H&MGR, a family railway in NZ

[JRinTawa]

Hi James, great to see your name popping up again to

Tuesday was a big day on the H&MGR with a visitor from England, Richard Donovan spending several hours running trains with me. It was a good reason to dress the railway up and run trains - oh hang on I don't need an excuse to run a train

Richard brought with him his new scratch built Giant's Causeway Tramway tram engine, here raising steam alongside Manawanui.

It's a meths fired vertical boiler loco using gear drive from a single cylinder with slip eccentric motion.

It ran beautifully.

Running light loco first while Richard learnt the road. The Dubs A had been running while I showed off the railway and we had a brew.

 

[JRinTawa]

The with a borrowed train of Binnie Skips a hours steaming proceeded.

Joined later by Manawanui as we had great fun with two steamies in action. Sorry to busy driving and concentrating on "operation" to take photos then.

Up at Punga Cliffs the Climax and Simplex posed to fill the scene. Shame I didn't notice the wheel off on the Climax spoiling the photo.

The Simplex was helping with positioning log bogies for loading.

Sawmill viewed from the north end of the railway.

And from the playhouse deck.

 

[JRinTawa]

Yesterday it was Otto's turn again.

Passing through Kakariki

I was running Otto to check a minor bit of trackwork to take out a slight peaking the had occured just before this turnout and had caused Otto to deraila couple of time the last time it ran. Hmm was it caused by heat expansion

 

[JRinTawa]

Today, Thursday, Old Years End, it was the LGB field railway O&K loco to test out the look of the pond that was filled today. The pond and bridge are a work in progress, but they did pass the smile test today

Another view

Hehe third view at the pond.

It do go eslewhere on the railway.

Forecast has one more sunny day in it, fingers crossed there might be even more

 

[trammayo]

Great photos of a great line. I have a long standing penchant for Tram Engines so it was nice to see them too!

 

[Gavin Sowry]

Digging through my archives, I came across this old shot of the Kakariki Sawmaill.

 

[Chris Vernell]

Thank you, NZ persons, for making the "deep and crisp and even" more bearable. You give us hope

 

[JRinTawa]

Thanks all and thanks for the "archive" photo Gav

2nd of January as I type this and the run of sunny blue skys has come to an end as nature is giving the garden then good watering it desperately needed - bother

But I do have photos from New Years day's running. It was IP Engineering Day! Hannah's Daisy railcar at right, my Simplex centre and Michelle's Mandie railcar at right.

Across the work in progress bridge

Simplex at rest. We did at times have all three running which was fun managing them through the Y and reverse loop.

Fingers crossed there might be enough gap in the weather to run a train today and keep the roll going.

 

[JRinTawa]

Well the sun changed to rain for a few days but yesterday trains were back in action.
Kaitaki trying out the pond.

On the embankment between bridges....

....and again.

 

[JRinTawa]

Steaming up grade, after coming under Junction Bridge off the new Y heading up to the original level crossing and cattle stops.

A bit more uphill....

....and almost to the cattle stop.

to drift off into the bush (maybe)

It was another cracker day today but dinner out with neighbours over ruled trains the home made pizzas were rather good though

 

[stockers]

Magic.

 

[duncan1_9_8_4]

I love that level crossing, every time I see it

 

[owlpool]

It's a cracker.

 

[AustrianNG]

Yes indeed, the level crossing shot is a belter.

 

[JRinTawa]

Right catch up time again, though haven't been away for a week or so firstly there was a general clean up to do. Ballast has been topped up and this weekend the road through the railway was tidied up (happens about every two years) by removing the ground cover that had invaded, then redressed the roads with a mix of crushed lime and sand.

Some of the rather roughly removed ground cover has been plonked on the face of the embankment below the Bridge Ganger's Hut. Much of it will die off but some will take and in time it will, I hope, cover the embankment.

The sides of the Puddle Pond now have a cover of grass mat, glued to the concrete pond surrounds.

The bridge remains a work in progress ;-)

 

[JRinTawa]

Back to the roading work...

...the road and level crossing under Junction bridge is now properly formed.

Another cattle stop was made and installed.

As Hannah and Michelle agreed, with the roads dressed up it now makes sense and passes the smile test

And they are the railway's directors after all

 

[trammayo]

Those sylvan glades are a delight to view - the sun being a distant memory here!

 

[JRinTawa]

Junction Bridge has it's fluffy moss and lichen scraped off so it really isn't fluffy bridge anymore

And some more piccies of Manawanui enjoying Sunday evening.

and

Or

 

[stockers]

I liked fluffy bridge - but I suppose it makes sense. Creosote time.

 

[JRinTawa]

I liked fluffy bridge - but I suppose it makes sense. Creosote time.

Don't worry Alan it was a scrape down and light wire brush only, I suspect a bit of growth will return in not to many months, I kind of like the mossy look too, but it was starting to get just a bit too fluffy