Insulated box wagon W849 again heads the review of restoration at the Ocean Beach Railway. The balance of the T&G cladding repairs have been undertaken; with the exception of one door and a couple of tatty boards on one end. Around 20 boards have been replaced and numerous others have had extensive repair work done. Nigel Hogg recently undertook some tightening and straightening work on the steel components and Shaun has been busy with a wire buff removing old paint and rust from the brackets. Graham has completed heat-gunning the old exterior paint. Most of the body has now been filled where necessary, sanded and primed, vastly improving its appearance.

Work on restoring carriage A210 is progressing nicely with the area on one side of the second class saloon now fully refurbished, the timber being in surprisingly good condition.

Steam Locomotive A67 is on loan to Oamaru Steam and Rail and seems to be attracting good patronage, no doubt pleasing their treasurer.

The trolley shed has received a new plywood floor. The timber pallet floor had initially worked well but the point loadings placed on the individual slats were a bit excessive so donated plywood was laid over the slats to avoid breakages and make it easier to move the trolleys in and out of the shed.

Steam locomotive F111 has descended from its timber crib and is now more or less reunited with its wheels. The springs are in the process of being refitted.

Cattle Wagon T175 has returned from its visit to Middlemarch, looking rather grubby on the underside and facing the other way around. It seems there is no payment for its contribution to the event despite a vast amount of work being invested in the vehicle over the years.

The film archive project is still proceeding very well with recently digitized images including F111 operating, filmed from the air, some very elderly stock on the Paris Metro, the Kingston Flyer train on the Wairio Branch, Catlins River and Dunback Branches and even a portion of the Outram Branch. Contributions of film and video are still being sought but time is running out on this rare opportunity to have films transferred for free.

The Every Educare charter ran well and was enjoyed by a large number of pupils and their families.

In a somewhat unexpected move, the pit has been steam cleaned and painted, the historic grime giving way to an almost luminous finish.

Our Rail Safety Auditor made his annual visit recently. Changes to the format required for rail audits meant he came armed with more questions than usual. Fortunately we were equally well armed with answers and everything went well. We are indeed indebted to Mr Bill Guest for his skill, professionalism and friendly approachable manner. We've also hosted two representatives from Land Transport New Zealand. Both gentlemen were friendly, informative and seemed to be very happy with our work. They also gave us useful information on their department and processes and objectives for the future.

Some rail unfit for our use has been sold for use in two very different projects. The first is the repair of a Boat Ramp in the Boat Harbour. The second project is Waverly's first ever rail siding. It is located beside a new dwelling in one of the city's premier new housing developments. The owner felt that having a rail siding in a state of disrepair was an essential landscaping element, and after some interesting discussions, construction is well under way.