Season's Greetings to all of our Members, and friends of this Society.
We extend the new Season's warmest regards for a healthy, happy and
prosperous new year to each and everyone. Hope Santa brought you all your
favourite toys and treats - if not, there's plenty at The B.T.C. to play with,
and we can guarantee you will get dirty.
Well, the year 2000 certainly passed extremely fast. Let's hope 2001 slows down slightly, so we can catch up on some of the jobs started in 2000 - or in some cases before that!!! I don't think we will be one of the "interested parties" putting in a price for TranzRail's 'Tranz Scenic' passenger trains. Running our railway keeps us busy enough, and at times, enough head aches>
This time of the year also brings the start of The Club's financial year - and yep, if a subs renewal form is attached to this Newsletter, that means your subs are now due: We hope that all members will renew their subs and more importantly, join in the activities of The Club and its own railway. We certainly need more members to maintain, run and overhaul the railways track and various rolling stock.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ANDREW: He has now been issued with his NZQA (Accredited) Loco Driver's Certificate. He completed all his Units and Tested accordingly. Also, this Club has applied to be a Certified Training Site - so more paperwork to keep us (quiet) current.
UTILITY SHED ex Old Shop: or as some have renamed it "The Rec. Room" (& not as in wreck) but as in recreation room. The painting has been completed by Teresa, Mary and the PD Crew. The inside has had at least three coats and the roof 2 coats of top coat. One of the contractors looking at the platform job has suggested an extra drain to take any surface water from the toilet block area. Just the gutters to be levelled to flow the other way now, and the rounded roof edging paintwork to be touched up.
Andrew has finished most of the fence above this building and it certainly looks better than the emergency orange temporary fence.
The old shop has seen quite a lot of use - for kindy morning teas and The Club's break-up evening (and now also as PD Crew lunch room), and (just last week) on 29th December - a wedding recepton room.
OPEN DAYS: The November one was once again literally a WASHOUT and we didn't do very well at all. December was the complete opposite and the dry weather restricted the steam locos to Puke Junction yard. Both Meremere diesel locos did the honours for the day. One of our member's little lad has been noticed having a liking for riding on these locos rather that the hot dirty steam locos!!!!
The passengers on this day just kept coming and coming - rather surprising, as December is normally very quiet, and it was Hamilton's Santa Parade. (Paula had announced to all the 'shop girls' that ".......we are in for a very quiet day" (we will have to hear her say that more often!!)
SINCERE THANKS to all who help on these days - we always need a few more though!
HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF VOLUNTEERING - just let us know, .......... we'll find a position!!
CHARTER TRIPS: We have had a few more since the last Newsletter. The biggest was 90 kids and 30 adults from Gordonton School - that filled in a morning. Because of the dry weather, they were happy with a diesel loco. They were very well behaved, rather unusual for primary school kids. (Their school is also very well looked after by the 'volunteers' who help with this Club)
We had a small charter on 29th December - a very important one for the people concerned - a WEDDING. The whole ceremony and reception was held at The Junction. They liked the 'quiet' atmosphere and the fact that children could be involved. NO, it's NOT Paula and Andrew!!! Alas, it POURED with rain, but the wedding party & guests stayed dry. Many thanks to all who prepared rooms and helped out, especially 'Gemma' and Colin Webber - both in FULL UNIFORM!!
We still have a large one booked for April and an enquiry for another one in May.
The following cartoon - could this be Bob Wiseman and Kerry Bennett - our model experts? Obviously can't be the Rotorua branchline, as there are only railcars on this now.
...
WHILE on the subject of photos - Andrew chanced to come across a wagon that the tyre had come off a wheel near Ngaruawhahia recently. He had his video camera in the car, so took a few metres of it.
4 WHEEL WAGONS: After many years of saying so, and reducing the fleet, TranzRail ceased to run timetable trains of 4-wheeled wagons on 30/9/00. Most of their ballast wagons are still 4 wheelers so there will still be a need to run this type of train.
Perhaps the 2 4 wheelers in Huntly yard will be forgotten about....!!!!!!! -as they have been there for months.
CAR VAN: a lot more work has been done on fitting the new seat covers. this work is being done by Simpsons Buses of Huntly and Wingnut. (The work is on hold until after the wedding charter, and also Matty Simpson has been in hospital). Our wishes go out to her for a speedy recovery.
ON-SITE VISITS: During November we had a visit from Euan McQueen of Rail Heritage Trust. He had to admit his last visit to the area was when the line was still part of NZR's Branchline. He had a good look around, went for a trip over the line and stayed 'slightly longer' than he intended to. Good to see you Euan, but return the visit a bit sooner next time!!! We've also had visitors from two other 'important sectors' on the drawing board at the moment. See, you just never know when we are going to get "looked over".
MINE'S CAR: Ian has been down and done a bit more. The headstock is now in place permanently. He just needs to drill and bolt a steel plate inside the internal wooden framing and the buffer and side chains can be re-fitted. He has also fitted a new section of outside sill - 8 X 3 hardwood. The new veranda decking has been delivered. He has also ordered enough tongue and groove timber to completely replace all sides and ends of the car.
YB BALLAST WAGON: We have not been able to locate an axlebox to replace the broken one. Thanks for the queries to date from Members. Wingnut has threatened to try and weld the broken one, - it is obvious a few pieces are missing. (This appears successfully 'restored' to date) The replacement spring has returned from the springmaker. A lot of work has gone into chipping, cleaning and painting this wagon so far - and more needs doing to complete this. The chipping, cleaning and painting has largely been done by the PD Crews in their 'spare time' (in between other programmes, or if there is a spare bod or two with nothing to do....!!!)
A few pieces of badly rusted steel are being replaced at the same time.
WORKSHOP: More progress has been made with this. Work on the beams to support the mezzanine floor continues. One is in place and the other two cut out and have now been cleaned and painted. Mike has been working on the welding work of the sliding doors. A good effort (some would even say EXCELLENT) on 3rd December - while the girls were riding the train, and then cooking the BBQ tea - saw the door runner man-handled and tractor-handled into place and bolted to the poles. Not bad , as it is an 8 mt long piece of 100mm X 16mm steel - although Eric was heard to tell a prospective member that that was the initiation ceremony!!!.....and is repeated with every new member!!
Andrew has produced a stair-case to get to the mezzanine floor (but it looks as if it will need l-e-n-g-t-h-e-n-i-n-g on one end!
After the wedding charter - Wingnut and myself (itching to get our VERY CLEAN OVERALLS DIRTY) tackled a couple of other jobs - including placement of the support beams. Andrew has welded the necessary steel work to the cross-member Christmas Week, - so the bits of "jig-saw" for this are coming together nicely.
TRACKWORK: A large number of fishplate bolts and long point frog bolts have been replaced in the Junction yard.
One job like this turned into a marathon all-day job as the web of the rail at a section of a point-frog developed 'holes' as we "tapped" the long bolts to loosen them. Luckily a replacement piece had been obtained from the Mines railway system many, many years ago, and with a little adjustment, fitted perfectly. Apart from replacing the section of point frog and all its new sleeper holes, 8 long and 12 fishplate bolts were replaced.
MAIN LINE: The PD Crews have been replacing a few sleepers that Wingnut found during his inspections. Most of this work has been in the area of the pine trees, just below the Junction or through the 'fern cutting'- just above Downers X-ing. There are still a few to do above Downers X-ing.
GLEN AFTON END: A couple of more days work by PD Crews has seen more sleepers replaced in this area. The best day for a long time was 30 sleepers with one PD crew.
There is still an outstanding 'working bee' by Club members to be completed yet. YOU could volunteer - JUST RING Andrew or Colin Ewing to jack up a day - the more days planned, the quicker this work is completed. A SPECIAL THANKS to those members who have volunteered to date - well done!!
SAFETY SYSTEM: All the Amendments recommended by our Auditors and some others requested by Land Transport have been approved, so its time to get the printing press rolling AGAIN - and get them out to all our members that hold a Safety System file. It is important that members read and take note and then CARRY OUT the amendments.
The same applies to the rest of our Safety System. Without this, WE DON'T RUN -AT ALL!
FIREWOOD: Thanks Colin (Webber) for your efforts with our firewood supply. He told me he would have a go at the wood a couple of open days ago (and went home to get his saw). After a while when I hadn't heard a chain-saw going I went for a look. (He must have something against the Arabs - as he was cutting the wood up with a HAND SAW!). Mind you, he seemed to be picking out all the 3 X 1 to cut up. At the end of the day, one of the old water tanks was full again.
Colin also had some large pine trees cut down on his farm and one day while on my way home from work, passed a beat-up tractor and an even more meat-up trailer loaded with short lengths of pine branches - heading for the Junction. He left the trailer by our wood heap (No, not for chopping up as well) - and the next visit by the PD Crew just happened to have some axes on their trailer - so Colin's trailer was emptied and the wood split and stacked in a couple of tanks. The trailer still awaits you Colin - still in one piece.
Richard collected up a trolley load of old sleepers and cut them into suitable lengths for the CB. He split some and the PD Crew split the rest.
STEAM LOCOS: At the time of writing this Newsletter, all locomotives are well on the way to being ready for the Boiler Inspector. We have a new complication as , with no Inspector based in Hamilton, the Inspector has to come from Auckland. All are ready as at 28/12/00 (not bad).
It would appear that a rival boiler repair firm has purchased most of the machinery in John Thompson's workshop in Hamilton and their technical manager and quality assurance manager is none other than our last Boiler Inspector! We are already talking with them about some minor repairs to our working steam locos.
END-OF-YEAR SOCIAL: This went off very well and all seemed to have plenty to eat (even if the BBQ sausages never caught up with the main menu). A good turnout of members were present (nearly needed two sittings, due to shortage of dining tables). Thanks also to all who brought something along to help with the feed.
Another luncheon planned for next year - so carry on reading.
GOOD TO SEE Ken & Una Davies, their grandson Graeme and great grandson at the last Open Day - Una was seen to do an inspection of public services, and Ken, at long last, enjoyed a trip on the restored AF carriage. Hope you saw a 'few' changes since your last visit??
THANKS to all who cut our scattered lawns - usually Richard, Andrew or occasionally Colin Webber (with his tractor and mower). Keeps the Junction looking very tidy.
BOB MANN has been weather proofing one side of his Wellington Manawatu car. He is about half-way at present. This side never got done many years ago and is really showing that it should have been done. (There just appeared toooooo many other more urgent jobs on his list).
CHRIS MANN has been beavering away on engineering reports and other 'urgent' jobs on behalf of The Club - all this keeps the various projects on 'the boil ....er'!!!
AVICE MCCORMICK - has now moved away from Huntly - alas she was unable to make it to our end-of-year function. We trust she pops her head in from time to time. (She was part of the main-stay of the painting crew, charter help and general stores go-getter). Best wishes Avice.
TR 217: Andrew and Wingnut have been doing some tidying up work to stop a 'shudder' when first going in reverse. Andrew is even giving it a fright with some new paint. This is the 'ideal' loco for work at the Glen Afton end-of-the-line.
LAND TENURE:
Solid Energy: We are still dealing with Solid Energy about long-term use of the section of railway land we lease from them. Things are progressing - slowly- but take up an incredible amount of time.
Dept of Conservation: We have now signed and received our copy of a 20 year Easement of their section of the railway land. This has taken about 3 years - and once again, an incredible amount of time gone on behind the scenes.
2001 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING:
This will be held on
SUNDAY 18TH MARCH at THE JUNCTION -starting at 1.00 PM:
Mark this on your calendars NOW!!!!! please .
AS A MEMBER - you are urged to attend ...... also invited to:
a light lunch (organised by The Club) starting at 11.30 am. PLEASE ATTEND BOTH>
Mark this important date on your calendar - all members are URGED to attend and have their say - OR BETTER STILL, stand for Committee and help with the RUNNING of The Club. Many obviously would like to see further progress in specific areas - come aboard with INPUT.
An Agenda will be sent out in due course.
The Club has achieved a high amount of progress, but we still get plenty of 'critics' who are not prepared to help make the necessary decisions - but then moan when things aren't 'exactly' what THEY wanted. Extra help would always spur on The Club to make further progress. Believe me - we have some rather LARGE and costly projects on 'the drawing boards' again! - so help is always appreciated at the planning stages - The Committee is expected to report with 'final drafts' for these at our General Meetings.
STOP PRESS: Even since starting the draft of this Newsletter a week ago, further events have changed the reports!
Old shop/platform area - a suggested extra stormwater drain has part of the platform resealing programme was dug by the PD Crew on 16th December.
Car-van: Colin Webber and Wingnut have replaced the 2nd sliding door in the Guard's Compartment. It now just needs finishing off, but at least it is in place and secure.
Trackwork: The line to Glen Afton (just past the 'sandfill/ new formation') is presently disconnected. There was a short section of very odd sorts and lengths of rail between the top-end of the sandfill and where the line to Glen Afton is being re-sleepered. All these odd pieces of track were removed on 16th December - some new sleepers laid and one trackset added from the top-end of this section.
This work is aimed at the Club sorting out the track bed across the sandfill - to give it a better line and level - and to ease the very sharp curve towards the top end. If we can get the sandfill sorted out and this short section of track replaced, there is no reason we can't run trains another 1/4 km past our present 'passenger train limit board' - AND Paula would have something to 'publicise' in her Press Releases next operating season.
So, if you get a phone call to help with this trackwork, PLEASE BE PREPARED TO COME OUT FOR THE DAY. It has been pleasing to hear from members willing to help out to date.
Station area: The PD Crew planted some 'succulents' around the grassed area and behind the station building. They also painted one end of The Station that seemed to have missed its second coat a couple of years ago.
This Crew also spent part of the day scrubbing the grim off our carriages.
AS ALWAYS - we mean to convey thanks to all who help out with the 1000000000001 jobs (or has the typist over exaggerated again???) - and to the many who just turn up and get on with it, so - as it is the beginning of another new year - THANKS TO ALL who have helped at whatever capacity through this year of 2000...... that was just the practice run for this coming year!!!!!!!