1874, again going strong

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32848, 23 February 1972, Page 20

1874, again going strong

The restoration of this small, 12-ton locomotive, which was used on Canterbury railways a century ago and was one of the smallest types in service in New Zealand, has been virtually completed and the locomotive now r sits in the Tinwald Domain, Ashburton.

There, it will re-live some of the glories of its era by running on a 50 chain section of line—formerly part of the old Mount Somers line — which has been purchased from the Railways Department by the Ashburton Railway and Preservation Society. It will pull carriages on joy rides, or be available for picnic excursionists, probably in about a year, when final possession of the section of the line is given by the Railways Department. Members of the society have worked several hundred hours at week-ends during the last 18 months restoring the old locomotive to as near original condition as possible. The locomotive, which was built in Glasgow in 1874 for Canterbury branch lines, was purchased by the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company from

the Railways Department in 1900 ,and used as a shunter ter at the company’s Fairfield freezing works until 1964, when it was given to the Ashburton Steam and Model Engineering Club.

Only 14 locomotives of this type were brought into New Zealand, and only three others, are known to be still in existence in. a restored state. There are two in Dunedin and one in Auckland.

Society members have recently built a shed in the Tinwald Domain to house the locomotive, have completed

an inspection pit, and are working on the construction of eight chains of line to link up with the 50 chain section outside the domain.

The society also owns a motorised trolley jigger, an A2 class 36-seater carriage built in 1913, which is at present being restored, a wooden sided M class waggon, and is negotiating the purchase of the last steam locomotive in service through Ashburton, a JA type which pulled the Friday evening and Sunday evening “midnight” express.