Heading down to the hydrothermal delights of Rotorua, called in at the Bush Tramway Club at Pukemiro Junction near Huntly.
This was probably the neatest preservation site I have ever visited and although no one was in attendance, it was open for the casual visitor to walk around, although obviously most of the equipment was locked away in sheds.
This is the unusual New Zealand combination of Climax and Heisler, built by A&G Price in 1923.
I can only describe Rotorua as one of the natural wonders of the world. This is one of the lakes in the Waimangu Valley, which dates from the explosion of Mt Tarawera in 1886.
Hi John
ReplyDeleteMy brother drives one of the steam trains at Pukemiro and I think the diesel loco in your pick belongs to him. He calls it his bach. He is slowly doing it up and hopefully will get it back into a functional state
Wow, this is amazing. My sister and I used to play around this station often, back in the early 1960's.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather drove a small steam loco and did the shunting there at Pukemiro Junction.
We used to come out and stay with them often, during the weekends. There was a regular passenger service from Huntly then.
There were four or so houses along the top of the hill on the right in the picture, where they lived.
I do not recall the dual level platform back then (that was 45 plus years ago though). I do remember being fascinated by the massive steam trains as they came through the station and seeing, either one of the crew or the guard, lean out and place the tablet on a hook as it passed through (the 'tablet' was how they avoided collisions on a single track line, only a train carrying it could enter the line. It was attached to a bamboo loop which could be picked up or dropped off as a moving loco went through the station).
Thank you very much John.
Jeff McKewen.