Plains Vintage Railway
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The Plains Vintage Railway is a heritage railway near Ashburton, New Zealand that operates on three kilometres of trackage that was once part of the Mount Somers Branch before it closed. Public services run regularly and utilise preserved and restored locomotives and rolling stock once used on New Zealand's national railway network.
[edit] Overview
The Plains Vintage Railway came to world attention when a member of the Rogers K class, K 88, was recovered in 1974 from the Oreti River in Southland and restored to a fully operational condition on the Plains Vintage Railway's line in 1981. This set a pattern other railway enthusiasts have followed, recovering a number of locomotives of various classes from where they were dumped, including two other members of the Rogers K class. One of them, K 94, is also owned by the Plains Vintage Railway, presently in an unrestored condition, and when used as a comparison, it vividly illustrates the condition in which K 88 was found and the work required to bring the locomotive to running condition. K 88 received a second overhaul beginning in the late 1990's. It was completed in April of 2002. The second restoration saw her receive a brand new boiler.
The museum's rail rolling stock contains several historically important items. These are 'K' 88 - which hauled the first inter city express in New Zealand between Christchurch and Dunedin; 'Ja' 1260 which was the last steam engine to be used on a time-tabled service in New Zealand; and Vulcan Railcar RM 50 which holds the official New Zealand Railways speed record of 78mph.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Plains Railway Website
[edit] External links
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