Storm damage and a Train

[Mayner]

We were fortunate to escape the worst of the recent cyclones that struck New Zealand though a large tree came down on the Garden Railway early last week, which will take some time to remove before I can even inspect the track and trackbase.

Tues Morn. Garden shed under tree!

Closer look, the tree was shallow rooted and had a pronounced lean and seem to have been literally uprooted by the force of the wind.

The other side, the tree literally fell onto the trackbase close to a supporting pile.

The Train.

We had an important appointment in Auckland on tuesday morning and decided to try Te-Huia Waikato Regional Council Hamilton-Auckland commuter train and stay overnight than drive.

The train started running between Hamilton and Papakura where passengers transferred to Auckland Transport electrified services in April 2021 and extended to run directly to Aucklands Strand Station in April 2022.

Although Hamilton City and the Regional Council supported the introduction of a Hamilton-Auckland commuter service since the late 2000s the introduction of the service was delayed by political opposition and Auckland Transport resistance to diesel hauled Te Huia operating  over the electrified lines into the Auckland's downtown Britomart underground terminus.

Originally operated as a daily commuter round trip from Hamilton, an-off peak service Auckland-Hamilton-Auckland service was introduced in April 2002 when the train was extended to the strand.

 

DFB 7335 awaits departure with Te Huia with the afternoon-Frankton (Hamilton)-The Strand service on 20/2/2023

The DFBs are mechanically and electrically similar to the Irish 071 & 111 Classes but in a Road Switcher configuration the B in the classification indicates that this loco is fitted with GE Brightstar wheel slip control system.

The DFT/B class have been largely displaced from heavy freight work with a small number retained for passenger workings.

Te (the) Huia is named after an extinct songbird that had a special space in Mâori culture and tradition, hopefully the train will survive in the long term as our center right political parties consider the train a waste of time and money

The trainsets are re-purposed from Auckland suburban Push-Pull sets redundant following the 2014 electrification of the Auckland network.

Te Huia is currently 'topped and tailed" by DFT/B locos possibly as a result of de-railment risk in long distance high (relatively) speed on an unfenced railway with AHB and unguarded level crossings.

7335 facing the Auckland skyline on 21/2/2023 while awaiting departure (dead) to Hamilton. The old 1930s Auckland Railway station now a hotel/is in the middle distance behind the overhead gantry, the main-line platforms were removed when the station was "re-developed" during the 1990s and the suburban platforms closed following the opening of the new-down town Britomart station in the early 2000s, the Strand "station" incorporates the remaining suburban platform and hosts the trice-weekly long distance Kiwrirail Auckland-Wellington "Northern Explorer" (fully commercial tourist train) and the twice daily Te Huia service, the sum total of the Upper North island non-heritage long distance passenger trains.

  

Former Push-Pull driving trailer. LE (Locomotive Engineer) walks to the other end to start the Loco and carry out the pre-start tests.

 

LE starts 7077 complete with Te Huia labelling.

A bit of "heritage" as section of the original 1930s era station canopy and signal cabin were listed and retained after the station was closed during the early 2000s, the abandoned canopies provided shelter for homeless until the suburban platforms and canopies were demolished to provide secure storage for electric suburban trains in the early 2010s.

 

Auckland station cabin and what was once one of the main running-roads. The electric train in the distance is on one of the main running lines from the Eastern Line into Britomart station.

Running time is competitive with road between Hamilton and Papakura though is a slow grind on the electrified suburban section between Papakura and Auckland, without the congestion and sheer unpredictability of Aucklands Urban Motorways.

 

[Broithe]

Do you have any buses in the right scale?

To provide a basic replacement service during the remedial work...

[Rush and Lusk]

This is a fascinating post Mayner - great to get a glimpse in to another local railway system and associated political, user and stock repurposing experiences - all at the other end of the world.

Thanks,

George  

[Mayner]

8 hours ago, Broithe said:

Do you have any buses in the right scale?

To provide a basic replacement service during the remedial work...

Buses replacement service that's Communism!

Have a Model T & a 1930s Ford Pickup somewhere, though havent seen them in maybe 10 years.

Freights can still get through by going round the other side of the Narrow Gauge Circle https://www.narrowgauge.org/ the very odd passenger by Caboose,walk, horseback or hitch-hike.

[Broithe]

Odd passengers shouldn't be allowed on trains anyway.

[Galteemore]

1 hour ago, Broithe said:

Odd passengers shouldn't be allowed on trains anyway.

That would kill off the railtour industry 

[Broithe]

2 hours ago, Galteemore said:

That would kill off the railtour industry 

I only meant real trains.

[Mayner]

4 hours ago, Broithe said:

Odd passengers shouldn't be allowed on trains anyway.

There is a great description of a journey on a Rio Grande Southern "Galloping Goose" railcar in Beebe and Clegg's "Mixed Train Journey the passenger compliment turned out to be Beebe and his partner Clegg (railfans), a small group of Native Americans (a Brave, two Squaw's in their finest clothes) and a baby) having a day out eating popcorn and sweets and an "Old Timer" travelling from a remote cabin to the hotel in Telluride to drink whisky. The 'old timer" can barely walk and was lifted abord by the motorman and the two railfans the Indians refusing to get involved. Got the 'motor car" or galloping goose just need to sort out the passengers, but not from a Wild West set.

Caboose and Gondolas (open cars) were the favourite for post WW11 railfan excursions on the RGS apart from the Business Car Rico seems to have been no servicable passenger stock, after the RGS lost the Mail contract the Geese were converted to carry tourists for a season or two before the line was abandoned and torn up.

[Mayner]

Today 1st March was the first day of Autumn in this part of the World, the "Jackson Country" managed to operate its first Fall Stock special of the 2023 season after clearing the line of storm damage.

Upper section of branches and trunk removed.

Trunk clear of rails!

Trunk sawn into rings for 2024 season firewood line clear, I have a chainsaw and pruner for the sawing, but had to hire a shredder to chip the branches and foliage as the garden chipper was not up to the job.

Large diameter kauri logs were transported on NZ Bush Tramways https://teara.govt.nz/en/speech/12236/brakemen, but the rings were a bit over scale even in 1:20.3

 There is a slight kink in the RH rail not sure if it was from the fallen tree or existing damage.

Next job is to correct the kink and remove the wood chips, too green/saturated to remove with a blower at this stage.

 

348 a DRGW 2-8-0 handled the Stock Special, lighter and easier to re-rail than one of our K27 2-8-2 Mudhens.

Hopefully weather will improve in the Autumn to catch up on repairs and maintenance and hopefully run some trains!

I planted camelia's in the 'bush" in the background as a long term replacement as established trees die or fell over.

This years February Cyclones resulted to severe damage to Northland and East Coast transport links with both road and rail links severed as a result of major landslips and bridge washouts https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/02/23/photos-northland-rail-line-cut-off-from-auckland/ .