Norman Kirk, then Leader of the Opposition, takes a ride on the Queen Elizabeth Park train in 1972. PHOTO/TED NIKOLAISON
A very happy birthday to choo!
One of Wairarapa’s speediest, most affordable, and most iconic attractions turns 50 this weekend.
On Sunday, the Masterton Miniature Train [MMT] Society will be hosting a birthday celebration for Queen Elizabeth Park’s miniature railway, offering free rides for rail enthusiasts of all ages.
The railway, which runs around the island in the park’s Lake of Remembrance, was completed in 1972, and, in the five decades since, its diminutive and impressively fast train has carried approximately one million passengers.
The railway was originally conceived and built by the old Masterton Jaycee Club and taken over by the MTT Society, made up of a group of former Jaycee presidents, in the 1980s.
A passionate crew of volunteers is tasked with driving and maintaining the train and its two engines: a locally-built diesel-electric engine, affectionately known as Doug, and a 1920s steam locomotive, recently returned to the tracks after a 13-year hiatus.
The steamer, Locomotive No 74, is the largest miniature steam train in the Southern Hemisphere, and up there with the fastest, able to reach speeds of 15kmh.
The railway has its own station, platform guards and ticket collectors, and has a fee of $1 a ride, unchanged since 1984.
MMT Society president Gary Esler has been driving the train for over 40 years and estimated it makes close to 30,000 trips around the island each year.
He will often meet passengers who recognise him from the early days, nowadays, accompanied by their children and grandchildren.
“The train is a major attraction at the park. People from all over New Zealand come to ride it,” Esler said.
“After 50 years, people love that they can still bring their families for a ride, and they’re amazed that it still only costs $1!
“As a society, we’re proud and happy to be able to support the community, and we love to see the joy and happiness the train brings to kids and families.”
Esler said work began on the miniature railway in the late 1960s: Starting with members of the Jaycee Club and the wider community clearing “the jungle of trees and scrub” on the island, and eventually building the railway tracks and an access way.
The 350-metre-long railway had its official opening on August 28, 1972, with the first rides delivered by the diesel locomotive, DG755.
The engine and its three carriages were built by Masterton-based Loader Construction Engineering and were modelled on the NZR Dg Class Diesel Engine, used on the Wairarapa Line during the 1950s.
Rides on the miniature version cost 50 cents for adults and 30 cents for children.
In 1974, Locomotive No 74, imported from the South Island, was added to the fleet.
The engine, modelled on the Atlantic-type steamers originating in the US, was built in 1925 and used by miners to transport coal before retiring to a fairground in Dunedin.
On arriving in Wairarapa, the train was painted in the gold and black colour scheme of the Kingston Flyer steam engines, common in the region in the early 20th century.
The railway was threatened with closure in the early 1980s, as the Jaycee Club, then in charge of its maintenance, was wrapping up its Masterton chapter due to dwindling membership numbers.
It was thrown a lifeline, however, when Esler, alongside fellow Jaycee members and train enthusiasts Bruce Tooley and Daryl Merwood, formed the MMT Society.
The Jaycee Club gifted the railway to the new society and donated proceeds from the sale of its clubrooms towards extensive renovations for the station.
The society faced further challenges in 2008 when Locomotive No 74 was taken off the tracks, after a routine compliance check found it needed significant repairs.
Funded by a $100,000 grant from Trust House, the train was rebuilt over a 12-year period by local firm Ormond Engineering, and returned to service earlier this year, kitted out with a new engine and boiler.
Esler said most of the maintenance of the trains and tracks is carried out by volunteers, though various organisations have offered services free of charge or for a reduced fee. Last year, Esler received a Masterton District Council Civic Award for his contribution to the railway.
The miniature railway’s 50th anniversary event will be held on Sunday, August 28, from 11am to 4pm. All rides will be free, and there will be food stalls available.
For more information, email [email protected].
