Big plans for rail yards

Ruapehu Bulletin, 3 August 1990, Page 3

Big plans for rail yards

Steam trains arriving at Ohakune on with carriage loads of visitors, all here for weekends to relive some of New Zealand's rail history. That's the vision of a small group of local rail enthusiasts.

The reality starts this Sunday right back at the basics with a clean up of the Ohakune Junction railway yards, instigated by the Ruapehu (Southem) Junior Council and to be carried out by Ruapehu College pupils with help from parents, teachers and anyone else who would like to turn up. The council is providing tools and plant and Area Manager Don Sattler has donated his time. Craig Greenwood has donated the use of dumper bins for carting rubbish away from the site. The Ohakune Rail Preservation Group has hardly been formed - it is yet to decide on a committee or chairholder - but already it has about 20 members, lots of ideas, and the support in principle of the council.

The Ruapehu South Business Association, which has spent hours working on studies on possible futures for the Railway Station, has also lent its support with some of its members also part of the preservation group. Spokesperson for the ORPG, Bob Norling, said as well as helping the college pupils clean up the yards, the group will be seeking support from people and taking a look at the yards to gauge what state they are in and what would need to be done to bring them back to a usable condition. Plans for the yards include keeping them in a usable state with restored railway engines and rolling stock. Negotiations are already TurnpageS

Rail plans

From page 3 underway with Steam Incorporated at Paekakariki regarding the plans, said Mr Norling. He said a possibility, in the long term, was steam train excursions from Wellington to Ohakune. Those plans would depend on being able to tuni the engine, he said. While there is an old tumtable at the yards, it has been filled in and could be too big a job to resurrect, but another possibility is a triangle-of-track system. Mr Norling said there are a number of ex-rail-way men with the necessary expertise in the area who can be called on to help such projects. Also in the plans is the retention of the

loading ramp and siding, which Mr Norling said could be put to commercial use again. He said such use could help pay for other projects. The group is also aware of a number of items of machinery and even some buildings which could be returned to the yards as part of the displays. A number of the group met with Railways representatives on Wednesday to discuss the proposals at the yards, and Railways have agreed to stall the removal of tracks and sleepers at the yards until plans, which are in their infancy, are more developed. As well as gifting the station to the council, with community groups such as the ORPG and

RSBA taking on responsibility for upgrading it, Railways have been asked to hand over the yards. Meanwhile, Mr Norling said Sunday's clean up is an all-hands-on project and called for help for the College pupils, as well as signs of support for the railway preservation ideas.