The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum

Ashburton Railway & Preservation Society
The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum
Entrance road and parking lot for the railway and museum.
Locale Tinwald, Ashburton,  New Zealand
Terminus The Plains Museum
Coordinates 43°55′24″S 171°42′30″E / 43.923267°S 171.708422°E / -43.923267; 171.708422Coordinates: 43°55′24″S 171°42′30″E / 43.923267°S 171.708422°E / -43.923267; 171.708422
Connections KiwiRail Main South Line
Commercial operations
Name Mount Somers Branchline
Built by New Zealand Government Railways
Original gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Preserved operations
Owned by Ashburton Railway & Preservation Society
Operated by Ashburton Railway & Preservation Society
Stations One
Length 2.5km
Preserved gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Commercial history
Opened 4 October 1885
Closed 1 January 1968
Preservation history
1971 Formation of Society
1973 First Operation of Trains
1981 First Operation of K 88
2011 40th Anniversary Event
2016 45th Anniversary Event
Website
www.plainsrailway.co.nz

The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum is a heritage railway and recreated historic village located inside the Tinwald Domain, Tinwald, New Zealand. The railway (operating as The Plains Railway) operates on approximately three kilometres of rural railway line that once formed part of the Mount Somers Branch. The entire village site and the railway are open regularly to the public, the railway operation utilises preserved and restored locomotives and rolling stock once used on New Zealand's national railway network while the village allows people to see how life was lived in New Zealand's pioneering past.

Overview

The Ashburton Railway & Preservation Society Inc. (AR&PS) was founded in 1971 with the goal of purchasing a section of the former Mt Somers Branch railway on which to run restored locomotives alongside preserving heritage farm machinery fast disappearing from the surrounding district. To meet the goal the AR&PS founded The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum and began to acquire exhibits - of both railway, agricultural and other locally historical items - and to erect buildings for storage and display purposes. The museum also acquired three of its most significant buildings, namely the cottage, church and railway station, by relocating existing buildings to the site of The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum.

K 88 Trust Board

The K 88 Trust Board was formed on 23 May 1995 and ceased to exist on November 3rd 2015. Their overarching goal was to restore and overhaul K's 88 and, perhaps, 94 to operating condition.

The plan was to:

On 10 April 1996 The locomotives were formally leased to the K 88 Trust from the Ashburton Railway & Preservation Society, the K 88 Trust Board had purchased the former Ashburton Countdown Supermarket in January 1996 for the restoration base for the locomotives and the trust as a whole.[2]

Fundraising was well under-way before September 1996 and the first goal of restoring K 88 was achieved in 1997 with the construction of its new tender tank well under-way. The trust financed the construction of a new boiler for K 88, and construction commenced in 1998 and was completed in 1999. After the refitting of the boiler and other restoration works the locomotive was recommissioned on 30 March 2002.

'K' 94 was never restored, but was instead used as a source of parts as many parts on it were in better condition than those on 'K' 88.

2015 Arson Attack

On the morning of 17 January 2015, the old workshop building burnt down after an arsonist set light to it. The fire destroyed most things contained within the shed (mainly tools, parts, nuts and bolts, boxes, potato equipment, etc.) with only few very of the contents able to be recovered. The fire was reported at around 5:00am that morning. Five fire engines and a water tanker attended the blaze to bring it under control. The fire was labelled suspicious and a Police investigation is ongoing. The locomotive shed alongside the workshop was damaged, but has been made safe with minor repairs to secure the building.[3]

Locomotives, Railcars and Rolling Stock

The Plains Railway came to world attention when a member of the Rogers K class, K 88, was recovered on 19 January 1974 from the Branxholme Locomotive Dump in the Oreti River in Southland. Transported by truck to The Plains Railway in July 1974 and restored to a fully operational condition on 27 November 1982. This has set a pattern other railway enthusiasts recovering a number of locomotives of various classes from where they were dumped including two other K's. One of them being K 94 was recovered by a private owner and transported by truck to The Plains Railway. Restoration commenced in April 1986 but was later cancelled. It is presently in storage in an unrestored condition and is used as a comparison as it vividly illustrates the condition in which K 88 was recovered and the work required to bring the locomotive to running condition. K 88 received a second restoration beginning in 1997 by the K 88 Trust Board. It was completed on 30 March 2002. The second restoration saw her receive a brand new Belpaire Boiler and tender tank.

The museum's rail rolling stock contains several historically important items. These are A 64 which is currently the second oldest operating steam locomotive in New Zealand; JA 1260 which was the last steam locomotive to haul the last night train out of Invercargill and the last steam locomotive to haul trains out of Christchurch; K 88 Washington - which hauled the first inter city express in New Zealand between Christchurch and Dunedin,[4][5] being one of the original Kingston Flyer locomotives, the first ever locomotive in the world to be restored from a river bed and the oldest ex-NZR tender locomotive in New Zealand; Vulcan Railcar RM 50 which holds the official New Zealand Railways speed record of 78 mph and TR 38 which is the first petrol locomotive in New Zealand.[6]

In addition:

NZR Steam locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration/repair Stored Static display Scrapped
Original Class and Number Names Builder Builders Number Year Built Arrived Notes
A 64 Dubs and Co. 651 1873 1972 Entered NZR service in on 1 January 1875 for branch line duties.[8] Withdrawn in November 1890 and was sold to Canterbury Frozen Meats (CFM), Fairton. Replaced by a Ruston & Hornsby shunter No. 458956 in 1960 and kept as a stand-by locomotive until 1965 where it was donated to the Ashburton Steam and Model Engineers Club and displayed at the Tinwald Domain. In 1971 it was leased to the AR&PS for restoration. The A was the main workhorse from 25 November 1973 until the completion of the first restoration of K 88 and again once the K was out of service pending a new boiler. In 1988 the locomotive received new firebars and in October of the same year it participated in the Ferrymead 125 cavalcade. In 1991 it was removed from service for a 10-Year Overhaul to take place, during which some tubes were replaced. In the summer of 1997 A 64 was taken out of service for a second restoration where it was repainted into a pleasant green livery with the wooden side tanks (fitted while at CFM) replaced by steel round-ended tanks, the locomotive returned to service on 7 May 2000. In 2012 after K 88's 10-year boiler survey was completed A 64 was taken out of service and put through its first 10-year boiler inspection/general overhaul since re-entering service in 2000. It returned to service in time for the New Zealand Rail 150 celebrations on 26 October 2013, and as such was the oldest operating steam locomotive in the country for the event. From the 24th of September 2014 until the 28th of January 2015 it was placed on loan to the Canterbury Railway Society for operation on their Ferrymead Heritage Park until the restoration of their locomotive, F 13 was completed. It is now currently the second-oldest operating locomotive in New Zealand, after F 13 of the Canterbury Railway Society (built in 1872).[9]
F 150 Dubs and Co. 1371 1880 1986 Entered NZR service in 1880 until 1958 when it was withdrawn. Stored until 1961 when it was moved and put on displayed at a park in Invercargill until 1974. Purchased by the Ocean Beach Railway (OBR) later that year it was kept in storage at the railway. In 1986 the OBR leased F 150 to The Plains Railway for eventual restoration. Restoration commenced in 1988, but however it was put aside for the restorations of A 64, K 88 and TR 119. There are currently no plans for restoration to re-commence at this stage.
JA 1260 NZR Hillside Workshops 383 1952 February 1973 Entered service in November 1952 for the NZR where it hauled passenger and freight trains until 1971 when it hauled the last steam hauled express out of Dunedin and hauled the last steam hauled express's out of Christchurch. In August of that year was withdrawn from service. Sold to the AR&PS on 10 May 1972 Ja 1260 was originally stored in Ashburton in the locomotive shed until such time as the AR&PS could take possession. In February 1973 where it was towed to The Plains Railway where it was returned to operational condition and used from December 1975. In September 1986 it was leased to the Weka Pass Railway until 1988 where it was returned to the Plains. In 1990 full restoration commenced. After a long hiatus restoration work began again in earnest in 2007, re-entering service on 25 April 2008. The Ja was removed from service in 2013 requiring new tubes and fire-bar replacement.
K 88 Washington Rogers Locomotive Works 2454 1877 July 1974 Entering service on 18 March 1878, K 88 is famous for having hauled the first 'Express Passenger' train between Christchurch and Dunedin on 6 September that year. In November 1926 K 88 was withdrawn and dumped in the Branxholme locomotive dump in the Oreti River on 5 June 1927. The locomotive was removed from the mud at Branxholme on the 19 and 20 January 1974 and trucked to The Plains Railway in July that year. This is where restoration began by members at The Plains Railway led by the late Mr. Bob Anderson. It moved under its own power, for the first time since November 1926, on 7 November 1981 before re-entering service 27 November 1982. The K was used extensively in the filming of "Hanlon: In Defence of Minnie Dean" a TV mini-series filmed in 1984. The K was used to promote Monteiths Beer between May and October 1986 running extensively on the mainline around Christchurch and Dunedin and was again used on film January 1987 when it was hired for filming of the New Zealand film "Starlight Hotel". K 88's boiler, which was the boiler the locomotive was recovered from the Oreti River with, was condemned on 24 September 1987 removing the locomotive from service. The K was then stored until 1998 when the second restoration began with a construction of a new boiler and tender tank, the locomotive was re-commissioned on 30 March 2002.[10] K 88's first 10-year boiler inspection of its new boiler took place on 19 May 2012, out of action for just a few months it was back in service on 14 September 2012.
K 94 Rogers Locomotive Works 2470 1878 April 21, 1986 Entered service in December 1878. K 94 was withdrawn in November 1926 and dumped in the Branxholme locomotive dump in the Oreti River on 5 June the same year. Recovered privately and transported to The Plains Railway on 21 April 1986 for restoration. Work commenced by the late Mr. Bob Anderson, but ceased after his death and later the locomotives owners death. Stored in a partially dismantled state since with a number of parts removed for use on the other preserved K class locomotives.

NZR Diesel locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration/repair Stored Static display Scrapped
Original Class and Number TMS/Reclassified Class and Number Builder Builders Number Year Built Arrived Notes
DSA 218 DSA 224 Drewry 2416 1953 April 4, 2014 Entered NZR service in December 1953 for shunting duties. Withdrawn in August 1982 and sold to the Ohai Railway Board, Ohai for shunting use for coal trains. Used until July 1989 when it was sold to the Oamaru Steam and Rail Restoration Society. Swapped for Hudswell Clarke built B 10 from the Pukeuri Alliance Freezing Works, Pukeuri in November the same year. Used there since then until the arrival of DSC 2067 in 2007. Purchased by the AR&PS in January 2014 and was transported to The Plains Railway on 4 April 2014. DSA 218 is now under short to mid-term restoration.
TR 38 WW 4048 A & G Price 144 1939 February 1982 Entered service in 1938 as WW 4048 for the NZRs Ways and Works Department. Later it was reclassified TR 38. The TR was the first petrol locomotive in New Zealand. Withdrawn in 1974 and was purchased by the West Coast Historical and Mechanical Society and transported to the Shantytown Heritage Park. TR 38 was purchased by the AR&PS on 4 January 1982 and transported to The Plains Railway in February the same year. Whilst in an operable state, TR 38 awaits an engine overhaul.

Industrial Diesel locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration/repair Stored Static display Scrapped
Type Reclassified Class and Number Builder Builders Number Year Built Arrived Notes
Ruston Ruston & Hornsby 458956 1961 2003 Entered service in on 7 September 1961 to replace A 64 at the Canterbury Frozen Meats (now the Fairton Silver Fern Farms), Fairfield (now Fairton). The Ruston is now on long-term lease to The Plains Railway and sees use shunting light locomotives and rolling stock as well as regular use on work trains.
Howard TR 12 J & F Howard, England 936 1930 March 28, 1986 It entered service for the Department of Public Works in 1930, later transferred to the Smithfield Freezing Works in Timaru. Donated to the AR&PS in 1986 and was used for shunting purposes for many years until the arrival of the Price. Since arrival it has been reclassified as TR 12. It entered active restoration in early 2012.
Price TR 119 A & G Price 198 1960 September 12, 1995 The Price entered service in 1960 for Kempthorne Prosser & Co. of Hornby, Christchurch for shunting their private sidings. Sold to the Weka Pass Railway in 1985 and later sold to the AR&PS in August 1995. It arrived on 12 September the same month and restoration commenced in the same month. Restoration was completed in 1996 and was repainted into the Midland Red liver and reclassified as TR 119. In 1997 the TR won the annual A & G Price restoration award. TR 119 now see use shunting JA 1260 and other rolling stock, as well as semi-regular use on works trains.

Railcars

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration/repair Stored Static display Scrapped
Original Class and Number Builder Builders Number Year Built Arrived Notes
RM 50 Vulcan Foundry 4845 1940 March 1979 Entered NZR service in October 1940. RM 50 achieved a speed of 125.5 km/h (78 mph) on a section of the Midland Line east of Springfield on 25 the same month. This remains the fastest speed officially attained on New Zealands railway network. RM 50 was involved in a runaway in the Otira Tunnel on the 23rd of April 1957 alongside RM 58 which left both units damaged in the resulting derailment and lead to alterations of the railcars including the fitting of a second air compressor. Taken out of service in July 1978 and written off in September 1978 RM 50 was sold to The Ashburton Railway & Preservation Society in February 1979[11] - it arrived at The Plains Railway the next month. It sees regular use in the summer months.

In addition:

Carriages

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Original class and number Builder Type Year built Arrived Notes
A 184 NZR Addington Workshops 47' 6" wooden body, passenger coach 1913 1971 Entered NZR service on 21 June 1913. Withdrawn on 20 June 1970. It took part in the Hanlon: In Defence of Minnie Dean TV mini-series in 1984. It participated in the Ferrymead 125 celebration being used on shuttle trains from Christchurch to Rangiora. It was repaired and repainted in the "Midland Red" livery in October 2004.
A 475 NZR Addington Workshops 43' 9" wooden body, passenger coach 1900 December 2, 1988 Entered NZR service in 1900. Withdrawn on 26 June 1954. Kept on a farm in Mount Somers. In outside storage without any bogies.
A 784 NZR Addington Workshops 47' 6" wooden body, passenger coach 1903 2003 Entered service in 1903. Withdrawn on 15 October 1955 and kept on a private property. In outside storage.
A 1429 NZR Addington Workshops 47' 6" wooden body, passenger coach 1915 1970s Entered NZR service on 13 November 1915. Withdrawn on 18 June 1977 and was originally allocated to Invercargill. It was also used in the Hanlon: In Defence of Minnie Dean TV mini-series in 1984. It also participated in the Ferrymead 125 celebration being used on shuttle trains from Christchurch to Rangiora. In 1991 it was repainted in a lighter shade of red and was repaired and again repainted in 2002 in the "Midland Red" livery.
AA 1024 NZR Petone Workshops 50' 0" wooden body, passenger coach 1908 1974 Entered NZR service on 10 October 1908. Worked in the North Island until July 1950 when it was moved to the South Island. Purchased by the AR&PS on 22 February 1974. Withdrawn on 30 March 1974. Used occasionally prior to withdrawal from active service and being placed into storage. Restoration commenced in 1988, but was later cancelled due to other projects. Although it was repainted in a protective coat of dull red/brown 'roof paint' to seal the timber from moisture. Active restoration commenced on 17 September 2008.

In addition:

Guards and Brake vans

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Original class and number TMS class and number Builder Type Year built Arrived Notes
F 322 F 151 NZR Hillside Workshops 30' wooden body, guards' van 1907 1979 Entered NZR service in March 1907. Withdrawn on 10 November 1979. In 1984, F 322 was restored and repainted. Also in that year it was used in the Hanlon: In Defence of Minnie Dean TV mini-series. It participated in the Ferrymead 125 being used on shuttle trains from Christchurch to Rangiora.
F 532 F 1212 NZR Addington Workshops 50' 0" wooden body, guards' van 1931 N/A Entered NZR service on 31 March 1931. Withdrawn in 1988. Scrapped due to an arson attack in April 2007 whilst under restoration. Its frame and bogies are now stored and used for a supply of parts. Formerly owned by the Ocean Beach Railway, and then privately, the van has since fallen into the ownership of the AR&PS.

Wagons

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Original class and number TMS class and number Type Builder Year built Arrived Notes
E 852 Tank N/A 1880s 1974 Entered NZR service prior to the 1890 renumbering program as an N class wagon, it was renumbered as N 212 in 1890. Reclassified and renumbered as E 852 on 8 January 1938 when it was fitted with the tank it now carries.[13] Withdrawn on 9 November 1974 and sold to The Plains not long after. It worked as a water supply for the neighbouring farm paddocks and as a platform for tree pruning until the 1990s. In January 2011 restoration work started for The Plains Railway's 40th Anniversary. E 852 is now back in service and sees occasional use on public running days. Won the 2012 FRONZ Goods or Service Vehicle Restoration Award.
LA 13498 High Side NZR Petone Workshops 1922 N/A NZR service from 14 October 1922 to 24 February 1973. The LA is used to store coal, sees occasional use on public running days.
LB 9579 High Side NZR Petone Workshops 1911 1972 Formerly used a passenger wagon when there was no carriages available. It is now used to store parts and also awaiting restoration.
M 173 M 360 Low Side N/A N/A 1972 Withdrawn on 22 May 1971. Overhauled in 1995. It is used for work trains, sometimes used as a runner wagon for A 64 on open days and sees occasional use on public running days
NAK 66 NAK 6622 Flat Deck N/A N/A N/A Sees occasional use on public running days. Owned by the Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
UCT 1603 UCT 170 Tank NZR Hillside Workshops 1970 N/A Entered NZR service on 18 July 1970. Renumbered as UCT 170 in 1978. Used for the transportation of Tallow. UCT 1603 is the only one of its class to be preserved, sees occasional use on public running days. Owned by the Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.
V 76 Insulated Meat Hillside Workshops 1903 October 2, 2015 Entered NZR service on 31 March 1903. It received an A-Grade overhaul in May 1970 and its Westinghouse brakes overhauled in January 1973. Written off on 21 June 1975 and was sold to the Tinwald Ravensdown Fertilizer plant. Donated to the Plains in 2014, and arrived on site on the 2 October a year later.
VS 863 VS 898 Insulated Meat Commonwealth Engineering, Australia (erected by NZR Addington Workshops) 1958 1979 Entered NZR service in 1958. Renumbered as VS 898 in 1978. Withdrawn on 19 September 1979. Used for transportation of chilled meats. Arrived with spares for Vulcan Railcar RM 50. It is used also to store other locomotive and railway equipment parts.
YB 138 YB 375 Ballast N/A N/A N/A Renumbered as YB 375. Withdrawn on 22 June 1985. Used for ballast trains, sees occasional use on public running days.
YC 890 YC 2272 Ballast NZR Addington Workshops 1961 N/A Entered NZR service in May 1961. Renumbered as YC 2272 in 1978. Used for ballast trains, sees occasional use on public running days. Owned by the Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand.

Cranes

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Type Number Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes
2-ton Hand Crane N/A Ransomes and Rapier N/A 1877 1972 Formerly used by the NZ Electricity Department for their Islington siding.Purchased by the Canterbury Railway Society, mid-1960s. On long-term loan to the AR&PS.[14]
Coaling Crane 360 N/A N/A 1911/1926 1987 Originally constructed as crane 301 in 1911 the crane was written off as damaged in 1925. However, it was rebuilt and renumbered as 360 and was back in service in 1926 and seems to have spent most of its life at Invercargill.[15] It is now awaiting restoration.
5 Ton Lift Steam Crane N/A Whitticker N/A N/A 1978 Used by the Oamaru Harbour Board, sold to The Plains Railway and used for re-laying track and other lifting work. Retubed in 1990 and 1993. Now stored, out of service since the 1990s after part of the slewing gear became seized

Jiggers

The society has in their care 3 four-wheel motor jiggers, a three-wheel motor jigger, 2 four-wheel hand jiggers and a three-wheel hand jigger. They also have four trailers also in their care.

Traction Engines

The society has three tractions engines and one portable engine in their collection. The traction engines consist of a 1/3 scale Burrell Traction Engine built by a local engineer the late Hughey Rainey, a McLaren NO. 1718 (owned by the Ashburton District Council) and a Marshall NO. 59534. In the past some AR&PS members have loaned their engines to the museum for extended periods, but these have since gone elsewhere.

The Society has a Portable Engine of Marshall, Sons & Co. in their collection, which is currently privately owned.[16]

Traction Engines

Key: Operational Under overhaul/restoration Stored Stored, Serviceable Condition Static display Scrapped
Type Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived at The Plains Railway Notes
Burrell Hughey Rainey n/a 1963 1963 Built by the late Hughey Rainey in 1963 and is used on open days.
Marshall Marshall, Sons & Co. 59534 1910 or 1912 N/A Donated to the AR&PS by Dennis Gordon. Used until 2006. Now under restoration.
McLaren J&H McLaren & Co. 1718 1925 1990s Owned by Ashburton District Council. On long-term loan to the AR&PS. Used on open days and rallies. "The Mac", as the engine is commonly referred to as, is the only engine remaining in New Zealand to still be owned by the original purchaser - the Ashburton County Council (since renamed the Ashburton District Council).

Portables

Key: Operational Under overhaul/restoration Stored Stored, Serviceable Condition Static display Scrapped
Type Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived at The Plains Railway Notes
Marshall Marshall, Sons & Co. 4483 1879 N/A Stored in an operational condition, Owned by Alan Bowis and Sons.

Also:

Machinery

Binders

Key: Operational Under overhaul/restoration Stored Stored, Serviceable Condition Static display Scrapped
Builder Year built Arrived at The Plains Railway Notes
Massey Harris N/A N/A Used to harvest oats.
N/A N/A N/A Stored.

References

  1. ↑ About the K 88 Trust Board"Railfan". 2 (1). Triple M Publications. December 1995. ISSN 1173-2229.
  2. ↑ About the K 88 Trust Board"Railfan". 2 (4). Triple M Publications. September 1996. ISSN 1173-2229.
  3. ↑ http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/65142378/suspicious-fire-destroys-ashburton-railway-museums-shed
  4. ↑ "OPENING OF THE CHRISTCHURCH AND DUNEDIN RAILWAY". Papers Past. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Vogel-era locomotive". New Zealand History.
  6. ↑ http://www.plainsrailway.co.nz/stock?page=locos
  7. ↑ http://www.whitebusfamily.co.nz/salvage_expedition.htm
  8. ↑ http://trainweb.org/nzsteam/a040_reg.htm
  9. ↑ - New Zealand Railways No. F.13
  10. ↑ http://www.whitebusfamily.co.nz/k88_restoration.htm
  11. ↑ Scoble, Juliet. "66'-31/8" Class RM Vulcan Railcars". NZ Passenger Cars. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Railfan". 9 (1). Triple M Publications. December 2002. ISSN 1173-2229.
  13. ↑ "NZRSR Freight Wagons Register". New Zealand Rolling Stock Register.
  14. ↑ "Railfan". 11 (4). Triple M Publications. September 2005. ISSN 1173-2229.
  15. ↑ http://www.nzrcranes.org/coaling.html#360
  16. ↑ http://www.plainsrailway.co.nz/stock.php?page=2

Further reading

  • Barnes, Phil (October–November 2016). "The Plains Railway". Locomotives International (104): 13–17. ISSN 1353-7091. 


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