and they were then machined true.
F 185 The mudhole door had the same treatment. Sid spent a couple of days repairing the leaking blowdown valve and a gauge glass drain valve. All mudhole door welding and machining was done by John Thompson's at very reasonable cost.
The CB & Peckett are all back together and full of water, ready for testing and the 'F' needs a couple of hours to finish off.
Sid also spent some time lapping in the steam valve seat of one of the Sellars injectors on 'F185'.
Those who have done this work were Richard, Sid and myself - and I noticed Kerry helping at one stage - at least he got his elbows dirty watching Richard and passing tools.
We are currently seeking a supply of asbestos mudhole door gaskets from England. One firm still makes them and has given us a price - about the same price the replacement material gaskets that can be purchased in New Zealand.
YELLOW TRACTOR: The problem with the tractor was found to be a small diameter copper pipe (broken inside the torque converter). The pipe was about 1/8" diameter and 6 inches long. This was soon replaced, a new seal fitted and a couple of days later the tractor was back in use. All this work was done by Colin Ewing and Alan. (Thanks Trev for supplying some very necessary parts).
The tractor has since been tried and found very suitable for digging at the soft rotten rock around the Junction.(Hope Andrew has coughed up his ice-cream by now - NO! the boys were ONE DAY LATE - so now Andrew has TWO LITRES OF ICE-CREAM IN HIS TUM!)
SAFETY SCHEME: As arranged, an independent auditor and an observer from Land Transport visited us on 12/1/98. They arrived at 9 AM and left at 4-30 PM and gave our paper-work a very thorough going over. I was present all the time and able to answer any questions.We have just received the Auditor's Draft Report and the Committee are to consider the recommendations. There are a few items we don't entirely agree with, but by and large we were found to be complying with our Safety Scheme. The Auditor did not find a 'serious failing' that we had not already identified.
So after quite a few months of letters from LTSA that they suspected we may not be complying with our Safety Scheme - an LTSA appointed auditor has found we are. To reach this stage has involved myself and the committee in many hours of phone calls, discussions and thought.
OPEN DAYS: The first for 1998 will be held on 5th April. Next weekend is Easter! so we will also be running on Sunday 12th April. The following will be 3rd May - please note NO SATURDAY OPEN DAYS. Please fill out the attached work notice and return. It is VERY HARD to organise an open day roster if no-one replies: The Committee discussed holding open days on the Saturday afternoon of long week-ends and have decided that for income received, the effort is not really worth it.
FARES: The Committee have for some time been concerned that the income from our fares is not keeping pace with the rapidly increasing fixed-costs the Club is faced with. We have now been hit with a $600.00 annual fee by Land Transport for processing our Audit Reports etc. If extended work is required, the cost is $105 + GST per hour! We also pay approximately $1000.00 per year for boiler inspections. Insurances are another very big item. As from our first open day our fare structure will be:-
OPEN DAYS Adult day ticket (up to six rides) $10.00
Adult single trip ticket $ 6.00
School-age child (all-day ticket) $ 3.00
Pre-schoolers FREE!
CHARTER TRIPS: Adult charters (minimum charge $200.00/$10.00 each)
Pre-schoolers (kindies & the like, minimum $180.00) $3.00 ea.
Social groups and others - as arranged.
MEMBERS MUST NOT quote for charter trips if asked, but refer the enquiries to myself or a committee member. We have heard some funny prices quoted in the last couple of years.
These fares are still cheap when compared to other attractions and, hopefully, will give us more needed money to spend on our repair and maintenance upgrading programme.
I'm not sure which one this applied to - Colin or Alan???
We recently had a visit of an English gentleman whose uncle left the UK in 1921 for a place called 'PUKEMIRO JUNCTION' to work in the mine. Must have been rather a shock to see the Junction township when he arrived to start work! The Englishman was telling us that he had asked many NZ'ers he met in the UK, if they had heard of Pukemiro Junction - the only one that had he met at this year's Edinburgh Games.!
We have also received the following letter from another old Rotowaro identity -
Mr J Spence:
"My family arrived in Rotowaro in 1921 and we lived in the 'Mine Office' for a few months while our house was being built in the township. My father was employed at the mine producing D.C power to work the machinery at the mine, so he worked shifts with two others in the power-house. The railway station was there when we arrived but I don't know when it was built. We used to go to school by train every day. The school then was where the Manner Hardware is now (1998) and took up quite a big area.
The children from Pukemiro Junction also used to travel to Huntly too. Sometimes we didn't arrive at school until very late owing to a variety of reasons - the most frequent being a burst hose pipe on the train, but us kids were never 'broken-hearted' about that. We did this journey to school until a school was built in Rotowaro (was built in Rotowaro about 1925) which the Puke Jnc children used to attend too.
In those days there were only three trains a day, 8-30; 12-15 and 3-30. The arrival of the 15-15 on Saturday was always a big event and most of the population of Rotowaro would be at the station to see it arrive. signed J Spence"
WORKING BEES: As you can see from the newsletters there is still heaps to do at the Junction. Why not turn up and help? The next ones will be
Saturday and Sunday 28 & 29 March
Saturday and Sunday 25 & 26 April (Anzac Weekend)
Saturday and Sunday 23 & 24 May - and any others that may be deemed necessary to complete projects!
We seem to have an increasing number of 'armchair critics' lately, but we don't see them helping at these working bees. Their usual comment is "Why hasn't this or that been done" - so you can guess what our reply is!!!!! While we welcome constructive comment and suggestions, it would certainly help speed things up if these people used their hands more often.
QUEENSLAND RAIL TOUR: We have just received some brochures about a rail-tour from Brisbane to Winton and Longreach from 4th May to 14th May. Total ten-day cost is $1 265.00 & $156.00 to return to Brisbane by Spirit of the Outback. The steam locomotive to be used is 4-8-0 and restored wooden carriages will be used. These have all been overhauled by or for Queensland Rail. Should be a good trip. Brochures are in the Shanty if you want one!
CAR VAN: Work on this MUST BE SPED UP so the carriage can be used - certainly during this year. Bruce has agreed to continue and finish the woodwork but there is still lots of sanding down and re-varnishing on the inside to be done.
Our old 'Mines Car' needs new headstocks and repairs to the wooden framework between the main steel side frames. We enquired a couple of years ago about Aussie hardwood for these repairs but you can't get 12 X 4. The largest size imported is 12 X 2!
We have recently been talking with a local sawmiller about the problem and he recommends a type of red eucalyptus - the same as we recently purchased for sleepers. He can only cut any timber to a maximum size of 10", but we think we can glue the extra 2" on OK. There is also $1000.00 per cubic metre difference in the price of Aussie hardwood and local eucalyptus. there is also the option of purchasing more red beach and using it. WHO IS PREPARED TO HELP WITH THE CAR VAN??? If this can't be ready and in use, we could be down to having only one carriage for next year. BE WARNED!
FIREWOOD: There must be someone who is prepared to cut up firewood for the locomotives. In addition to the box type wood, there is also an old wattle that has fallen into the gully behind the shanty. The wood should be cut into 18" - 2' lengths. We can get the PD Gang to split the wattle.
ROTOWARO: The opencast mine is gradually creeping towards the old railway yard. At present the large digger is digging a face as close as possible to the heavy-duty road that runs beside the old railway yard! The old mines office is now empty and all workers have been relocated to the new offices beside the new workshop. The office was the last building occupied in the old village.
DRY WEATHER: Like a large part of New Zealand, the extremely dry conditions are being felt in our area. At present, the area just sounds like parts of Aussie - the locusts screeching in the willow trees and the magpies calling out. The water situation at the Junction is reasonable - should you visit the Junction do not use any more water than absolutely necessary! Remember to TURN THE WATER TO THE TOILET BLOCK OFF at the hydrant before you leave!.
The 900 gallon galvanised tank beside the hall has finally given up-the-ghost and will be replaced. The 1000 gallon plastic tank purchased a couple of years ago (in anticipation) and stored full of water is the replacement. The water in this tank is being used to fill our loco-boilers after surveys and should be empty soon.This tank, when in place, will also collect water off the shanty roof.
ROTOWARO STATION cont.....: Since writing the first part of the newsletter, the station platform will now be in two levels. Because the piles under the station have to be minimum length - it has meant the station sits quite high above the old platform level. We have decided to have the platform immediately in front of the station at its true level as decided by the door sills etc. This area will be two-metres wide. The filling is contained by an interlocking crib wall, the posts for this will also form a hand-rail. The rest of the platform is to be at its present level.The alternative was a sloping platform towards the railway lines!!!!
Another alternative was to excavate a hole and sit the station in it - this would have had to be done before the station arrived, but would have collected a lot of water and kept the underneath of the station damp.
The crib-walls and posts were put in on Friday 13th February by Colin Webber and his son (assisted by Jan and myself while making a 'fleeting visit' that lasted two hours)!. It looks very smart. The fill was placed in on 24th February and Bob (and his able-bodied assistant) Betty Wiseman, have also been busy wiring on this date and 25th also. IF ONLY EVERYONE COULD AGREE ON A FINAL LAYOUT PLAN!!
LOCOMOTIVES:cont.... ' CB' : The boiler-inspector wanted the large weld in this boiler checked in case some more cracks were coming from it. This was checked using a large magnet, white dye and iron filings and no cracks found. The loco was steam tested next day.
PECKETT: This was steam-tested the same day as the CB.
F 185: A problem has been found with the boiler shell face under the blowdown valve. At present we can not stop it leaking, but will be resorting to Belzona to give us a new face.
SHANTY-CAT: Our 'shanty cat' recently had three kittens. We ended up with one of them, but she is quite proud of the remaining black one. Jan goes down most days to feed her, as there are often many days when no-one is there - HOW ABOUT the members that go to the Junction putting a can of jellymeat in their cars?..the cat really appreciates it. Since she has been around, there has been a definite decline in the rat, mouse and rabbit population. (She doesn't seem too impressed by the 'wild pigs' that often roam around the shanty and railway in general). The kitten has been given soooo many names that it sounds like a 'pedigree lineage!'.
CHARTER TRIPS: We are expecting a visit from the Railway Enthusiasts Society on 23rd May . They expect we will have approximately 200 passengers. To cater for a trip of this size - we will NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK to assist. We will run as many trips as necessary as quick as possible, to handle the crowd. We have already had a rev-up from them to ensure we have enough sausages as we ran out last time they visited us. We will need extra helping hands to help Paula with the cooking of these 'snags'. From what they told Jan when she found a couple of their 'spies' at the Junction recently, their train is to come as far as possible on the Rotowaro Branch!.
LEASES: We have just signed a lease with Solid Energy for the section of our railway to Downer's Crossing. The lease is very simple and will not hinder our railway at all.
We have still to sign the lease with Dept. of Conservation for the rest of our line. Both these leases were applied for renewal nine months or more ago now (twelve actually) and have taken up a lot of time and I don't know how many follow-ups!
FROM THE COMMITTEE MEETING of Saturday 21st February:
Discussion has evolved relating to the need for the Club to have a supply of more post-cards. It was also felt that these now need to be more up-to-date and after sounding out various Members ideas, it has been decided to open a photo competition to Members &Public. The criteria to be "OF RECENT PHOTOGRAPHS OF OUR RAILWAY AND OUR RUNNING GEAR. ENTRY FORM TO INCLUDE $1.00 FOR RETURN OF PHOTOGRAPH/S. ALL WINNING ENTRIES TO BE FOR BUSH TRAMWAY CLUB POSTCARD USE There to be FOUR SEPARATE PRIZES (still to be decided on, ANY IDEAS?)"
Entries will remain open for say THREE MONTHS from the beginning of our 1998 operating season.
ALSO from the Committee - as the Station Project comes under much discussion and debate it was felt that The General Meeting must make a further decision. As the 'Special Meeting' of 5th July 1997 related precisely to The Rotowaro Station - points to consider regarding the removal of both buildings! Debate has now ensued as to the BEST placement of the 'new shop', and whether to re-site this at which end???? The Committee could not reasonably agree, it therefore felt that a recommendation be put to a VOTE: "THAT:
a) get shop moved by toilet-block to operate as kitchen, dining area and shop OR
b) shop be moved to Hangipipi Road Terminus as waiting rooms, and therefore kitchen/shop/dining areas be incorporated into (Rotowaro) station building"
PLEASE NOTE: The hill area has already been cleared in preparation for removal/re-siting. The fill was also needed for raised platform area. Andrew has already started procedures for necessary permits.
GET WELL WISHES: To our lady members of The Club who are recuperating - our thoughts are with you all.
CHRONOLOGICAL HAPPENINGS:
February 1918 Rotowaro Station building opened
January 1942 Ken & Una married
March 1958 Bob & Ruth Mann married
March 1970 Teresa & Ian married
Congratulations to us all!!