Events/Trips in 2021.
Palmerston North Model Engineering Club
Members Fun day
7th November 2021
On the Sunday of the 7th of October the P Nth Model Engineering club held a members fun day Ewan P, Keegan JJ and myself headed there for a fun afternoon of running our trains. Ewan took up his 5 Inch 08 loco, and I took my 5 Inch diesel loco.
We basically had 4 hours of riding the rails, taking turns driving each others trains and also giving other P Nth club members a go as well. This was a another fun afternoon. It was Feb 2020 since I had last been there with my loco. Although I had applied and been approved to become a member, lost emails, Covid etc had prevented this from happening. I thank Ewan P and the P Nth club for the invite to attend and I took the opportunity to pay my membership fees.
With Covid lockdown stopping a lot of these groups from running at the moment, The P Nth club decided to do just a members fun day. This wasn't open to the public because of it being lockdown level 2. A big thank you to the P Nth group once again. It was a fun day, we will be back. Blair J.
We basically had 4 hours of riding the rails, taking turns driving each others trains and also giving other P Nth club members a go as well. This was a another fun afternoon. It was Feb 2020 since I had last been there with my loco. Although I had applied and been approved to become a member, lost emails, Covid etc had prevented this from happening. I thank Ewan P and the P Nth club for the invite to attend and I took the opportunity to pay my membership fees.
With Covid lockdown stopping a lot of these groups from running at the moment, The P Nth club decided to do just a members fun day. This wasn't open to the public because of it being lockdown level 2. A big thank you to the P Nth group once again. It was a fun day, we will be back. Blair J.
Visit To The New Plymouth Model Engineers
23rd October 2021
Over Labour weekend (23rd, 24th & 25th October 2021) the NP Engineers held their open weekend for visiting groups. Ewan P, John M, Keegan JJ and myself headed up for a fun day out on the Saturday (the 23rd). The Saturday was basically a members fun day, although some public did wander in for rides too. Ewan took up his 5 Inch 08 loco, John M his miniature traction engine and I took up my 5 Inch diesel loco.
At around 11am my loco was the first one to run for the day and it never left the tracks again until pack up time around 5pm that night. It ran like a dream all day, with Keegan, Ewan, John and myself all taking turns. Keegan and myself also got to drive Ewan’s loco once his was ready to go.
It had been 2 years since my last visit up there, so I took the opportunity to pay my membership with the NP group. This was another fun day trip. With Covid lockdown stopping a lot of these groups from running at the moment, the NP group found a way to do it. If the public did turn up for a ride they had to use the second carriage on the clubs electric EC loco to keep the social distancing. The carriages were cleaned between rides. No public were allowed to ride the private locos. A big thank you to the NP group once again. We will be back. Blair J.
At around 11am my loco was the first one to run for the day and it never left the tracks again until pack up time around 5pm that night. It ran like a dream all day, with Keegan, Ewan, John and myself all taking turns. Keegan and myself also got to drive Ewan’s loco once his was ready to go.
It had been 2 years since my last visit up there, so I took the opportunity to pay my membership with the NP group. This was another fun day trip. With Covid lockdown stopping a lot of these groups from running at the moment, the NP group found a way to do it. If the public did turn up for a ride they had to use the second carriage on the clubs electric EC loco to keep the social distancing. The carriages were cleaned between rides. No public were allowed to ride the private locos. A big thank you to the NP group once again. We will be back. Blair J.
My Famous Dogs
My dogs made the latest Hornby promotion for World Animal Day. Even though the photo shows them with the New Zealand F loco at Feilding instead of a model. Rest in Peace Shakira (we lost her a year ago in April 2020).
October School Holidays
1st - 5th October 2021
It's been a fun long weekend (Friday afternoon to Tuesday lunchtime) for my nephew Keegan and his best friend Logan staying at our place (his uncle Blair's and auntie Lloryians).
They enjoyed the following. Toasting marshmallows on 3 occasions, playing the Nintendo Wii, playing with the put put boat, walking/exercising the dogs (in Bulls, at the beach and trough the local Forrest). Helping at SteamRail Wanganui (including a surprised Traction Engine ride), running uncle Blair's model trains, watching movies and YouTube and finally a play at the new park in Marton.
They went off to stay at Nanna's for a few days after this before Logan went home on the Friday.
This past weekend was meant to be the Wanganui Model Railway show. Both myself and Keegan were meant to be involved, this is why I had taken time of work. But the show was canceled due to Covid lock downs. I think we have filled in our days off pretty well.
They enjoyed the following. Toasting marshmallows on 3 occasions, playing the Nintendo Wii, playing with the put put boat, walking/exercising the dogs (in Bulls, at the beach and trough the local Forrest). Helping at SteamRail Wanganui (including a surprised Traction Engine ride), running uncle Blair's model trains, watching movies and YouTube and finally a play at the new park in Marton.
They went off to stay at Nanna's for a few days after this before Logan went home on the Friday.
This past weekend was meant to be the Wanganui Model Railway show. Both myself and Keegan were meant to be involved, this is why I had taken time of work. But the show was canceled due to Covid lock downs. I think we have filled in our days off pretty well.
A Day Trip to Southwards Car Museum
Lloryians client Nevill wanted to visit the Southwards Car Museum as he hadn’t been there for years. Neither Keegan nor myself hadn’t been there before, so Nevill invited us along as well. Lloryian arranged a day trip for when she was working, and I had the day off. This was on Saturday the 24th of July. We arranged to meet Nevill and Lloryian at Levin (Lloryians mums place, so she could look after the dogs) and we headed down towards Paraparaumu together.
Southwards is one of these places I always wanted to go too, but never have. We were very surprised at how many cars, motor bikes, trucks, planes and a boat etc were there and the fact there was 3 levels of displays. There was something of interest for everyone. I was attracted straight away to the miniature live steam trains models as we walked through the door, Keegan’s favourites were the modern sporty cars e.g. the Ferrari Lamborghini, Corvette, and Mustang etc. Lloryian enjoyed looking at something other than trains and she tells me that Nevill enjoyed the 3rd floor with the motor bikes set out in year order. We also enjoyed the traction engine, stationary engines, and trucks on the lower floor. There’s a bit of Wanganui history there too, with an old Fire Engine and a box car derby car made up to look like a Wanganui Motors Ford.
After a good 3 hour look around, we headed for home. We were dropped off in Levin to pick up the dogs and car. As we headed towards home, I showed Keegan around Foxton on the way. Showing him the old rail history left behind from the old Foxton Branch and rail related Murals on the walls of buildings etc. This was a great day out. We thank Nevill for inviting us along and Lloryian for organising everything. We have also been told that Nevill totally enjoyed himself too, having some male company for a change instead of just being with the female carers all the time even though women are more intelligent.
Southwards is one of these places I always wanted to go too, but never have. We were very surprised at how many cars, motor bikes, trucks, planes and a boat etc were there and the fact there was 3 levels of displays. There was something of interest for everyone. I was attracted straight away to the miniature live steam trains models as we walked through the door, Keegan’s favourites were the modern sporty cars e.g. the Ferrari Lamborghini, Corvette, and Mustang etc. Lloryian enjoyed looking at something other than trains and she tells me that Nevill enjoyed the 3rd floor with the motor bikes set out in year order. We also enjoyed the traction engine, stationary engines, and trucks on the lower floor. There’s a bit of Wanganui history there too, with an old Fire Engine and a box car derby car made up to look like a Wanganui Motors Ford.
After a good 3 hour look around, we headed for home. We were dropped off in Levin to pick up the dogs and car. As we headed towards home, I showed Keegan around Foxton on the way. Showing him the old rail history left behind from the old Foxton Branch and rail related Murals on the walls of buildings etc. This was a great day out. We thank Nevill for inviting us along and Lloryian for organising everything. We have also been told that Nevill totally enjoyed himself too, having some male company for a change instead of just being with the female carers all the time even though women are more intelligent.
A Visit to Taupo
Over the same weekend as the P Nth show (17th & 18th July), the Taupo Model Railway Club held their annual Hobby Show, called the “Taupo Hobby Expo.
I was meant to be displaying at the P Nth show with my Thomas Layout. But had pulled out of it about a month before hand, due to personal reasons and my layout was also not going to be running in time (waiting on new points to arrive). A last minute decision because of having the weekend off we decided to head to Taupo for the night, visit the hobby show and have a look around town while we were there.
I was meant to be displaying at the P Nth show with my Thomas Layout. But had pulled out of it about a month before hand, due to personal reasons and my layout was also not going to be running in time (waiting on new points to arrive). A last minute decision because of having the weekend off we decided to head to Taupo for the night, visit the hobby show and have a look around town while we were there.
We headed up on the Saturday. The weather was really bad, we could hardly see the car in front of us as we drove through Desert Road, because of the wind and rain. On arrival we found somewhere for lunch before heading to the show.
The Taupo show covers a lot of Hobbies, not just model trains, although there was plenty of model train layouts there. The show also features Model Trucks, Cars, Planes, Boats, War Gaming, Gliding, Quilting, Lego, Wall Climbing, Outer Space, Vintage Cars, Dimond Art, Virtual Gaming and a number of trade stands. The first display as we walked through the door was Alan and Fay Giles. We also ran into other people we knew, Gerald from Mack’s Tracks and Ken and Renee Le Prou from Napier. We enjoyed the show, Keegan brought a new loco, had a go on the climbing wall and drove the radio-controlled boats. Lloryian enjoyed a lot of the other hobbies, especially the glider. After we left the show and because of the heavy rain we decided to head to the movies in the evening and saw the new Bugs Bunny movie “Space Jam 2”. This movie was very funny. It was then back to the motel for the night.
The Taupo show covers a lot of Hobbies, not just model trains, although there was plenty of model train layouts there. The show also features Model Trucks, Cars, Planes, Boats, War Gaming, Gliding, Quilting, Lego, Wall Climbing, Outer Space, Vintage Cars, Dimond Art, Virtual Gaming and a number of trade stands. The first display as we walked through the door was Alan and Fay Giles. We also ran into other people we knew, Gerald from Mack’s Tracks and Ken and Renee Le Prou from Napier. We enjoyed the show, Keegan brought a new loco, had a go on the climbing wall and drove the radio-controlled boats. Lloryian enjoyed a lot of the other hobbies, especially the glider. After we left the show and because of the heavy rain we decided to head to the movies in the evening and saw the new Bugs Bunny movie “Space Jam 2”. This movie was very funny. It was then back to the motel for the night.
On the Sunday we had a surprise for Keegan. We headed out past the Huka Falls to Hukafalls Jet. We had booked a ride on the Huka Jet boat. This was a first for all three of us. Wow what a great ride. They take you to the first dam on the Waikato River then past the Thermal Power Station and then up to the Falls. Doing 360deg spins as we sped up and down the river. He even put the back of the boat right up into the white water of the falls. We couldn’t get the grin of Keegan’s face the hole trip. Since I was sitting on one side, I seemed to wear most the water that came into the boat, but it was worth it. It was a lot of fun. We also manged to dodge the rain while on the boat, which was good. After the boat trip we headed back into town for lunch, have a quick look at the Taupo Hobby shop before heading home to Bulls.
SRW Open Day with Motor Trolley Rides and Members Fun Day.
Over Queens Birthday Weekend SteamRail ran another two enjoyable days. The first day the 6th of June was a Public open day offering once again Motor trolley rides. This day was well attended by the Public who all enjoyed their rides. A big thank you to members who helped. The next day the 7th of July we had a member’s fun day. We took the opportunity to give the Baby Price a run and move some of the rollingstock to free up the bearings etc. My Motor Trolley, TR Loco and wagons were again on display. Photos by Blair J and Kylie J.
Bulls Model Train Show 2021
Over the weekend of the 17th and 18th of April the Bulls Scout group ran a successful model railway show in their Hall in Wilson Street Bulls. This featured layouts from Bulls, Wanganui and Levin, which included 6 members layouts from the WMR&ES. The Scouts also ran a cake stall and sausage sizzle. The Bulls community along with out-of-town visitors supported the show well with Sunday being the busier day of the two days. A big thank you to the Giles and the rest of the scout management for organising a great weekend of playing trains. I had my big Thomas layout in this show and Keegan had his small Thomas layout.
Napier Again
Just a quick follow up from the last issue of the newsletter. In the last issue it mentioned when Keegan and myself were in Napier for the weekend that I got offered some 5 Inch track and points from the Hawkes Bay Model Engineers. Well they accepted my offer so Lloryian, Keegan and myself shot across for quick day trip on the 11th of April to pick this up. Of course, my little loco had to go too for a play while we were there. On the way home we also managed to catch Dbr 1254 heading through Waipawa on its way to Napier as part of the RES/GVR East-West North Island tour. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of the Dbr as it went through but have used one I found of it in Napier. Blair J
Steam Traction Society Inc
The Great Manawatu Steam Fair 2021
20th & 21st of March 2021
After being cancelled in 2020 due to Covid. The Steam Traction Society held their annual Steam Fair, over the weekend of the 20th and 21st of March 2021. Like previous years there was Traction Engine and Steam Roller rides and operating displays (sawmill, rock crusher and hay bailer etc). There were also stationary engines operating, Black Smith Shop, Models, Tractors, and other old machines on display. The group also had games and races using their Traction Engine’s and Steam Rollers.
Keegan and I were once again involved with this weekend. This year we had Keegan’s Thomas OO layout, my NZ120 layout and my Motor Trolley on display at this event.
This was a fun weekend with good numbers coming to enjoy the activities. We got a lot of great comments about both model railway layouts and Keegan also went for several rides on the bigger engines. Photos by Blair J and Kylie J.
Keegan and I were once again involved with this weekend. This year we had Keegan’s Thomas OO layout, my NZ120 layout and my Motor Trolley on display at this event.
This was a fun weekend with good numbers coming to enjoy the activities. We got a lot of great comments about both model railway layouts and Keegan also went for several rides on the bigger engines. Photos by Blair J and Kylie J.
SRW Motor Trolleys to the Waitara Railway.
26th – 28th February 2021
After a two year break (mainly because of Covid) SRW members once again travelled to the Taranaki to spend the weekend riding the rails on the 7km long Waitara Branch line owned by the Waitara Railway Preservation Society Inc. I had my motor trolley WW 6701 on this trip.
Some of the members travelled up on the Friday stopping at the Tawhiti Museum near Hawera on the way up. A big thank you to Nigel Ogle for letting us have a look around the site for free. The only thing we had to pay for was the Whalers and Trader’s ride. It was then on to Waitara to do all the important paperwork, drivers certs and trolley inspections before we could start running on the line. We then did our first supervised runs over the line, including SRW’s first time over the newly opened Lepperton yard section. These runs also included a stop in Waitara township for members to but Tea. Members were staying at the Waitara groups depot at Brixton for the two nights sleeping rough in the carriages.
On Saturday, most members were up bright and early ready to go. While we waited for the members who were either just doing a day trip or only staying for one night to turn up we took the opportunity to take to the rails with some of us going for a ride to Lepperton while a few others went to help with a bit of track work towards Waitara. Once everyone was back at the yard we then all set off riding the rails for the afternoon, but later in the day we once again helped the Waitara group with track maintenance, with the trolleys taking ballast to the Lepperton Yard for unloading. That night there was another run to Waitara for food for the BBQ and more fuel. We finished off the evening by watching rail footage that Hamish C and Alan B had brought along on a projector against the wall of the building next door (with Keegan falling asleep in his sleeping bag while watching these). Alan Blee had travelled the furthest to be there. Coming up with his trolley from the South Island.
Sunday was much the same as Saturday with members up bright and early again. We basically spent the morning riding the rails before packing up for the trip home. Overall it was a great weekend away. Everyone had fun. A big thank you to Hamish C for organising the trip. To the Waitara team for letting us be there and to ride the rails. The Waitara team would also like to thank us for the help with the track work and let’s not forget a big thank you to KiwiRail who once again loaned us a truck to transport the trolleys. Written and photos by Blair J.
A Couple of Days in Napier.
6th & 7th February 2021
Over Waitangi Weekend Keegan and I spent the night in Napier. We were there for several reasons. Keegan had never been to Napier, Lloryian and I had been talking about taking him over there for a while now and we wanted to show him Trainworld, the Aquarium, Splash Planet (in Hastings) and a few other sites.
Just over a month ago Ken La Prou got in contact with me asking if I was keen on buying his 5” rides Trolley to go behind my loco (which I was). About the same time, we also heard about the possibility of Trainworld closing after Waitangi Weekend. The closure is partly blamed on Covid, lack of tourists through the door and the owner’s health. So we started to put a plan together for a weekend trip away over there to see everything. Unfortunately, Lloryian had to work on Waitangi Weekend and Keegan broke his arm 2 weeks before. This meant that Splash Planet was now out of the question (due to the break), but we decided that I would take Keegan for a day trip for him to see the other sites (especially Trainworld before it closes) and pick up the trolley.
Just over a month ago Ken La Prou got in contact with me asking if I was keen on buying his 5” rides Trolley to go behind my loco (which I was). About the same time, we also heard about the possibility of Trainworld closing after Waitangi Weekend. The closure is partly blamed on Covid, lack of tourists through the door and the owner’s health. So we started to put a plan together for a weekend trip away over there to see everything. Unfortunately, Lloryian had to work on Waitangi Weekend and Keegan broke his arm 2 weeks before. This meant that Splash Planet was now out of the question (due to the break), but we decided that I would take Keegan for a day trip for him to see the other sites (especially Trainworld before it closes) and pick up the trolley.
About a week before we went, I got thinking and I emailed both the Hawkes Bay Model Engineering Club (Anderson Park Railway) in Napier and the Keirunga Park Railway in Havelock North. I knew both groups would be running on the Sunday and wanted to know if they would be running any extra days over the long weekend, thinking that Keegan would enjoy visiting one of these as well. I also wanted to see if I could take my own loco over to them at some stage to run on their tracks. Both groups came back to me saying they were only running on the Sunday the 7th, both also said that I could bring my loco across at any time for a run. However, a couple of days later the Hawkes Bay group emailed me again to mention that they had some 5” points plus track for sale, if I was interested. They said if I brought my loco across on the Sunday, I could run it and have a look at the track. So it was a case of finding somewhere to stay for the night. We left early on the Saturday the 6th and headed to Napier for the weekend.
After dropping the trailer off to Ken’s, our first visit was Trainworld. For the ones that don’t know Trainworld features a big British based layout that used to be on display in Rotorua. It also now houses the famous Napier attraction Lilliput, a New Zealand based layout. There are several smaller layouts also, some being Marklin 3 rail, Thomas themed, On30 scale, a 7¼ gauge ride on train and an amusement park layout. Trainworld also sell model railway supplies. Unfortunately a lot of these layouts now look like they need a lot of TLC. A lot of the animation (especially on the Lilliput layout) no longer work. As for the future of Trainworld, there are several rumours going around. One states they are in talks with a possible new owner, another is only the model shop will stay open, but at this stage none of these have been confirmed. Even the girl that served us when we got there gave me the impression it will not be open for much longer, which is a shame.
After dropping the trailer off to Ken’s, our first visit was Trainworld. For the ones that don’t know Trainworld features a big British based layout that used to be on display in Rotorua. It also now houses the famous Napier attraction Lilliput, a New Zealand based layout. There are several smaller layouts also, some being Marklin 3 rail, Thomas themed, On30 scale, a 7¼ gauge ride on train and an amusement park layout. Trainworld also sell model railway supplies. Unfortunately a lot of these layouts now look like they need a lot of TLC. A lot of the animation (especially on the Lilliput layout) no longer work. As for the future of Trainworld, there are several rumours going around. One states they are in talks with a possible new owner, another is only the model shop will stay open, but at this stage none of these have been confirmed. Even the girl that served us when we got there gave me the impression it will not be open for much longer, which is a shame.
Our next stop was the Aquarium. Keegan has a thing for fish and loved getting up close with them. We must of walked around the Aquarium at least 3 times. Every time we saw something new. Keegan also found it interesting watching the divers looking in all the holes for crayfish and shrimps. He also enjoyed the stingray and sharks swimming over top of him. The Aquarium features more than just fish (fresh water and salt water), there are Kiwi, Penguins and Lizards. Keegan preferred the Aquarium over Trainworld. We then headed up to the look-out over the port and we watched a boat getting loaded with logs. From here we headed past the rail yard where we saw 3 Dl’s, a Dsg and Dsc parked up and headed to Anderson Park for Keegan to have a look around the miniature railway and a quick play in the park. We then headed back to Ken’s for tea with him and his wife and to look at his model railway layout and models before heading to the place we were staying for the night.
Sunday morning (7th Feb) we were up and about by 9am. We headed back to Kens to pick up the trailer (now loaded with rides trolley and 2 frames to cart both my loco and trolley around). We then headed to Hawkes Bay Model Engineers Railway at Anderson Park. We were greeted by their members and after a bit of talking my loco and trolley was unloaded and ready for an afternoon running of trains. Unfortunately, my loco wouldn’t go at first and after a bit of investigation we found 3 wires broken off in the hand controller. I was lucky, one of the Hawkes Bay members lived nearby and shot home and brought his soldering iron back for me to fix the problem. As I finished getting my loco ready, Keegan got offered to have the first run of the day behind one of the club locos. The club had 2 of their trains running along with mine. I got about 4 or 5 drives of my loco, but once again it was taken over by Keegan. The loco went well and never missed a beat all day. The Anderson Park Railway is about 900m long which they say is longer than the Keirunga Park Railway. The track runs around and over a pond and features a tunnel and bridge. They have just replaced a lot of the original combined 5” and 3 ½” points and track and relay and laid this with combined 5” and 7 ¼” points and track. The old points etc is what has been put up for offer.
After we finished for the day we were invited back into the club rooms for a drink before we headed home. I commented on a big model boat they had along one wall and was then shown through a model ship collection in another room. These were built by one person, after he passed away the family were going to dump them and the club managed to save them and put them on display.
This was a great 2 days away, a big thank you to Ken for the trolley and to the Hawkes Bay Model Engineering Society for letting me run my train. This was a lot of fun and I plan to head over there again at some stage to do it all over again. Written by and photos taken by Blair Jordan.
This was a great 2 days away, a big thank you to Ken for the trolley and to the Hawkes Bay Model Engineering Society for letting me run my train. This was a lot of fun and I plan to head over there again at some stage to do it all over again. Written by and photos taken by Blair Jordan.
Wanganui Vintage Weekend 2021
23rd, 24th & 25th January 2021
SteamRail Wanganui was once again involved with this great weekend. They had our doors open to the Public on all three days. Due to there being no trains coming in over this weekend this year they also offered Motor trolley/Jigger rides on both the Sunday and Monday instead of our usual one day only. Sunday was their busiest day of the three of them and the public seemed to really enjoy themselves. They had their locos out on display again as well. I also had my 2 man motor trolley there again, along with my TR 113 loco out on display. Photos taken by Blair Jordan (including cover photo), Paul Brooks (Wanganui Midweek) and Kylie Jordan or Keegan Jordan-Johnson.
Playing Trains In The Garden
23rd January 2021
On Saturday the 23rd, Greg T, Keegan JJ and myself headed to the Allen’s place in P Nth to pick up the steel frames that they had donated to SRW. Grant Allen (Sparky) is one of my fellow Train drivers at KiwiRail. We chose this day because Sparky had mentioned that he was having the Garden Model Railway Club coming around for the afternoon to run their trains. Sparky had told me on several occasions to come round to have a look at his LGB (G scale) garden railway and it seemed the perfect time to do this while they still had it set up after the club visit. Greg is also building a garden railway, so it was great for him to get some pointers on how they have done things. Sparky had mentioned that they had built this railway for the grandkids, but it was very clear from the start that both him and his wife get a lot of enjoyment out of it too. They call it the Foxton Branch and they have modelled both the Foxton and Himatangi Station buildings. As soon as we arrived Keegan was given the controls to drive the train around the track. A big thank you to the Allen’s for letting us view their setup. Written and photos by Blair Jordan.
The Bay Of Islands Railway
20th January 2021
Lloryian and I spent a week at the end of January up the top end of the island. On one of the days we had a drive through Kawakawa and stopped to get a few photos of the Bay of Islands Railway as we went through. We also travelled on the Hokianga Ferry.