NEWSLETTER - January 2005
This newsletter is being written just before Christmas and by the time you receive it, Christmas and New Year will be history for another year. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
This time of the year means a couple of major things for our club. Our open days are over until April but this is an extremely busy time as we must ensure that all our open day equipment has had any necessary repairs carried out to be ready to go by April.
This year the main job is ex Meremere diesel loco 401. The radiator must be removed, repaired and refitted and new fan belt fitted.
The blown head gasket replaced.
The exterior paint job of the loco tidied up.
So far only Colin Ewing and Alan Manning have offered to work on the head gasket job, leaving the rest of the work to either that elusive ‘someone else’ or our Community Work workparties.
Since starting this newsletter, the radiator has been taken out of the loco by a CW crew, still needs the oil cooler and fan and shroud taking off but should be in Auckland before Christmas.
A start has also been made on the paint work.
It is no good saying “I didn’t know this work was to be done’ as a lot of newsletters and my last year’s report gave notice that this work was necessary. We also obtained a grant and so made sure we had the necessary $$$, and the work for this grant was mentioned at that time.
This time of the year also means that your subs are due as our financial year is the calendar year.
A renewal notice is attached. We always get some members who do not fill out these notices correctly. Any information on these notices does not go outside the club.
Points to note that need attention paid to them are :-
1. All details must be filled out – including your occupation; if retired just write 'Retired'. These are requirements of the Incorporated Societies Act.
2. This year we ask for a contact name and contact address and phone number. This has been raised by a couple of our members and the committee think it is necessary.
We hope that all members will renew their membership and, hopefully, encourage someone else to join.
Remember at this time of year – your subs are our only source of income. Any donation over $5.00 is tax deductible.
OPEN DAYS :
November open day was steady – December slightly better but there were occasional heavy showers and some hail! It is pleasing to see the number of members able to help run our open days – some are even spare so are kept busy on maintenance work or overhaul work.
CHARTER TRIPS :
Our last for 2004 was for a group of elderly citizens of Orewa away on a bus trip. They all enjoyed themselves.
A small one for mid December was cancelled but a small one for mid January is planned – the deposit has even been paid.
Thanks to all who help with our open days or charter trips.
ON THE LOCO FRONT:
The NZ rail chief of Toll NZ has stated that his company was considering building new locos in NZ as there is a backlog of new loco orders in Australia.
F185 – Work continues on this. The beading of all tubes has been completed. The firebox ends of the tubes have had any sharp dags of metal filed off and all all tubes lightly re-expanded. Only 2 tubes moved when we started beading them.
In the smokebox, Don has trimmed up any long ends.
The last major job left is to re tap 2 washout plug holes in the front corner of the firebox – very close to the loco frames.
Dave has made up a wooden blank so we can grind the hole in the boiler and check it as we go. Hopefully this will ensure that the hole is very close to the required shape for taping. If this idea fails – we may still have to lift the boiler!! We recently took delivery of some new firebars.
CB – Richard continues to plug away on this loco. We have not seen the welder for the last couple of months so nothing is new on the boiler side. We have purchased another length of steel to make rivets out of.
One rivet was put in but the gear Richard was using needs upgrading.
The engine unit is in a lot of pieces so that the area of the crankshaft that the gears slide on can be looked at and some of the slack taken up. A couple of new drawings of this area were obtained from Prices and show the problem is not new. Next question is how to fix it at a reasonable cost. He has also had the steam brake cylinder apart and taken up more slack.
Both bogies were removed and pulled apart, cleaned, checked and painted and put back together again.
PECKETT – Not much on this. Chris spent a day carefully scraping parts of the underframe and has found marks to indicate where the axle centres should be. These marks will be a major help in putting axle boxes and wheels backing correct alignment.
DIESEL LOCOS:
401 – Work needed on this loco has already been mentioned.
DS – Repairs to the radiator tubeplate are pushing ahead. The template has been filed to fit over the tubes and all tube ends cleaned up.
CARRIAGES:
Mines Car: Work continues on this. The outside is ready for topcoat but the weather lately hasn’t been at all suitable for spray painting outside. Work has been concentrated on the inside – particularly the side that has been rebuilt.
As Dave and Harvey say – they still hope to have it ready for April – 2005 or 2006? They admit it is 12 months late!
The topcoats for the outside were sprayed on by a local painting contractor and the result looks very good. I am also told he did the job at the right price – something he doesn’t often do!
The company that sold us the roofing iron – but cut it too long – is due back tomorrow to cut it to the right length.
So perhaps April 2005 is looking closer???
Bunk Car: The grooved plywood to reclad this car has been stored in the rec room for a number of years. Despite many promises – the plywood stayed in its stack. Bob has recently got cracking and has replaced about half of one side’s T&G with the plywood. Quite a lot of framing is having to be replaced as he works his way along the side.
Another long outstanding job being worked on.
TRAINING:
Wally has completed his training as Station Master so he can be used in emergencies – he says.
Anyone that wants to be trained for any job must be prepared to go through the full training needed for that job – not just a part of it.
TRACKWORKS–
This side of our railway has unfortunately slowed down since I have been parked in the office – and that looks likely to continue.
Bob has spent a couple of days with our CW work parties working on the track extension towards Glen Afton. This is a very hard section of track to work on as some rails need replacing as we go plus every sleeper. When this section was laid straight rails were pulled into some sort of curve and this needs tidying up as well.
Progress has meant our stored wagons have been moved a bit further up the line.
Two more wagons of ballast have been ploughed out – this time at the start of this section. And, yes Bruce, the wagons are empty!
Another 400 half round sleepers have been received and stacked – 200 for the main line and 200 for the extension towards Glen Afton.
150 square sleepers have been ordered – 50 for the main line and 100 for the extension.
Richard managed to get a fine still morning – very early start – to weedspray the line. I heard him up the top end of the line near our house at 7 a.m.
We used a different spray that is supposed to kill everything and have a 12 month residual effect. Some of the weeds – big white daisies and carrot weed – must have thought Richard was using a fertiliser. Apart from mainly these two weeds, the spray has worked.
We have just bought a 20 litre container of Roundup Renew – as a ‘just in case’ idea!
WORKSHOPS:
CARPENTERS - An engineers report has given us an idea of how much earthworks and base course will be needed for this building. To put this spoil somewhere, we have looked again at filling in the gully behind the shanty. We have not been able to find this culvert entrance – one CW team spent 2 hours spearing for it. The outlet is clear and some water flowing through it. Next step – get a digger in to dig around where we think the entrance is.
Last Saturday, said digger duly arrived and dug; and dug; and kept digging. He dug down up to 4m and right along the embankment and still could not find any sign of the culvert.
Next step – put someone up the culvert and someway of trying to get the inside person communicating to the outside so we can be talked to the right position. I have several members in mind but don’t think they would go up the pipe!
We have just received a grant of $10,000 towards the earthworks for this workshop – many thanks WEL Energy Trust.
BLACKSMITH’S – Richard nailed the roof netting in place and finally a month after paying for it – the roofing iron arrived, but still has to be put in place.
The gear that will be used in this workshop is slowly being gathered – but we still need some blacksmith tongs and gear.
RAILWAYS BILL – This is still before Parliament. I attended a half day presentation by LTSA on the bill’s likely effects. Looks like more paperwork but if some of the good changes from the original draft go through our life will be slightly easier that first thought. The presentation I attended in Hamilton had about 20 present – some auditors, some from companies with private sidings and some railways like us.
LTSA have undertaken to publish a new booklet on requirements of the new ACT – when passed – to enable us to re-apply for our licence.
WORKING BEES – These need to continue over the summer so please come done and help.
The next ones are :
December 26th
January 25th
February 27th
TOOLS – Our lawn mowers are both in a sorry state and need either repairing or carefully putting away for future use – in the scrap heap or over the bank! The price of a good overhauled secondhand one is rather frightening! Any offers?
Electric hedge clippers: These have suddenly appeared. Hope they aren’t another example of Lindas – Don’t know how to start – throw outs!
Usually with electrical gear, you plug it in, turn the switch on and pull the switch on the handle.
Thanks to whoever donated it.
This club has never had a written policy on the wearing of or use of safety equipment around our railway, however several incidents lately have set the committee thinking, and our general policy is :-
Safety: The Committee wish to remind all members who undertake operating duties on any part of our railway or who carry out any maintenance work on our railway that suitable safety clothing and footwear must be worn at all times.
For active members, Genesis have supplied overalls which should be worn. Other suitable clothing largely depends on the work being done.
Safety footwear must be worn at all times.
The club will provide general safety equipment, e.g. safety goggles, ear muffs, dust masks, RCD’s for electrical work. It is up to all members to use these items as required and put them back where they blong when you have finished with them. Dust masks, once used, should be thorn away.
Let common sense prevail.
The club provides general safety equipment – we expect members to use it.
Genesis Power have just provided us with new overalls. We hope you will wear them. The colour is not very suitable for some of the very dirty jobs necessary on our railway – particularly in the fireboxes of steam locos!
AGM: An extremely important day in the life of any club. 2005’s AGM will be held on Sunday 20th March 2005 at 1030 in the Riverside Rooms – Main St, Huntly. Morning tea will be on at 1000 and after the AGM we will adjourn to our railway for lunch.
The Riverside rooms are behind the Waikato District Council Office with the library on the other side of the driveway – at the south end of Main St.
Formal notice will be sent out during February.
It is important that as many members as possible attend and nominate someone for committee positions. This meeting is your chance to say how the club has been or should be progressing – from your view.
The reason for the new venue is that last AGM was so well attended we feel we have outgrown our own facilities!
MEMBERS DAY : This was well attended and the opportunity taken by most to look at progress inside our sheds and out on the track. A really popular day and a very enjoyable lunch.
SOCIAL DO – 5/12/04 : The usual Christmas breakup dinner and get together was held after our last open day. The mountains of food seemed to get stacked away and not much was left.
Thanks to all who contributed to this ‘do’.
HUNTLY RAILWAY : In keeping with age old tradition, if something is due to finish, be pulled down or scrapped, you overhaul it, paint it or do it up.
The North Island night expresses finished after very close to 100 years of service.
Not to be outdone with tradition, workmen spent at least the last week of the Northerner digging a trench and putting in floodlights for the new station platform. By the time they had finished the job the Northerner was no more. At least the lights may come in useful when and if the day express – Overlander – stops at Huntly in the winter.
Work gangs have been flat out in our area since the Government brought back the track. Many thousands of tonnes of ballast have been ploughed out in the Huntly area and the rail destressing crew have also been flat out.
The up main has now been straightened where the station platform was. I got a few glimpses of their track and sleeper laying gear in operation out of my office window. Could do with it on our railway for a few days!
CW WORKPARTIES : During 2004, we had 92 work parties doing the donkey work on our railway. This work includes lawns as required, wed eating, all sorts of odd jobs, keeping culverts clear, cutting tracks as required and of course track work.
Without this input our railway would not survive. Their work allows members to concentrate on the more technical parts of running a railway and overhauling our equipment.
If you don’t think this is correct – when was the last time you used a slasher or a weedeater or pick & shovel at the Junction?
PASSENGERS : Peter has just given me a list of our passengers during 2004. We had 731 adults, 230 schoolage kids, 288 pre-schoolers, and 200 jigger riders – a grand total of 1450 passengers.
