Estuary mud yielding historic pieces of old steam tram

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32679, 7 August 1971, Page 12

Estuary mud yielding historic pieces of old steam tram

(By

FAYE BLOXHAM)

Buried treasure has lured mankind throughout the ages and-today is no exception; but whereas in yesteryear the booty was chests of jewels or pieces of eight, now it can be the most unlikely items—and often is, as proved by two Christchurch men in recent weeks.

No pirate’s eye might brighten at Messrs Ray Silcock and David Hansen’s find, but to them it is exciting enough to ensure many more hours digging and probing in, of all unlikely treasurebearing places, the tidal estuary mud at McCormack’s Bay.

There, after being buried for some 40 years, relics of a bygone age are coming to light; dumped as rubbish once and indeed still looking more like rusty scrap iron than aything else, the articles now have real historical value. They have proved to be parts from at least one more Kitson steam tram, an historic vehicle so rare that there is believed to be only one left in the world in running order and that is also in Christchurch.

Few could be better qualified to realise the significance of their field than the two men. Both are keen members of the Tramway Historical Society which is one of the 10 active organisations now represented on the trust board of the ambitious Ferrymead historical and technological complex and every week they, with fellow members, spend many hours in restoration and development work at the society’s headquarters at Ferrymead. Pride of place as symbol of their endeavours undoubtedly goes to the unique and meticulously restored and maintained Kitson tram which is boused there, so the interest occasioned by the new finds is not surprising. The discovery was made when the two men finally went to investigate the

visible portion of a rusting iron boner that Mr Hansen, who lives at Sumner, had noticed sticking up out of the mud in McCormack’s Bay. The boiler itself turned out to be from another kind of steam tram once used in the city, an American-made Baldwin, and it was enough jto sharpen their interest in a few rusty pieces of embedded metal they could see in the mud nearby. ' Still lubricated they began to dig, one of these alone turned out to be exciting enough to ensure their continued efforts: upside down, with the handles three feet or more below the surface, it was the control lever mechanism for a Kitson tram. “The levers were still mounted on the quadrant, and some of the knuckles were even still free, and had grease on them,” Mr Silcock said later. Other bits and pieces, rusty, but in surprisingly sound condition after decades in the salty mud, came to light as the excavation deepend. Some the two recognise for themselves, others were identified by older members of the society who could remember the days when the old steam trams were running. One piece had special value. It turned out to be a Kitson funnel fold-down bracket, which the restored Kitson at Ferrymead lacks: the Estuary find is to be cleaned and fitted to complete the unique old tram. A valve motion and connecting rods are also being restored and other pieces, even if not ’ themselves usable, will be invaluable as patterns from which spare parts can be made.

“Once Dave and I found these things, we began making inquiries,” Mr Ray Silcock said. “The mound we are working on was part of a causeway for a branch tramline which used to cross the bay to rock quarries there. Dumped in 1930 "After they had been withdrawn from passenger service on the newly electrified tramlines round the city, about 1914, the Kitsons were used as “work-horse” engines to pull ballast trucks, until about the 1930’5.” After the discoveries, one of the foundation members of the society recalled that the remains of three Kitson trams were indeed dumped into McCormack’s Bay in the 1930’5. “Yes, we’re definitely going to dig some more,” the pair agreed enthusiastically. “We want to excavate the whole mound and see what else is there.” Though the site itself is on a mound, they can only work at low tide because access is cut off across the tidal flats at other times. By last week-end, digging had reached a depth of some four to five feet over several square yards, and more bits and pieces of varying interest were still appearing. Boiler tubes have proved numerous enough to become tiresome, but to weigh against this, a Kitson brass funnel cap has come to light. Other finds have included a brake rigging for a double-deck trailer, air cylinders and other parts from more recent electric trams and, nearer the main causeway, an ornate finial from an old tramway pole. It is all just one more instance of a variation on an old adage: one age’s rubbish is another’s treasure.