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Photos of Unusual and Unique Rolling StockIn addition to a wonderful collection of locomotives and other typical railway carriages and wagons, the Ferrymead Railway holds some very unusual and unique pieces of rolling stock. Red Terror - Overhead Line
Inspection Vehicle Pw 1 This vehicle began life in 1933 when then General Manager, G H Mackley, had a Leyland Cub converted to run on the railways as an inspection car. It was nicknamed "The Red Terror". In 1941 it was converted for use as an overhead line inspection vehicle at Otira where it remained until 1996. With the end of electrification between Arthur's Pass and Otira, the vehicle is now part of the South Island's only electrified railway at Ferrymead and is presently stored. For full history click here Overhead Line Inspection Vehicle Pw2
This was built in the 1930s to replace the E1 battery electric locomotive supplied by English Electric with the EOs in 1922. It is powered by a petrol engine and was in use at Otira for many years, becoming redundant when the electrification was discontinued in 1997. It was then transferred to Ferrymead where the engine has been overhauled and some minor repairs and painting carried out to the bodywork. Commonly known as the "piecart", it is now being used on the overhead extension toward Ferrymead Station.
British Railway Engineer John Barrowclough Fell's centre-rail system for increased traction on steeply graded railway lines was used in three places around the world for locomotive traction, including two in New Zealandm and in many more for braking purposes. In the South Island of New Zealand, centre rails were laid on the Roa and Rewanui Inclines on the West Coast near Greymouth for braking coal trains down these steeply graded lines (each around 1 in 25). The Roa Incline closed in 1960 due to falling coal orders, while the Rewanui Incline was converted to air-only braking with removal of the centre rail in 1966. Van F 624 was built for service in the South Island and finished its work with New Zealand Railways on the Rewanui Incline. The van is fitted with special horizontal brake shoes which are forced onto each side of the raised centre rail by large handwheels. In normal service the centre-rail brakeblocks wore rapidly and had to be changed often. The need for the centre rail diminished when air braking became commonplace on the coal lines and the van was no longer required for this work. Fell's system was used for locomotive tractionon the famous Rimutaka Incline in the central North Island. A Fell locomotive and brake van from the Rimutaka Incline are on display at the Fell Engine Museum in Featherston..
Vice Regal car A 1825 arrived at Ferrymead in October 1999. It was used by New Zealand Railways as a Research Test Car and it is now undergoing restoration to return it to the condition that it was in when used for the 1953-54 Royal Tour of New Zealand.
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