ex-ROTOWARO STATION: This is now in normal use again.
The newly oiled floors are easy to keep clean. Mary has done some further sanding down of the old cabinets for the tablet machines. The Station has now officially been renamed The Pukemiro Junction Station - and was 'unveiled' during the Sponsors' Day ceremony.
OLD SHOP: The interior has been re-lined and most of it already painted. The painting has been mostly done by Teresa or the PD crew and is coming on ...slow-ly.
The outside area is also being worked on, although all earthworks will be left until after our December open day, so that the mess doesn't get tramped into everything. The Novaflow drain pipe has been laid and covered over. The sink waste pipes sorted out - although I think there is still a 'little leak' under the sink. Colin Webber put the last piece of "The" plastic weatherboard capping on, while carrying out the relining.
Most other work has been done by Bob & Betty Wiseman, Wingnut or The PD crew. Avice has supplied some fencing timber (and pre-painted it) for the fence on the area above the old shop: and Andrew has offered to erect the fence!!
STOP PRESS!!! Andrew has put posts up as this newsletter is being typed!! He prepared the area by clearing the healthy crop of weeds away. Wingnut and he 'played around' with the post holes after the October Committee Meeting, and we note Andrew is having his 'Annual Leave' holiday!!
BILL PATON: As mentioned in last newsletter (the attached slip), Bill passed away on 26th July 2000 at Oamaru. I first met Bill when I started work at the Car & Wagon Depot at Westfield in 1968. He was a 'Lifter' - responsible for finding faults and the repairs + an assistant. You could always tell where Bill was as he was a pipe smoker and seemed to smoke a wicked brew. If he was 'resting' in a pit under a wagon, the foreman could always tell where Bill was - by the cloud of smoke.
I next ran across Bill when he joined our Club and helped with trackwork. He spent a lot of time on our railway and even purchased a box wagon so he could have a hut at the Junction. The body of the wagon was put on blocks next to Eric's hut, while the underframe became our present fire fighting wagon. The 'Hut' gradually rotted and Bill considered a building where George Dines' house was. Always a bachelor - Bill got 'tied up' and shifted to Oamaru.
SPONSORS' DAY: This was held on 10th September and well attended and represented by the very people who help our railway get ahead. The major Sponsors were given a small momento of appreciation: Some of Trust Waikato Trustees hammered spikes into a new sleeper (pre-drilled) to mark the beginning of the overhaul of the line towards Glen Afton.
Wingnut had made the momentoes out of 'recycled' framing timber of the station building. The re-cycled chrome spike, angled into one varnished timber base brought a wee tear to the Treasurer's eye - thinking how many replacement spikes could have been purchased with that one. The Justice Department Supervisor 'recognised' instantly the screw-spike in their base, and WEL Energy Trust Chairman (Mr Bethune) no doubt took great care of the framed photo of Pukemiro Junction -showing the restored Station building, restored carriage and restored F185. This photo had been taken by Andrew whilst up his fire-engine's ladder last year.
A Special thanks to ALL MEMBERS who helped make the day a great success -and what a great get together for lunch! The black rooster joined us as well - strutting, he was not part of the menu.
OPEN DAYS: September open day - USUALLY a very busy day - was extremely quiet. The only thing that can be said about October open day was that once the rain started, it just got heavier and our few passengers - less! Another very quiet day! Only one carriage was used most of the day, BUT.....
CHARTER TRIPS: We have no more booked (at present for this year although another 'inquiry'), but have one already confirmed for next April!!
We have had several mornings of kindergartens and on 9th October had a VERY FULL ON DAY. A bus load of 'Poms' and a few 'ring-ins' at 9 AM, a group of 'oldies' from Huntly at 11.00 (they stayed on, and had a picnic lunch, based from our 'Old Shop') and a group from Hamilton at 1-30 PM. We also had another 'Tour Bus' that tried to gate-crash the charters, but were turned down. (They still used our public facilities at no cost to them - aaahhhh well, obviously the new toilets impressed them).
The group of Poms were in New Zealand for a rail tour - from Auckland to Bluff and back, run by Ian Welch. They were all over the place - and were certainly taken with our CB in steam. Their bus was "quite" late leaving for Waihi.
All in all, a very profitable day - even if the rain DID START AGAIN - just before the locos were put away.
We had also chartered a 'very interested' group from Tauranga the Saturday before October's open day, and they had to be weighed before they left, (and checked with metal detectors). We have more interesting contacts because of their visit.
Sincere thanks to all who help with these charters - from 'shop girls' and guards to train crews -and a note that Eric and Colin Ewing have to travel a fair distance to do so. Are the morning tea scones really THAT good?
HANDCRANE: Not much more to report on this. We have sorted out all bits and pieces to allow us to fit a hand brake. We have purchased a length of 43mm threaded rod to allow the counterweight box to be wound in towards the crane centre (when the crane is not in use, or travelling). This is another thing the crane hasn't had for many years.
MINES CAR: Ian must have read my mind, as the weekend after I had written the rough copy of The Newsletter, he came down with his bits of timber - mostly cut to size, and put the rest of the wooden internal framing and headstock temporarily in place. He then shot off to Italy, France and a few places in between! - and hasn't been seen since!!!! PLEASE, is there anyone slightly interested in giving him a hand for odd bits and pieces, would speed the restoration work ahead tremendously.
YB - BALLAST WAGON: A few months ago I noticed that one spring had a cracked top leaf. The wagon was loaded - at the bottom end of the line. Once it was unloaded, it was taken back to the Junction - shunted partly into the workshop. It was jacked up and the broken spring removed. This also revealed a broken axlebox - and some other rust repairs to do in the area. (!!*****!!! I'm not sure of the spelling).
We are presently chasing a spare axlebox but if one can't be found, we could have to change all wheels and axleboxes (!!****!! means, "What a bother").
CAR-VAN: Nothing further to report on this .... and yes, the new door is still waiting to be fitted, and a door strip to prevent rain being blown under the door.
AUDITORS: Our annual Audit Report and our answers have been accepted by Land Transport. The necessary Safety System amendments will be completed soon.
TRACKWORK: Wingnut has completed his six monthly inspection of our main lines. He has marked a few things that need attention, mostly sleepers that need a bit more packing.
GLEN-AFTON END: We are very pleased to have received $40 000.00 from Trust Waikato towards this project. Although not enough to do the whole job, it will certainly get us half way.
The PD crews recently spent a day up there and put in 45 sleepers!! Bob has also done a little more work in this area.
PUKEMIRO YARD: The re-sleepering of the top-end of the loop has been completed. We took the opportunity to re-sleeper the top-end of the back road while the loop sleepers were out. A total of 80 sleepers were put in. There are still some old fish-plate bolts to replace and a bit of the old sand ballast to pack tighter under some sleepers. We also took the time to put in more Nova- flow under the tracks in the area to improve drainage. (All drainage has been surely tested during this last month).
ROTOWARO TERMINUS: The PD Crew have spent another day working on the loop.They put in 35 sleepers, dumped and spread a YB Wagon of ballast. There is some work needing doing by the Club before the PD crew can complete the loop itself.
The order of 50 long point sleepers arrived on a day the PD Crew just happened to be at The Junction. These sleepers were taken down to our 'sleeper stockpile' and stacked. These are for the 2 points in Pukemiro Yard that need sleepers replacing.
FIREWOOD: This district was hit by about two weeks of very (VERY) strong winds. A few wattle trees were blown over - and from the bending of the pine-trees, its a wonder some of them weren't blown as well. Wingnut (and Teresa) spent a few hours cutting, splitting and stacking them up (No, she didn't get started on her painting that day, and P.S. he WAS still on annual leave!!!!). Andrew spent some time cutting up some more of the wattles he had previously cut down. Richard split them up and loaded them onto the CB.
Teresa and Andrew were also up at The Junction last Thursday and couldn't get back down the drive. A large wattle had fallen right across the drive. After they backed up, Andrew decided it was quicker with the front-end loader to drag the tree up to The Junction, rather than tackle it with the chain-saw...and the rain kept coming, and coming and coming!!! Working conditions never seem favourable!! So there is more fire wood to cut up now.
We still need someone to cut up our pile of wood so it can be used for lighting up our locomotive. The other option is to buy a truckload of already cut-up firewood.
WORKING BEES: As you will have read in these pages for the last few months, a huge amount of work is going on at The Junction. HAVE YOU BEEN ONE OF THE ONES TO HELP?
The next ones will be October 28-29
November 25-26
December - Xmas - how ever, the cats would welcome someone to share Xmas dinner with!
January 27 -28th.
We seem short of members who are willing to 'get stuck in'. Some of the jobs are getting behind and members keep asking .... "why the Heisler - or ANOTHER carriage etc - isn't being worked on". Perhaps YOU should ask yourself.
From the Committee: Due to the increased number of boilers to be worked on, Colin really needs committed person / (people) who can help with the survey work. The Peckett will be started immediately after NOVEMBER OPEN DAY to standardise all inspection schedules. YES, it will be dirty work!! but you can SHOWER before you set off for home!! Please see Colin with any offers - and bring a calendar.
WORKSHOP: Not much to report on this either. We are waiting for someone to measure, obtain and weld the steel that will attach the doors to the roller units. Large long bolts have been purchased and spacers made, ready to bolt the door runner to the posts. A section of RSJ for the mezzanine floor supports, has been cut and its ready for rust removal and holding-bolt hold drilling.
The culvert that Andrew found at the bottom of the drive is now completely clear. The PD Crew dug out what they could, Andrew sluiced more mud out and heavy rain washed the rest out.
Last week, following heavy rain, I found the top section from one of the Glen Afton signals kerosene lights washed up against a footbridge to our house. The steelwork is useless, but it still has the fancy brass brackets for the handle, and the brass hinge for the top. It had obviously been buried in the drain for years.
Ellis and Burnands old Head Office in Hamilton was demolished a few months ago, and the site is presently being turned into a new bus terminus.
Wingnut has overhauled one of our hand-trolleys - actually it has ended up as a 'brand-new' one, with steel box framework. We intend putting the new air compressor on it.
F 185: Eric recently hooked up a partly blocked blower ring in the smokebox. What should have been a reasonably "easy and quick" job turned into a half day one. What's that word again !!*****!!. The mac-union that should have undone was SEIZED and even CRC and hammering wouldn't work, instead the steam pipe leading up to the mac union fractured. This meant undoing a flange onto the tubeplate - also not easy to get at. The option was to replace the section of pipe completely or get it welded at the break. A tack weld allowed the whole assembly to be fitted and pulled to shape, removed and the weld completed.
JOHN THOMPSON'S - BOILER MAKERS: and repair workshop in Hamilton has closed! For some years it has been owned by Rolls Royce but run from Hamilton. A couple of years ago it was run from Australia and the amount of work undertaken kept falling. No new boilers were built in this last period and their main work was the manufacture of heat exchangers out of stainless pipe with stainless coiled fins. This works was still profitable, but was closed anyway! All machinery was packaged up and sent to Australia.
END-OF-YEAR SOCIAL: We can guarantee we will have some 'do' to celebrate the end of another action packed year. Therefore, mark on your calendars 3rd December at the end of the Open Day - and hope that there is enough in 'kitty' to buy bread and bangers - aahhhh, apparently there could be something else as well. BE THERE!! Could you bring salad and something towards deserts (and if its late enough - supper!).
As this is the last Newsletter of the year (and the correct end to the Century) we can only take it on ourselves to wish all of you a happy healthy Christmas and of course joyful celebrations for the New Year and extended to your families as well.
STOP PRESS: Andrew was admitted to hospital end of October - we wish him a rapid recovery. Our thoughts to all Members who are not up to 'full-pressure' at the moment. Hopefully, the improved weather lifts your spirits.