Nick Gough

The next station stop, at Kaikoura, with the building re-purposed:

True to its name, the 'Coastal Pacific' follows the sea for a large part of the journey: With nothing but the ocean for about five thousand miles to the east - South America.

A couple of places there that I'm planning to show as well.

As departure time neared the locomotive left the yard to return to the station and train: Coupled up, this time with the open-air observation car leading, ready for the 1:40pm departure: This was to be the last 'Coastal Pacific' of the season, on 30th April, before the Winter. Looking back over Picton and the harbour after departure: The railway leaves the town from left to right then curves around, on right hand bends, as it climbs away. Around 50 minutes later, after our first stop at Blenheim, we had a last view back over the Cook Straight to the North Island: The 'Coastal Pacific', that day was quite a short train with just the open-air car, three passenger coaches and the luggage van: A few minutes later we were passing vineyards:

I know what you mean. We stopped over in Singapore on the way out and Bali on the way back, but it still takes a while to adjust to the time difference.

Shortly after we got to the station, at about 12:40, the northbound 'Coastal Pacific' arrived, from Christchurch, with another open-air observation car on the rear: The station building is still used for railway purposes, though another business uses part of the building: The locomotive uncoupled and ran around its train: Before heading into the yard for servicing: At the head of the train was the luggage car - apparently a converted (and re-gauged) BR Mark II carriage: A further look around the station: As seen in earlier years:

Five minutes walk from the ferry port took us to Picton railway station: The northern terminus of the line from Christchurch. In the fenced-off rail yard, opposite the station, was the steam locomotive and carriages that operate the 'Marlborough Flyer' excursion from Picton on certain days: Unfortunately, it wasn't operating that day and it wasn't possible to get into the yard for a closer look. There is a turntable there:

After three nights in Wellington it was an early start to board the MV Kaitaki, of the Interisland ferry fleet, to cross to the South Island. This ferry operation is owned and operated by Kiwi Rail. Crossing Wellington Harbour: A sister ship, MS Kaiarahi, seen in the harbour: About to leave the Harbour and enter the Cook Strait, which separates the North and South Islands: Cook Strait can be very rough, but we were lucky with a very smooth crossing. At the nearest points the two islands are only 14 miles apart but the ferry tracks a longer path. Having crossed the strait the ferry enters the Marlborough Sounds: A network of sunken valleys, heading to the port of Picton: Arriving at Picton Harbour: And disembarking from the vessel:

That's the gentleman I was thinking of.

Just catching up on postings after a few days in Monmouth, with variable internet. I don't know Norman but am I right in thinking that I have seen him in one of those 'fly on the wall' tv documentaries about the modern railway, in recent years? A bewhiskered and bespectacled gentleman?

Not me Chris! I 'borrowed' the photo from Facebook.

This is Snowball who, with the assistance of Horace the milkman, was delivering our milk until the mid/late 1960s, in South Harrow: This was for an independent, local dairy - Hall & Sons (Dairy Farmers) Ltd, in nearby Pinner - there still being a small rural enclave in this urban part of Metroland.

That should be an interesting evening Mike. I remember, on that day, walking to a foot crossing, near the bridge under the Marlow bypass, and filming 1450 with its two autotrailers - in the pouring rain.

Adjacent to the upper terminus is the original winding house: Which housed the winding machinery used until the 1970s. It now houses the Cable Car museum. The winding gear, originally steam powered, electrified in the 1930s: One of the original cars: Originally the cable car was powered by a continuous cable. In a similar system to the San Francisco cable cars, each car had a 'Gripman': The 'gripman' of the descending car operated a lever which gripped the cable, causing it to descend. A second cable connected the two cars together, so that the descending car also pulled the other to the top: There was also a third 'Fell' rail, between the running rails, for emergency braking: Also the line had double track for its entire length. In the current system the two cars are permanently connected to a single cable, operated by a motorised pulley at the top, which stops and starts to control the system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Cable_Car

From my photo of that area, from 18 years ago (on the right): It was quite heavily wooded as is the area near the main line junction. Quite different from the open views, and pasture land, of half a century ago:

I wish I had been able to visit the branch that day though, at 10 years old, I didn't know anything about event. I did make up for it, a bit, five years later when I travelled behind 6998, 6106 & 1450 on the truncated Bourne End and Marlow branches for the 100th anniversary of the latter.

There's always caves to live in I suppose. Mind you, when I were a lad, there were a hundred and sixty of us living in a small shoebox in the middle of the road.

I take it the 'J' has new sides and ends over the Lima 'G' body?

Nice. When were they withdrawn? I can remember riding on one of the last London trolleybuses just before they went.

On the main shopping street in Wellington there is another interesting sign: Walk a short distance along Cable Car Lane and you find the lower terminus for the Wellington Cable Car: The line is a metre-gauge single track funicular, 628 metres long, with a central passing loop for the two cars: The driver's cabin: Nearing the summit of the climb:

It is tight - though most of my locos and stock run through there without any problem. My Bachmann Hall doesn't like the first radius part of the curve, but the Hornby Hall runs through there quite happily! Normally I'm not going to run anything bigger than an 0-6-0 or an autocoach though. This section of line is 'off stage' as well so doesn't have to look pretty. When I first constructed that board I hadn't worked out what path the branch line would take (or at what level), hence the later 'surgery'. The width of the railway room dictated the use of a short (90 degree) radius curve, to fit inside the existing trackwork. I debated, for a while, whether or not to have the branch descend away from the main line (as per the prototype). It would have been easier to keep it on the same level, though it wouldn't have eased the clearances on the outside of the curve. I will probably use the odd, bare semi-circular piece of board, in the foreground, to park spare locos and stock.

Church Road bridge with 1466 in 1968:

The DCC sleepers have been fixed in place and soldered to the rails, with the rails cut through between the two boards: A short section of track fixed in place, to complete the curve, and aligned with the setrack to enter the fiddle yard: Three pieces of setrack glued in place, in the branch line 'channel' in the fiddle yard: With trains at a lower level than the main line tracks: The entrance to the fiddle yard will be disguised by a model of Church Road bridge: A glimpse of the future: (The branch line train is yet to be upgraded!)

Thanks Paul.