TANGARAKAU STEAM 7




By the time the coal mine had been working about a year it was decided to declare an official opening. A special excursion train of about twenty carriages was run from Stratford to Tahora; the locomotive being the usual “Ww”. At Tahora the engine and guard’s van were transferred to opposite ends of the train and the PWD Barclay number 514 was coupled on to lead the way for the journey to Tangarakau. This was a down-grade run and there was much conferring between the crews of the two engines before departure from Tahora. The arrangement was that the leading engine crew acted as pilots and gave hand and whistle signals back to the NZR engine crew who had control of the Westinghouse brakes. The journey accompanied by much hand signalling and whistles blowing was successfully completed. I did notice the smaller driving wheels of the PWD engine flashing around faster than was usual. What was a quiet lope for the bigger engine was a gallop for the smaller one.

At Tangarakau the day trippers inspected the coal screening plant and associated works, then those who had the fortitude boarded the coal trucks of a forty truck train for the four mile (6.5 km) journey to the mine workings. I too made this journey and noted some summer frocks and hats ruined by sparks from the hard-working little locomotive. After inspecting the first 15 chains (300 metres) of the mine that left its mark on summer footwear we travelled back to Tangarakau where those outward bound rejoined the NZR train which already having its engine at the business end departed for Stratford.

All of the PWD locos had their regular drivers thus throughout the weeks the two little 0-4-0s Numbers 531 and 534 took turns to work the passenger cars to Tahora to meet the morning and evening NZR trains and the Saturday night picture trains. They also worked special trains laid on to enable patrons to attend local sports functions. One Saturday a rugby match between Tahora and Tangarakau teams had been arranged to play at Tahora. The two carriage train headed by Fowler number 534 was set up to convey the Tangarakau team and supporters. There was no one on the train or indeed in the engine cab who was less than jubilant, this being aided and sustained by generous quantities of the good brown beverage of the day. With an excited squeal from the whistle the little loco frantically puffing bounded out of Tangarakau and just inside the first tunnel the leading wheels derailed causing the engine to slew across the track so that its buffers jammed against the sidewalls of the tunnel. The first carriage coming unhooked nudged into the side of the engine cab. Little damage was done and many willing hands well experienced in re-railing soon restored order and the journey continued in a more sedate manner.

The larger Barclay number 514 worked for several months on the ballast job and whilst it looked good to the casual observer it must have been feeling its age for it was dismantled at Tangarakau and the boiler railed out for repairs. A few weeks later it was returned all freshly coated with red-lead paint. The opportunity was also taken to fit new axle bearings and carry out other repairs. While it was out of service its duties were taken over by an ex NZR 0-6-0 “F” class locomotive.

While steam engines of all sorts were to be watched I did not take much notice of horses but there was one chaff burner that I enjoyed watching. He spent his days in company with a four-wheeled end tipping truck working in a cutting. He hauled a lot of spoil for a short length of fill for the approach to the north end of the Tangarakau River railway bridge. His beat was a well-worn track between the rails up a slight grade to the working face of the cutting. He wore a collar and harness but no reins. He would without guidance walk himself around and back up to the appropriate end of the truck to be hooked on. His signal to start was the clang of a shovel against the ironwork of the truck. At this he would start off and gain speed to a lumbering trot. Another clang of the shovel and he would ease up, the hook detached whereon he moved to the side of the track allowing the truck to trundle past to the end of the rails to dump its load. By the time the truck had emptied and the tipping body restored Dobbin would arrive turn himself around and back up to be hooked on and return for another load. His pay was a nosebag of chaff four or five times a day.