We've enjoyed a mild May and particularly cold June which has meant that the excellent passenger loadings and restoration progress has come to a shivering slowdown, as few brave the cold wet weather of recent weeks.

The old bolts and packer on the No 1 end bolster of the Carvan have been replaced, finally resolving the un-nerving noise occasionally heard from underneath the guards compartment.

Further work was done on the carriage shed track refurbishment with more work planned.

The replacement of the broken windows on the DSA is now complete, this work suffered a setback when the wrong type of glass was supplied and broke again shortly after installation, meaning that an already tedious task had to be repeated. However the correct glass was supplied at no cost. this locomotive has also had a brake survey and a few other items of minor maintenance attended to, meaning it is able to resume hauling passenger trains as required.

The final visit from the security technicians has been made, meaning that we are in a position to commence professional monitoring of the system so that an immediate response is available if something untoward happens while the railway is unattended.

As alluded to in the previous newsletter, the Kerr Stuart made a low key return to service on the 4th of June. The locomotive has had a full 10 year boiler survey, a loose wheel rectified, tyres turned, extensive work re-aligning the wheelsets and the reassembly of dozens of components. There are still some minor jobs to be done on the locomotive such as touching up paint chips and building a new ashpan, but the locomotive looks and runs spectacularly and has been done under budget. A special thanks is due to Murray Hogg and his helpers, and to the funders who have supported the project. A low-key event is planned for members and funders on the 29th of July so that everyone can experience the locomotive in action, with a more formal public roll-out planned for the warmer months.

Yet more unusually shaped pieces of timber have been cut, sanded and primed for the T wagon, these being the packers for the drop door, floor bearers and centre partition. Chris Reilly has removed stubborn bolts on the old floor bearers, floor and drop doors. The final door has had its steel components dismantled ready for repair, de-rusting and painting. Numerous small components such as handles, door casters, dummy bracket and handbrake assembly have been refitted to the body of the wagon while underneath the refurbished brake gear is largely in place.

Following the receipt of grant money, a cautious re-commencement has been made on restoring carriage A210. Initially work will focus on repairing and resecuring the exterior paneling.

The "Dog Box" station that was recovered from the former NZR Car and Wagon Depot and which has been perched on the Ea wagon for some time has had some remedial work done on it. The front wall has been partially re-framed to resolve the severe borer and rot problems and a number of new weather boards have been fitted, all using donated materials. As time and scavenging allows, the balance of the building will be similarly overhauled before we place the building on the ground ready to start its new life.