| Rimutaka Incline Railway | |
| Originalopen: | 16 October 1878 |
| Closed: | 30 October 1955 |
The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is a non-profit, charitable trust in New Zealand that was established in 2003 with the objective of reinstating an operating heritage railway over the Remutaka Ranges using the original route of the Wairarapa Line between Maymorn and Featherston, including the world-famous Rimutaka Incline.
The trust was formed by a steering committee that had earlier been established to investigate the proposal, and was composed mainly of members from existing rail heritage organisations.
It was established with the goal of realising the following objectives:[1]
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| Official recognition of Historic Places Trust registration of the railway formation between Kaitoke and Cross Creek and Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand awards for restoration of two bridges on the route. | ||
| Rimutaka Incline Railway Steering Committee formed at the behest of the Wellington Regional Council Landcare Committee to investigate how a tourist heritage railway might operate on the historic railway formation. | ||
| Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust formed. | ||
| Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust incorporated as a charitable trust. | ||
| First trust meeting held. | ||
| Economic feasibility report from BERL (Business and Economic Research Ltd.) released. | ||
| Trust begins accepting memberships for new members. | ||
| 20-year License to Occupy for the Maymorn station precinct secured from Ontrack. | ||
| "Turning of the first sod" ceremony held at Maymorn to mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of the line. | ||
– | Six carriages, donated to the trust, relocated to the Maymorn yard. | |
| Three guards van modules donated to the trust. | ||
| Hutt-Mana Charitable Trust grant of $4,000 received by the trust to contribute to the cost of erecting a security fence. | ||
– | Two Q-class coal hopper wagons transported to Maymorn site. | |
| Q3 | Charitable trust grants totalling $75,000 secured for the construction of a rail vehicle shed. | |
| Q3 | New Zealand Community Trust grant of $4,000 received to purchase further security fencing materials. | |
| "Sponsor a length of track" campaign launched. | ||
| Platelaying of sponsored track in the Maymorn yard begins. | ||
| Donated former North Island Main Trunk sleeping carriage transported to Maymorn site. | ||
| Resource Consent application for construction works at Maymorn lodged with Upper Hutt City Council. | ||
| Lotteries Grants Board grant of $150,000 secured for costs associated with construction of rail vehicle shed. | ||
| Eight of the YC class ballast wagons ordered by the trust arrive in Wellington. | ||
| Three of the ballast wagons are transported to the Maymorn site. | ||
| Interim Rail Service License secured from Land Transport New Zealand. | ||
| Resource Consent for construction related to the trust's operations at Maymorn granted by the Upper Hutt City Council. | ||
| Foundation stone ceremony held at Maymorn marking the start of construction on the rail vehicle shed. | ||
| Full Rail Service License granted by the New Zealand Transport Agency. | ||
| The Trust takes delivery of TR 937, formerly owned by KiwiRail. | ||
| NZR AB class No.745 arrives at Maymorn from The Taranaki Flyer Society Inc. Stratford. | ||
| Drewry Shunter No.2285 arrives at Maymorn from the Bush Tramway Club. |
The main rail vehicle shed is currently under construction nearing completion with a workshop annex having been completed
Parts for NZR WB class locomotives 292 & 299 have been acquired by the Trust where there are being restored to working order.
NZR TR class No. 937 Diesel shunting locomotive has been acquired from KiwiRail and, having been restored, is used for shunting and construction duties.
NZR AB class No.745 North British built Pacific locomotive, makers No. 22880 of 1922. The locomotive was involved in a washout accident on 16 July 1956 and plummeted 50 feet, while hauling a full load of freight from Wanganui to New Plymouth. Both crew survived. Too expensive to recover it remained in situ built into the embankment at Hāwera. The engine lay undisturbed until November 2001, when it was purchased for $1 by the Hooterville Heritage Trust, and in 2002 salvage work began after 46 years underground. The raised wreck minus tender was taken to Waitara. In 2007, The Taranaki Flyer Society Inc. was formed and AB745 was transported to its new home at the old railway goods shed at Stratford, where it was being restored. Lack of funds and the loss of the Stratford old railway goods shed led to the Society asking for expressions of interest in the locomotive. The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust's proposal was accepted and it was moved to Maymorn in October 2013.
Two replica NZR H class "Fell" locomotives will be commissioned by the Trust to operate the incline section of their line for stage 3 of the project.[2]
The Trust has acquired 13 YC-class ballast wagons and 2 Q-class coal hopper wagons, currently located at their Maymorn site, and plans to use them in the construction of its line and for ongoing track maintenance.
The Trust's fleet includes five NZR 56-foot carriages and one NZR 50-foot carriage. These vehicles will be restored after the rail vehicle shed is completed.
A heritage-themed station based on the Troup-era Waimate station has been proposed for the Maymorn site.[3] It was hoped to have this building completed by 2015,[2] but this has not occurred.
Two tracks have been laid east of the rail vehicle shed which are currently being used for vehicle storage. Tracks are also being laid in the rail vehicle shed as part of the construction of the shed's floor and inspection pits.
Two potential routes have been identified to connect the Trust's operation at the Maymorn site to the original railway formation.[4]
| Key: | In service | In service, Mainline Certified | Under overhaul/restoration/repair | Stored | Static display | Scrapped |
|---|
| Original Class and Number | Builder | Builders Number | Year Built | Arrived | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB 745 | North British | 22880 | Entered NZR service in July 1922. Derailed at Hāwera on 16 July 1956, but wasn't withdrawn until January 1957. It was recovered tenderless on 11 November 2001 by Tony Batchelor and Keith Hancock. In 2007 it was then fully purchased by Keith. In 2010 it was sold to The Taranaki Flyer Society. In 2013 it was sold to the trust for free and moved to the railway over five days. It arrived on 30 October 2013 and awaits restoration. | |||
| WB 292 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 16172 | Entered NZR service in January 1899. Withdrawn on 5 January 1957 and stored at Westport. In 1960 it was dumped into the Mōkihinui River. It was recovered by Hugh McCracken and stored at the Silver Stream Railway in 1989. It was then moved to Steam Incorporateds Paekākāriki depot in 1995. It was moved to the railway in 2008 and is being restored along with WB 299. | |||
| WB 299 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 16175 | Entered NZR service on 22 May 1899. Withdrawn on 5 January 1957 and stored at Westport. In 1960 it was dumped into the Mōkihinui River. It was recovered by Hugh McCracken and stored at the Silver Stream Railway in 1989. It was then moved to Steam Incorporated's Paekākāriki depot in 1995. It was moved to the railway in 2008. Restoration commenced in 2014. | |||
| WD 356 | Baldwin Locomotive Works |
| Key: | In service | In service, Mainline Certified | Under overhaul/restoration/repair | Stored | Static display | Scrapped |
|---|
| Key: | In service | In service, Mainline Certified | Under overhaul/restoration/repair | Stored | Static display | Scrapped |
|---|
The trust proposes to progressively reinstate and operate the railway between Maymorn and Featherston in four stages, including: