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Arthurs Pass New Zealand


The Blue Streak
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Hello Everybody,

Just returned from a trip to NZ. Went for a bit of a trip up into the Alpine region to a place called Arthurs Pass on the Sth Island.

There along side the line (which among other uses, brings the coal from the West to the Port at Littleton near Christchurch in the East) were the remnants of some old steam engine boilers and bits and pieces next to the Turntable, just lying there in the gravel and snow. Kind of sad really. :(

The odd thing was every one had the same section gasaxed away and the smokebox end all smashed in !!!

I was wondering if any of our Kiwi Mates could identify them and show us what engine type they may have come from ??

 

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Edited by The Blue Streak
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Not sure what type they are but old boilers were kept at various places along the line to shore up the banks of the Waimakariri River if heavy snow melt caused erosion. There are (or at least were) some at Cass too. They were cut open to salvage the copper.

 

Cheers

David

Edited by DavidB-AU
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Not sure what type they are but old boilers were kept at various places along the line to shore up the banks of the Waimakariri River if heavy snow melt caused erosion. There are (or at least were) some at Cass too. They were cut open to salvage the copper.

 

Cheers

David

 

Thanks David, that explains the reason why they were all cut open in the same place.

 

Brings back memories, used to go on school trips to Arthurs pass and get clothing stolen by the Kea's... I cant answer your question but maybe these people can?  http://www.mainlinesteam.co.nz/news.html

 

Hi Scott, I wanted to go and have a look at the steam heritage depot at Middleton near Christchurch while I was there, but just ran out of time. There is just so much to do and see there.

The Keas are quite mad, the two in the photo below quite helpfully posed on the sign with all the Kea info on it !

Just prior to the picture the one on the left was trying to fly off with a china mug from a nearby restaurant, while the one on the right had been busy trying to bite the valves out of the wheel of a car !!!

 

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Edited by The Blue Streak
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Somewhere I have a VHS vid called something like Steam Lives On, made by the NZ National Film Unit. It includes vintage footage of Kbs over Arthur's Pass. ISTR it is on YouTube somewhere, too.

 

The documentary was "Kb Country" and together with "The Ride of Ww480" is firm favourite of mine, two of the best railway documentaries (for general consumption) I've ever seen.

 

See here:

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I remember driving through Arthurs Pass 30 years ago ... or  rather, my then newly wedded wife was driving. THAT was scary!! :D  :jester: 

We didn't get to Arthurs Pass this time (September last year for our 30th anniversary), but we have vowed that next time in NZ we'll take the Tranz-Alpin Express (I think that's the right spelling).

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I remember driving through Arthurs Pass 30 years ago ... or  rather, my then newly wedded wife was driving. THAT was scary!! :D  :jester: 

 

We didn't get to Arthurs Pass this time (September last year for our 30th anniversary), but we have vowed that next time in NZ we'll take the Tranz-Alpin Express (I think that's the right spelling).

 

Yes the Tranzalpine sounds like a good trip to do.

It was quite a short stay in NZ that was a bit spur of the moment. My Daughter moved there last year. So I didn't plan it very well. Next time I will give myself more than 7 days (well 5 if you take out the travel days), plan it properly and do the Train Journey for sure.

Edited by The Blue Streak
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The documentary was "Kb Country" and together with "The Ride of Ww480" is firm favourite of mine, two of the best railway documentaries (for general consumption) I've ever seen.

 

See here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2YH-djIASE

Thanks for digging up the link. Sherry and I have just enjoyed watching it with tea in bed! Sherry and her ex were in South Island in 2011, shortly before the Christchurch earthquake.
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The documentary was "Kb Country" and together with "The Ride of Ww480" is firm favourite of mine, two of the best railway documentaries (for general consumption) I've ever seen.

 

 

Brilliant Link to Kb country Jim, thanks for that. I forwarded it to my Daughter and We recognized  much of the scenery. Although that lake in the first few seconds of the video was frozen solid when I saw it as it got down to well in the minus' last week. It was still -3 at 11am when we were walking on it.

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I did the Tranzalpine last November when in NZ for a fortnight and it's got to be up there as one of the best rail journeys in the world. My other half is not an enthusiast but thoroughly enjoyed spending most of the trip stood in the open car (no seats or windows) at the rear of the train. Not many places you could stick your head out of a vehicle designed for you to do so whilst doing 100kph!

 

The food and drinks on board were all excellent too and if you do want to sit inside the panoramic windows are excellent.

 

Edit: link to my thread on NZ railways with plenty of photos http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/96638-new-zealand-railways-and-preservation-whats-there/

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