Canterbury Railway Society Inc

News

Preparations Well Advanced As Waipara Festival Looms

6/9/2001

Preparations are well in hand for Ferrymead railway groups' participation in the Waipara Vintage Festival on September 15th & 16.

Two locomotives and two carriages from Ferrymead were towed from Christchurch to Waipara on September 5th. They were the Canterbury Railway Society's steam locomotive WD 357 and carriages A 516 and AF 863, and the Diesel Traction Group's DE 1429.

Both locomotives have had maintenance work attended to at Ferrymead in the last two months. WD 357 has had the airbrake systems checked and maintained. Some of the springs on the loco's axles were replaced with new ones. DE 1429 has work done on the shunters steps, buffers, brake pistons, brake code test, 24 month service check, a traction motor brush replaced, refurbishment of traction motor suspension bearings and new battery box door mountings made.

The Festival timetable for this year has WD 357 running two return services each day to Waikari with W 192 (which also went to Waipara on the 5th). It is expected that the DE will be used as return motive power for trains being run by D 16 (which went up by truck and arrived on the 4th). These trains only run to the 5 km peg where there is no runaround loop and so the return locomotive will provide safe running on the return leg on the steeply graded line.

It is expected that the weekend of 8th and 9th September will see the locomotives being lit up / started and tested at the Weka Pass to ensure safe and functional operation during the Festival, and to carry out crew training. This year there will be no special trains during the week preceding the Festival as there has been insufficient interest. However in addition to the mainly steam operations on the Festival weekend there will be a double DG passenger service to Waikari on both days.

There are no plans at this time to use any locomotives or carriages on any trains at any time other than at the Festival, and it is expected that they will be returned to Christchurch on or about the 24th of September.

DE 1429 Goes To Waipara

Off To North Canterbury - Raising Engineering Standards On DE 1429

Waipara Vintage Festival timetable

Weka Pass Railway

Railways of New Zealand - Weka Pass Railway page