WN24 - Not your usual Flugal - by Kerry Young

If you want to meet a very keen, hardworking railfan, then look no further than our Peter Jenkinson. His work has been mentioned often in these pages (?) in connection with track work and in particular, the Valley Line. He has also provided an earlier article on 'Big Brother' coal trains for your enjoyment. This had a lot of good feedback from a number of people, who were interested to see something of our coal train operations.

Now Peter has provided me with pictures and text from a weekend he spent on the West Coast of the South Island. I have now prepared this offering to be sent out under the Flugel cover, that you may see and enjoy rail operations on 'The Coast' as it is usually called.

My thanks indeed to Peter, for taking the time and trouble to onsend his work for everyone to enjoy.

Finally, in copying Peters text, I will leave in the picture numbers. This will enable anyone wanting larger and better detailed copies of any of the pictures to ask for them by number.

Firstly Peters map to help with locations.

Rails on the West Coast A weekend of rail fanning on the South Islands’ West Coast of New Zealand

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Looking across the Grey River in the township of Greymouth. The remains of the old Cobden truss bridge in the foreground. The curved concrete replacement to the left. Two Dcs’ with a ballast train are heading north out of town. 9/12/06. 9:33am



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Dcs’ 4421 & 4755 pass through Stillwater Junction with the ballast train. Trains from here can head east back to Chch or north to Westport and the coal bins at Ngakawau. 9/12/06. 10:03am



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The ballast train passing the north end of the old Ngahere station. The loop here was removed a few years ago. 9/12/06. 10:20am.



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Tunnel motor Dxs’ 5206 & 5258 on a loaded coalie passing the new crossing loop at Red Jacks just south of Ngahere, which it replaced. 9/12/06. 12:26pm



1005 and below.............



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The closest I was able to get to the ballasting operation. Approx. 5kms of new concrete sleepered track between Ikamatua and the Mawheraiti crossing loop. The four wheel ballast wagons seen here are being replaced with fancy new wagons based on the coal hoppers. The age old tradition of placing a sleeper on the track and dragging it with a wagon to plough out the ballast. 9/12/06. 1:00pm



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Tunnel motor Dxs' 5500 & 5517 with an empty coalie crossing the Waimangaroa River north of Westport. 9/12/06. 6:23pm



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The same train a few kilometres south of Granity. 9/12/06. 6:33pm