Vintage loco restored at Tinwald museum

Press, 7 January 1982, Page 14

Vintage loco restored at Tinwald museum

By

ISOBEL RODGERS

Whether you are a train enthusiast or not, the Plains Vintage Railway Museum is probably one of the most interesting places to visit in Mid-Canterbury. Situated in Maronan Road, Tinwald, the museum is a conglomeration of pieces of the • past - not only old locomotives, but traction and petrol engines, a printing press, a church, cottage, smithy and much more. The Railway Preservation Society was formed in 1970, and has been developing the Plains museum since then.

Initially, the important job was to get the railway sidings laid — and when that was done, in the early ’seventies, the museum was officially opened. One of the most notable exhibits on show now is the Washington KBB, which Bob Anderson and his team have been restoring for more than seven years. It is an American loco, and is thought to be the only one of its type in existence.

Washington’s last working days were in 1923, before it was dumped in the Oreti River, along with other locomotives, to form a stopbank.

The Plains museum will be open on Jnauary 10, when most of the exhibits will be on display. One of the trains should be running, and visitors will be able to wander about at their own pace and take stock of the sights from the past.

The Vintage Car Museum, about 400 yards from the Plains (and one day to be

joined to the railway museum, by way of a rail track) has a collection of about 35 vintage cars and motorcycles — and motoring artefacts — on show.

The displays, which are made up of cars owned by members of the Ashburton Vintage Car Club, include the chassis of a Royal Tour Daimler which a local man, Colin Bearman is rebuilding at his home.