In this issue:

Upcoming events | The Chair's Inclinations... | Summit Tree Planting | A trip on H 201 | Outdoor Expo and Race Weekend | Connection to heritage route at Maymorn | Contacts

Ab 832 ready for departure at Kaitoke with a Wairarapa-bound passenger train. A south-bound Wairarapa railcar can be seen on the loop in the distance, having just cleared the section from Kaitoke to Summit. The twin rectangular 4000-gallon water vats were a distinctive feature at the north end of the Kaitoke station. Photo: Nelson Stockbridge

The Chair’s Inclinations: The Year in Review

2004 has been a busy year for the Trust, as it continues to explore, define and plan the Rimutaka Incline Railway.

Membership

Membership of the Trust has been available for just over a year (since 17 December 2003), and now stands at 40 members. Membership has grown steadily throughout the year.

FRONZ Conference

Four Trustees attended the Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand Annual Conference in Auckland held over Queens Birthday weekend. Two attended as delegates for the Trust, and one in the capacity of member of the executive. The Conference was a good opportunity to meet with representatives from kindred organisations from all over New Zealand. Most rail organisations face similar issues and challenges to the Rimutaka Incline Railway, so there is much to be gained from sharing experiences.

Events

The Trust had displays at a number of events during the year, including:

• Upper Hutt Community Expo
• RailEx 2004
• Upper Hutt Outdoor Expo and Race Weekend

The Trust displayed photos, diagrams and information relating to the old railway route and operation, along with its plans to reinstate the railway as a tourist attraction. A scale model of the proposed Maymorn station and facilities was displayed at the Upper Hutt Community Expo. A short length of track complete with Fell centre rail was prepared for RailEx, and subsequently displayed at the Outdoor Expo and Race Weekend in Upper Hutt. This was well received at both events.

Presentations

A number if presentations were given during the year to interested community groups in Upper Hutt, including:

• Forest and Bird
• Lions Club of Rimutaka
• Rotary Upper Hutt
• Probus Heretaunga.

There is significant interest in the Trust's objectives to reinstate the railway. Many of those attending the presentations had travelled over the Rimutakas, either by foot, cycle or vehicle, or by train - a number having travelled on the last trains of October 1955.

Walks

The Trust organised a number of informal walks during the year, exploring various parts of the railway formation between Upper Hutt and Featherston. Underpinning the Trust’s prediction of popularity of future rail operations over the route, the walks that included train travel for part of their length proved to be better attended than those that did not. The 1st August trip that used the morning Wairarapa service as far as Maymorn was well attended, and gave a glimpse of proposed future operations out of Upper Hutt via NZRC track.

The 5th December walk in to Cross Creek was rained out, but those that attended gained an interesting insight into remnants of the railway formation between Speedies Crossing and Pidgeon Bush. Whilst much of the formation has blended into farmland there are a number of bridge abutments and piers that can be easily seen from the road. On our return to Featherston we made contact with a South Wairarapa District Councillor and also dropped into the Fell Engine Museum.

Project planning

The Business Plan for 2004-2008 was completed in October, the product of months of concerted effort by members of the Trust Board. It explores most aspects of the project, outlining how it will be developed as an authentic cultural heritage tourist attraction, with links between Wellington, Upper Hutt, Featherston and Martinborough. The plan was submitted to the Greater Wellington Regional Council in October in response to the release of the Draft Forest Lands Management Plan: Future Water Catchments; and has been submitted to other stakeholders since then.

Four priority areas have been identified for action, being:

1. Maymorn station, construction site and future operations base
2. Maymorn - heritage route connection
3. Walkway between Maymorn and Cross Creek
4. Access to railway formation in Greater Wellington Regional Council ownership.

In addition, a significant amount of work has been put into the development of a Rail Safety Case and Safety System, to meet current and anticipated legislative and regulatory requirements for the safe operation of the railway.

Web site

The website has been developed and updated throughout the year, the project pages most recently receiving attention. An average of 240 unique visitors per month have visited the site during the year, and is regularly searched, linked to and indexed by search engines.

Thanks

May I express thanks on behalf of the Board to those who have assisted the Trust during the year, including support expressed by membership or donation, also by way of kind, ranging from attendance of displays at events through to professional services. Your support is greatly appreciated.

In closing may I also take the opportunity to wish you, friends and family a safe and merry Christmas, and look forward to further progress in the New Year. To welcome the New Year we are holding a barbeque at Jean and Glenn Fitzgerald's residence at Maymorn on Sunday 2nd January 2005 at 2pm. Hope to see you there.

Regards
Hugh McCracken

Summit Tree Planting

The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust was granted permission by Greater Wellington, the Regional Council to plant native trees at Summit on Sunday 7th November 2004. The trees had been sourced from the Upper Hutt branch of Forest and Bird, and is the first of many efforts the Trust wishes to facilitate to contribute to the reinstatement of the natural environment at Summit (and the route in general).

Selection of plot

Regional Council Forest Ranger Dean Hearfield escorted members of both groups in to Summit from the Rimutaka Hill Road (State Highway 2) via forestry roads. A large area of land downhill of the former railway yard has been set aside at Summit for revegetation following the last harvest of Pinus radiata in 2002. The Council has been landscaping and replanting the area following a development plan, part of which is included below.

Species planted included the following:

• Totara
• Rimu
• Kanuka
• Toitoi

Over one hundred seedlings were planted in a relatively sheltered plot below the original railway embankment that was used from 1878 - c.1903.

Late in planting season

November is a little late in the planting season, but thankfully the planting plot was reasonably damp under foot - which ought to provide some relief to the transplanted seedlings in the Summer months. Seedlings previously planted at Summit have been treated to a layer of bark mulch to maintain soil moisture.

Its not all hard work!

7th November turned out to be one of the most pleasant days Summit could provide for the volunteers, with hardly a breath of wind, and few clouds.

Over lunch discussions centred on the former railway days at Summit, aided by a folder of heritage photographs, and of the future - the possibility of steam-hauled heritage train services arriving from Kaitoke, Upper Hutt, and Wellington to a destination featuring a reinstated environment as well as a reinstated railway station precinct.

A trip on H 201 - Mike Beckett, Martinborough

Prior to the opening of the Rimutaka Tunnel passenger travel between Wairarapa and Wellington was by railcar over the Incline. The little Fell engine's work was confined to hauling freight trains. The time taken to insert the engines into a train at Cross Creek and then extricate them at the Summit made regular passenger trains impractical. Special trains were run on occasions when the railcars could not cope with the demand-Tauherenikau Races, Carterton Show, public holidays etc.

Most people's experience of the Fell engines was seeing them steaming away in a siding as their railcar passed through Cross Creek. I had been fortunate enough to experience train travel over the Incline during school holidays. Time taken four hours a bit slow for forty miles (Featherston to Wellington total time).

With the construction of the tunnel almost completed I realised that very soon the famous Fell engines would soon be a thing of the past. A trip up the Incline in one certainly appealed. Happily I knew one of the drivers, Norm Carey, very well. Norm was quite a character and had a bit of a "Stacey Jones" reputation among the railway fraternity.

I asked Norm if there was any chance of a ride and he replied readily that indeed this would be no trouble at all. "Be at the Creek at 7.30" and adding with a grin which in hindsight I understood "Oh - and don't wear clothes you are particularly fond of". I happily took up the offer and arranged a firm date.

Freight trains did not use the Incline during the day leaving it to railcars and maintenance crews. Freight arriving at Cross Creek during the day was marshalled into trains of the maximum size the Fell engines could handle. The engine crews worked all night hauling these loads to the summit, making up to four trips each night.

I arrived at the Creek at the arranged time. It was a late autumn evening, damp and misty. Steam poured from various points on the engines in the waiting train and from couplings between the wagons. The steam rose to mingle with the mist highlighted by the glimmery yard lights creating a strange almost surreal atmosphere.

Drivers were busy giving the moving parts on the engines squirts of oil from cans with incredibly long spouts. I found Norm at the second engine, number H 201. He said that they were just waiting for the down railcar to clear the Incline and then we would be away.

At this stage it should be pointed out that the working engines certainly were not in the pristine condition of the restored 199 at the Featherston Fell Museum. They had a dull sooty look, touch them and you would be rewarded with a black smudge. No shiny brass work, this too was covered with a film of grime. The cab did bear a green colouration but a rather dingy one.

The other difference was the ton and a half of coal to be burned on the five kilometre trip up the hill. Most of this was piled on the floor of the cab directly in front of the fire door - not in the coal hopper as depicted at the museum. Norm and the fireman stood on either side of the pile and Norm indicated where I was to travel - perched on top of the coal with the fireman digging it out from under me!

The railcar eventually arrived - it was time to go. A shrill whistle was answered by the other three spread along the train signalling their readiness. On the final blast Norm pulled the lever to feed steam to the outside driving wheel's pistons.

Commencing with long, loud hisses, which gradually gave way to staunch huffs and chuffs we got under way. Slowly at first, but gradually quickening, our journey began, we were on our way to the top. Clearly a good start was helpful and the drivers made the most of the short flat run through the station yard. By the time we reached the incline we seemed, to me, to be rocking along at a very fair pace. But that was about to change.

Immediately we were over the centre rail Norm activated the second set of driving wheels by pulling across the second, identical, steam control lever. He soon had the stubby little forty-ton loco working to his satisfaction.

Each driver usually stuck to the same loco getting to know its idiosyncrasies and how to get the best performance from it. Indeed as a passenger feeling it tugging at its sixty-five ton share of the load it was easy to think of the loco as a living thing.

As the regular and horizontal driving wheels were of different diameter the two sets of pistons were never chaffing in unison. It was certainly obvious that there were two separate engines working within the one body. The resulting noise was quite incredible. Any communication had to be shouted and so was kept to the absolutely necessary.

On the many curves of the track I looked back to see the exhaust from the following locomotives shooting up into the black night like gigantic fireworks. The sight was awe inspiring, an English train buff had described it as "well worth coming twenty thousand miles to see".

We had settled down to a steady, if irregular, tugging rocking motion as the little loco went about its work. The fireman worked continuously, shovelling the coal from under me with a short handled shovel and flinging it expertly through the tiny firebox door. The producing steam for two sets of pistons was clearly a Herculean task, my perch lowered rapidly.

Suddenly the steady beats changed to a frenetic chuffing accompanied by a violent rocking as the outside wheels lost traction and began skidding madly. With a loud oath Norm swung the regulator to shut off the steam supply. He gradually reapplied the power until the regular beat of the piston returned. "It's a bastard when that happens in a tunnel" he shouted. The significance of this statement did not dawn on me until later.

We rocked and snorted along for about twenty minutes and I had settled to enjoying the ride when there was a short whistle blast from the lead locomotive. Norm produced a damp towel from somewhere and shouted "Here wrap this around your face and get down as low as you can".

Totally perplexed by the sudden turn of events I did as bidden - it was clearly not the time or place for a question and answer session. Very shortly we entered the first tunnel. The fiery exhaust which had previously shot so spectacularly metres into the air was now hitting the tunnel roof just above the funnel and raining down onto the locomotive.

In no time the cab was full of choking sulphurous smoke and the temperature was rocketing up. Soon any exposed skin began to sting - it was becoming distinctly unpleasant. Suddenly there was a rush of beautiful cold air. We were out of the tunnel and the engine's doors had been flung open, oh bliss! "The next bugger's worse" shouted Norm. I began to worry, as well I might - he wasn't kidding.

Too soon the dreaded whistled signal from the lead loco. I wrapped the towel around my head again and crouched back down on the coal pile - at least it was getting lower, I thought, I could get down lower this time.

Soon the familiar rush of air pressure as we entered the tunnel. Once again the sulphur and quick build up of temperature. This time however it continued - hotter and hotter it became. Now even covered skin began to sting. Hotter and hotter still, breathing became like swallowing fire. "Hold your breath" I thought, but soon another was necessary. But each new breath seared the lungs - scared to breathe, scared not too. Panic must have been very close. "Control yourself, this will soon end!" But hotter and hotter it became. I felt dizzy and reached out for support - even the loco's walls were hot. Now I know what hell is like. Panic was near, this couldn't continue.

Suddenly I felt my clothing being grabbed, I was being pulled across the cab, the towel was whipped from my face and my head shoved out the opened door as we exited the tunnel. A cool damp hit my face and I sucked in a huge lungful of the moist mist, balm for the lungs. Just in time! Thanks Norm. Forty years later I can still clearly recall that searing heat and the sulphurous taste.

The relief was suddenly tempered by my knowledge that the third tunnel was by far the longest I surely couldn't survive more than I had just experienced. As though reading my thoughts Norm turned and shouted "The last one's not so bad". And so it turned out to be.

A short distance into the last tunnel a bell rang out - activated by the train's wheels. The top. Norm cut back the steam supply and we coasted through this longish tunnel in relative comfort. A rush of fresh air greeted us as we slid out of the confinement onto the flat area covered by the Summit yards.

The Summit was a God forsaken place - usually raining and seemingly always blowing. A cluster of houses sheltered under the lea of the hill rising directly from the right of the track. A raised signal box stood on the other side of the tracks. The top of this signal box, incidentally, was later removed to Featherston where it now serves as the Signal Box Dairy. If you ever wondered how that dairy became so named wonder no longer. "It takes a while to get these locos out of the train and stuck on front of the down one" remarked Norm "Your best bet would be to watch from up in the signal box."

So over to the signal box I went and clambered up the steps. The signalman barely acknowledged me, continued to tug the tall levers, which changed the semaphore signals, and then left the building. He then appeared in the yard throwing points and uncoupling wagons as the locomotives were extricated from the train. I was surprised to see that the man had been enjoying a beer or two while waiting for our train to arrive, and rather suspected that this was probably covered in regulations.

When I could see that the train was ready to depart I returned to Norm's loco. He suggested that I may like to travel down in a brake van to see how it worked. A good idea so I hopped back down and walked back to the next brake van. The operator was very friendly and explained the simple principal of his equipment.

For descending the engines were all put together at the front, they were fitted with air pressure brakes, which gripped the centre rail with a pincer movement In addition brake vans were placed through the train. Their brakes worked on the centre rail in a similar fashion to those on the locomotive except they were wound on by hand.

The brake pads were made of iron, which quickly became white-hot and steadily wore away in a spectacular shower of sparks. The brakeman in each van worked a large geared winding wheel, which compensated for the wear and kept the brakes firmly pressed onto the centre rail. Each day the maintenance crew renewed all the brake pads.

The train slithered down the bill at no greater pace than the one which had ascended. All were clearly mindful of the dangers of a runaway train. Not that provision had not been made for such an occurrence. At the foot of the incline was an "escape line". The theory being that the lead driver of an out of control train had a specific whistle signal. On hearing this, the stationmaster at the Creek would divert the train onto this line, which bypassed the station and ran up into one of the surrounding hills, the upward grade causing the train to eventually stop. Happily in all the years the incline operated there was never a need to use this. It could be noted that there were unconfirmed tales of the escape being used, as indeed there were unconfirmed tales of many other aspects of the Incline's operation.

The downward trip was certainly less eventful, I thanked the brakeman and made my way back to Norm to thank him for what had been indeed the trip of a lifetime. "We'll be going up again fairly soon, hang about and come up again" was his reply. I'm sure he was not surprised when I declined the offer.

How these men could make up to four trips a night amazed me, and most of the crews had been on this stretch of line for years.

Norm was right about the clothes they were impregnated with carbon well beyond the power of any washing powder. I ran a bath and peeled off, the bath water quickly resembled ink and the bath as though it had been used as a coal bin. Another cleanup job.

Worst of all was the sulphurous taste which refused to budge. Fried onions, strong peppermints, black coffee and even whiskey failed to remove this. Only time did, and then slowly.

In retrospect this line must have been hugely subsidised. The average train required a crew of thirteen plus track maintenance gangs and a team of fitters who spent each day readying the locomotives and brake vans for the next night's action.

Mike Beckett, Martinborough.

Connection to heritage route at Maymorn: Option C

We continue the series of route investigations into possible connection of the government mainline at Maymorn to the heritage route above the Rimutaka Tunnel. In plan view the two routes pass within a hundred metres of each other, the vertical separation is in the order of 40 metres. At the ruling route gradient of 1 in 40, a new line with a length of 1.6km is required.

Maymorn Connection Route C Geometry

Point	Description	Gradient	Length (m)	Running Length (m)	Height gained (m)	Running Height (m)
O	Maymorn Road underpass		0	0	0	130.7
A	18 degrees of 535m curvature	1 in 40	168.1	168.1	4.2	134.9
B	35 degrees of 217m curvature	1 in 40	132.6	300.6	3.3	138.2
C	85m tangent	1 in 40	85.0	385.6	2.1	140.3
D	351 degrees of 100m curvature	1 in 40	612.6	998.2	15.3	155.7
E	22 degrees of 150m curvature	1 in 89	57.6	1055.8	0.6	156.3
F	235m tangent	1 in 89	235.0	1290.8	2.6	158.9
G	270 degrees of 100m curvature	1 in 89	471.2	1762.1	5.3	164.2

Maymorn connection Option (C) - Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust.

Option C

Option C explores an ambitious route, using two spirals to gain required height to the heritage formation to the south-east of Maymorn station. On leaving the station the route would curve to the right through a compound curve initially of 535m radius, sharpening to 217m. The route would enter a tunnel before curving again to the right on a 100m radius curve, exiting and continuing the same curve, passing through a total of 373 degrees. This completes the first spiral, which utilises a low ridge that overlooks Maymorn station.

A second spiral would be required to gain the remaining height to the heritage formation. A second tunnel would pierce the railway embankment, before passing through a 270 degree, 100m radius curve to gain formation height at point 'G'. Much of this curve would be in a deep cutting.

As could be imagined, this route would involve major earthworks, including two tunnels, a tall embankment and deep cutting. One major advantage would be that the potential impact of the railway connection would be restricted to two properties.

Option C is not being explored any further at this stage.

Contacts

Full contact details may be had on the Trust's website at www.rimutaka-incline-railway.org.nz/contacts.html