The weather favoured the crowd gathered to launch the summer season for train lovers at Featherston’s Mini Fell Train Carnival at the weekend.
The Fell Locomotive Museum in the town celebrates the historic Rimutaka Incline and offers a genuine and popular steam train experience. The Fell railway system built for the Incline in 1875 added a third rail to help stick trains to the track on steep slopes.
Cross Creek Railway’s carnival on Saturday also introduced Sam Mac, a replica of KiwiRail’s diesel engine, and a new station area.
Model train displays were staged in the historic Anzac and Kiwi Halls and rides were offered on ‘Sam Mac’ and ‘Mini Fell’, a replica of an historic Fell engine.
The Rimutaka Trail Band laid on the sounds while the eccentric Steampunk, Capital and Wai groups settled their disputes with tea pot racing.
Demonstrations included Featherston’s Fire Brigade dousing a kitchen fire, and a variety of stalls.
