Gisborne City Vintage Railway
| Gisborne City Vintage Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale |  Gisborne, New Zealand |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Palmerston North–Gisborne Line |
| Original gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Stations | Gisborne |
| Preserved gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1942 |
| Closed | 2012 |
The Gisborne City Vintage Railway Incorporated is a railway preservation group based in Gisborne, New Zealand. Operating on part of the northern section of the mothballed Palmerston North–Gisborne Line, the group was founded in 1985.[1]
From 1986, the group began restoration of WA 165, the first locomotive built at NZR's Hillside Workshops in 1897. The locomotive was returned to steam in 2000.[1] The group then began running excursions from Gisborne.
Lease
In 2012 KiwiRail announced that it was mothballing the Napier-Gisborne section of the Palmerston North-Gisborne Line, due to the cost of repairing storm damage to the line. This put the future of Gisborne City Vintage Railway in question. In 2013 the group's president, Geoff Joyce, told the Gisborne District Council that the group was preparing a business case to take over the lease of the line from KiwiRail.[2] The plan includes leasing 34 km of track from Gisborne to Beach Loop.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Gisborne City Vintage Railway - History".
- ^ a b Marino Harker-Smith (15 May 2013). "Lifeline for rail line". Gisborne Herald.
External links
- Gisborne City Vintage Railway official web site.