NAPIER-GISBORNE RAILWAY

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 262, 4 August 1942, Page 2

NAPIER-GISBORNE RAILWAY

First Trains Go Through (By Telegraph—Press Association.) GISBORNE, August 3. Though regular running of goods trains ou the Napier-Gisborne railway was not scheduled to start till tonight, the accumulation of trafhc at either end necessitated a curtain-raiser in the shape ot three special trains during the weekend. , , . . , The first through goods train arrived at Gisborne early ou Saturday evening, followed in the early hours of yesterday morning by a second. Both were drawn bv large engines from the Main Trunk line. Last evening the first south-bound train, comprising more than 40 trucks and drawn by two engines, left Gisborne. Though virtually unannounced, the arrival of the first train on Saturday evening and the departure of last evening’s train were witnessed by large numbers of the public, who saw in the events the fulfilment of the dreams of more than a quarter of a century. The lack of an official ceremony did not deter the crowds fjom displaying enthusiasm, and the train crews entered into the spirit of the occasion by a liberal use of the whistle, giving citizens the first real indication of a new activity which is to become a regular part of the life of the district.