Celebrated the centenary of the North Island Main Trunk during 2008 – 2009.
Monday: Phil Wagener and Grant Allan cleaned the loco ready for its service.
Tuesday: Mike Barnes lit the loco up to warm the boiler up, Stuart relieved Mike and kept it in steam to reach 60 PSI on the gauage. Defired at 1900 hours.
Wednesday: Stuart Anderson & Kevin De Rose lit the Wab at 0800 hours, with helpers Mark Walker, Mike Barnes and Trevor McDonald cleaning the loco for the service. The service was running 1/2 an hour late.
The headboard on Ja 1271 transferred to the Wab's smoke box. The Wab hauled the old wooden cars to Taihape with stops at Marton for water, Hunterville with a high jacking of the train, (the robbers took Russell away from the train and asked for donations for Lions Club at Taihape) the train took water, then onto Mangaweka for a water top up.
At Taihape 5 minutes late at this stage, we watered the loco then had the loco on show for 1 ˝ hours for members of the public to have a look at this special event, Steam Inc crew cleaned the cars inside and out. Ka 942 arrived with Uc 191 (FSR) and Uc (MLS) and they filled the oil tank up then shunted the Wab and cars into the yard to be stabled.
The Wab was left in steam over night with Stuart, then Craig & Rochelle looking after it for the rest of the night.
Thursday: Wab with the Ka on the front hauled the train to Ohakune where the two L's were waiting L 509 from Silverstream & L 507 from Motat.
The Wab was serviced and ashes dropped and turned ready to haul the train to Horopito. Meanwhile the Ka towed the two L's to Horopito and left them there then carried onto Makatoe. The two L's then attached to the Wab as triple header went to the last spike, then to Makatote where we stopped at the home signal. The Wab with the two L's detached then steamed up the loop to get water and the Ka then backed onto the cars and headed for Taumarunui for the night.
The Wab with the L's then headed back to Ohakune were the Wab had a full service then headed home with a stop at Taihape to pick up our Uc then on to Feilding getting in around 2200 hours.
Written by Stuart Anderson
Features Ka942, Wab794, L Class locos. Footage taken between Taihape and Waimiha