The railways annual “Thomas the Tank Engine” weekend was successful with the trains well patronised and operating smoothly. The former Katiki Station received a tidy up before hand and was used as the venue for Story Telling and sales activities. The society is in discussion with the convenor for the proposed Dunedin Rail Heritage Centre about possible involvement in this project.
Mr Jon Medlin was appointed Operations Manager by the Committee to allow a better spread of resources. Development of the railways “Safety Case” under the Railways Act 2005 is advancing well.
Work has re-commenced on the refurbishment of the Plasser MTM-401 Tamper with some re-assembly taking place on the lifting gear, and replacement steel being milled and tapped for use on the tamping heads.
The trolley shed frames have been bolted together and clad with second hand iron. The doors are also under construction.
Work has continued on overhauling the interior of box wagon K610 with many of the traces of borer, rot and dents giving way to smooth freshly painted surfaces.
The refurbished springs for F111 and T175 have been returned and look really good. T175's bogies have been dismantled in preparation for them being blasted and painted at Hillside Workshops. Being a cattle wagon, the components are particularly dirty and difficult to separate.
The Tr is undergoing a brake survey. Several leaks have been identified, as has an electrical fault.
Passenger loadings have remained excellent and the decision has been made to operate on every Sunday until Queens Birthday, then on the last Sunday of the month until Labour Weekend when more frequent operation recommences.
The Ocean Beach Railway and ASCO (a Community support organisation) combined forces to operate an event titled “Off the Rails”. In the gathering gloom of the evening, the city’s rich and famous arrived at the railway, being greeted by the General Manager and boarding the train. Once aboard, they quickly found the bar that had appeared in one of the carriages. After a couple of trips over our line, the guests visited the carriage shed. To say the least, it was unusual to see ladies in long dresses and high-heeled shoes exploring the many delights of the shed with a glass of wine in hand, but somehow the combination worked. Then it was back to the train for dinner. With a bit of slight of hand, it appeared that elaborate 3 course dinners were being produced in the guard’s compartment. The train presented a timeless scene, steam locomotive simmering, carriages illuminated and well dressed guests at each window wining and dining. After dessert, the train was once again under way, the passengers making use of the on-board DJ and dance floor. Shortly after A67 was replaced by DS203, the train was ambushed by Mexicans. After terrorising the passengers with cap guns and bad singing, ASCO’s leader was abducted and dragged screaming from the train. Following payment of the ransom, everyone was reunited and the evening wound down. The charter was filmed and will be produced as a DVD and a booking for a repeat event later in the year has been secured.