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Bay of Islands Vintage Railway | |
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Steam locomotive Gabriel pulling passenger coaches over Bridge Five | |
Locale | Kawakawa, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand |
Terminus | Taumarere |
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Commercial operations | |
Name | Opua Branch |
Built by | Kawakawa Coal Mines (Kawakawa – Taumarere) New Zealand Government Railways (Otiria – Kawakawa, Taumarere – Opua) |
Original gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (tramway) 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) (railway) |
Preserved operations | |
Owned by | Bay of Islands Vintage Railway |
Stations | Two |
Length | 11.5 kilometres (7.1 mi) (total length) |
Preserved gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
Commercial history | |
Opened | 1868 (as a tramway) |
Closed | November 1985 |
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust (BOIVRT) is a heritage railway in Kawakawa, in Northland, New Zealand. The railway operates on part of the former Opua Branch railway.
The railway was formed as the Bay of Islands Scenic Railway, a private company, in 1985 following the withdrawal of New Zealand Railways Corporation services beyond Otiria. [1] The service began with J 1211, [2] a hired J class locomotive that was brought from Wellington and is now owned by Mainline Steam. The railway proved popular with tourists, and in the summer seasons of 1985–86 and 1986–87, J 1211 was used to haul three return trains a day. The locomotive did not return for the 1987–88 season because of the Ferrymead 125 year celebrations that year and because it used two and a half tons of coal a day, compared to a Peckett locomotive using only one ton a day, which replaced the J1211. [2]
In May 1987, the directors of the Bay of Islands Scenic Railway decided to cease operations due to financial problems. [2] The group was reformed as a preservation society, the Opua-Kawakawa Railway Preservation Society Incorporated. The Taumarere Northland Railway Trust was formed around the same time. [2]
Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Limited, a joint venture between the Society and the Trust, was incorporated in 1995 with the Society owning the locomotives, rolling stock, sheds and miscellaneous equipment and the Trust owning the track and leasing the rail corridor and the Kawakawa station building from New Zealand Rail Limited (later Tranz Rail). [1] The railway continued operations until 2001 when the Land Transport Safety Authority withdrew the line's operating licence. [3]
The rail line between Opua and Lone Cow is currently part of the Twin Coast Cycle Trail [4] with gravel laid over the sleepers and rails.
There is an active campaign to restore the railway, including the rebuilding of the locomotives, refurbishment of passenger carriages, and upgrading the line to safe standards. Currently, operations cover 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) of track, including the famous stretch along Kawakawa's main street. The railway was open as far as Taumarere, having passed a safety audit on a bridge before the station, for many years and is now open as far as Lone Cow (Te Akeake). [3] The group is currently raising funds to restore bridge No. 9 on the line and repair the Whangae Tunnel, then on to Opua. [5]
The terminus in Opua is on land now owned by Far North Holdings, the trading arm of Far North District Council, and negotiations are underway for trains to return to Opua.
The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway runs throughout the year. As of May 2010, it runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and every day during school and public holidays at 10.45 am, 12 noon, 1.15 pm and 2.30 pm – the round trip takes approximately 45 minutes. Passengers may leave the train at Taumarere and catch a later train back to Kawakawa. [6]
For most of the year, ‘Gabriel the Steam Engine’ is used on Saturdays and Sundays, and ‘Fredrick the Diesel Engine’ is used on Fridays, although this varies depending on public and school holidays and availability of personnel and maintenance. On school holidays ‘Gabriel the Steam Engine’ is used on Fridays, in place of ‘Fredrick the Diesel Engine’, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, with ‘Fredrick the Diesel Engine’ being used on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. [3]
As of 2024 [update] , a former Auckland ferry boat, the Minerva is being restored to run a service between Russell and Opua, where it will link with the railway.
Class | No. | Type | Name | Built | Builder | Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steam locomotive | Gabriel | 1927 | Peckett & Sons | In Service | Has new boiler. | ||
Steam locomotive | Thomas | 1924 | Peckett & Sons | Overhaul | |||
DSA | 225 (TMS 305) | Diesel locomotive | 1953 | Drewry/Vulcan | In service | ||
DSA | 276 (TMS 822) | Diesel locomotive | Kauri | 1967 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | In service | |
TR | 163 (TMS 661) | Diesel locomotive | Timmy | 1959 | A & G Price | In service | |
FA | 9 | Diesel locomotive | Sweetie | 1897 | NZR Addington Workshops | Display | Rebuilt to diesel in 1953. |
FA | 41 | Diesel locomotive | 1893 | NZR Addington Workshops | Parts supply | Rebuilt to diesel in 1964. | |
FA | 250 | Steam locomotive | 1892 | NZR Addington Workshops | Stored dismantled | ||
Diesel locomotive | Ruby | 1973 | Baguley-Drewry | In service | |||
Diesel locomotive | Charlie | 1967 | Drewry Car Co | In service | |||
Model 5 | Diesel locomotive | Freddie | 1958 | A & G Price | Stored | Requires new engine. | |
Diesel locomotive | Esmae | 1949 | Drewry Car Co | In service | |||
Diesel locomotive | Lennie | 1955 | Drewry Car Co | Overhaul |
Railway preservation in New Zealand is the preservation of historically significant facets of New Zealand's rail transport history. The earliest recorded preservation attempt took place in 1925, although the movement itself did not start properly until 1960.
Kawakawa is a small town in the Bay of Islands area of the Northland Region of New Zealand. Kawakawa developed as a service town when coal was found there in the 1860s, but coal mining ceased in the early 20th century. The economy is now based on farming. The town is named after the kawakawa shrub.
Moerewa is a small town in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the Bay of Islands five kilometres to the west of Kawakawa.
The North Auckland Line is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, westward to Waitakere; from there, northward to Otiria via Whangārei. The first section was opened in 1868 and the line was completed in 1925. The line, or sections of it, have been known at various times as the Kaipara Line, the Waikato-Kaipara Line, the Kaipara Branch and the North Auckland Main Trunk.
The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined the North Auckland Line of the national rail network of New Zealand at Otiria. It was the most northerly line in New Zealand and was intended to run all the way to Kaitaia. It opened to Ōkaihau in 1923 and closed in 1987.
The Opua Branch or Otiria-Opua Industrial Line, partially still operational as the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, is a former section of the North Auckland Line in the Northland Region of New Zealand, between Otiria and the Bay of Islands township of Opua. The first section was constructed as a bush tramway in 1867 and converted to a railway in the next decade. Today the railway is partially used by the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, which runs tourist services between Kawakawa and Te Akeake. The line's centrepiece is the section where it runs down along the main street of Kawakawa.
The Railway Enthusiasts Society Incorporated is a New Zealand railway enthusiast society formed on 17 July 1958. RES formed the Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) in 1968, with GVR now forming a separate charitable trust.
The New Zealand DE class was a class of fifteen diesel-electric shunting locomotives, introduced by the New Zealand Railways (NZR) with an intention to replace steam locomotives on shunting duties with diesel power. The class was physically similar to the Tasmanian Government Railways X class, which was also of English Electric design.
Opua is a locality in the Bay of Islands, in the sub-tropical Northland Region of New Zealand. It is notable as the first port for overseas yachts arriving in the country after crossing the Pacific Ocean. In the original 1870s plans for the town, it was named Newport. The town of Paihia is nearby, and the small settlement of Te Haumi is in between.
Steam Incorporated, often abbreviated to Steam Inc., is a railway heritage and preservation society based at the Paekākāriki railway station, Paekākāriki at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast, approximately 50 minutes north of Wellington on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Unlike some societies who operate on preserved sections of closed branch lines, Steam Incorporated owns a depot beside one of the country's most important railway lines, the North Island Main Trunk railway, and restores heritage locomotives and rolling stock for use on excursions on the regular national rail network.
Taumarere is a locality in the Bay of Islands in Northland, New Zealand. The Kawakawa River and State Highway 11 run through Taumarere. The town of Kawakawa is 3 km to the southwest. Opua is 7 km to the north and Paihia 14 km.
Otiria is a rural locality in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It neighbours Moerewa to the east, with the nearest major town, Kawakawa a few kilometres further eastwards. Other nearby localities include Pokapu to the south, Orauta to the west, and Hupara to the north.
The Kawakawa River is in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It flows predominantly eastward to Opua, where it joins the Waikare Inlet to flow into the Veronica Channel at the southern end of the Bay of Islands.
Otiria railway station was a station on the North Auckland line in New Zealand, at its junction with the Ōkaihau and Opua Branches, at Otiria. It is now KiwiRail's most northerly station, though mothballed since 2016.
Te Akeake railway station is a station on the Opua Branch in New Zealand.
Kawakawa railway station was a station on the Opua Branch in New Zealand. and is the terminus of the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (BoIVR) in the small town of Kawakawa. It was also the terminus of the oldest railway on the North Island, opened in 1867, before being joined to the rest of the North Auckland Line in 1912.
Taumarere railway station was a station on the Opua Branch in New Zealand and is a stop on the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway near Taumarere village. It is on the oldest railway built on the North Island, which opened in 1867. Taumarere station has had three locations, east of the village, west of the village and at the rugby ground.
Moerewa railway station was a flag station at Moerewa on the Opua Branch of the North Auckland Line in New Zealand.
Pou Herenga Tai – Twin Coast Cycle Trail is one of 23 Great Rides in New Zealand. It is an 87 km (54 mi) cycleway in Northland, North Island, fully opened at the end of 2016. At the eastern end, part of the main route involves travelling on the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway (BoIVR), rather than cycling, or walking.