YARN4

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Full Name: Your Auckland Railway News

Issue Number: 4

Issue Date:

Volume and Number: 1/4

Pages: 2

Page Range: 1-2

Cover Image: n.a.

CONTENTS

NZ's First Railfan Special excursion - Auckland - Onehunga - Waiuku - Auckland planned for 27/02/1954

Station Developments

• Auckland Station is being repainted and renovated
• Baldwin Ave and Fruitvale Rd stations came into use from the 28/09/1953
• Strand Station (Tauranga) has been renewed to a design similar to the Hutt Valley Stations
• Taumarunui signalling has been upgraded to colour lights and motorised points

Auckland port's Import Wharf has the most modern track arrangement in NZ. Loco_C862 was testing the track on 18/09/1953

Timetable changes for the main Trunk which also incorporate the permanent 30 mph restriction for 11 miles over the Mercer Swamps.

Rail Projects

• Extension of Auckland's Inward Goods Depot is nearly complete
• The large new Goods Depot Offices at Frankton are nearly complete.
• The Murupara Branch rail-head had reached the mill Site ahead of schedule
• Pukekohe, Interlocking is installed other activities under way
• Mt Maunganui Branch, rails have been laid out on new formation with sleeper laying to start from the junction end.
• Two 'Ranfurly Shield' specials to (Waikato?), the 1st of 10 cars pulled by loco_Ja1284 left at 5:20pm with the 2nd of 11 cars pulled by loco_Ja1282 leaving at 6:05pm with both trains returning around 10:00am the next morning. (data corrected as per YARN5)

Auckland Depot News

• Loco_Bb625 returned from Hutt Workshops on 16/09/1953
• Loco_Ab821 went to Hutt? Workshops on 24/09/1953
• Loco_Ww556 went to Whangarei on 18/08/1953 with Loco_Ww678 returning the same day
• Loco_Ww676 (ref YARN5) and *Loco_C851 have both completed light overhauls at Auckland Fitting Shop
• Loco_Wab769 and another suffered cracked cylinders on 22/09/1953
• Loco_Wab768 had a tube failure at Papakura on 22/09/1953.
• Loco_Jb1206 and Loco_C854 have been sent to Rotten Row outside Hutt Shops
• Loco_J1238 and *Loco_Ab703 have returned from their loan to Taumarunui on 24/09/1953
• Loco_Jb1205 broke an axle at Waimauku towing the Express. Trail_122RR following it was not affected
• Loco_Wab765 and Loco_ Wab796 (on 9/09/1953) were involved in two suspicious derailments at St Georges Road and it is understood the police have made arrests.
• Loco_J1209, towing a crippled Loco_Jb1200 some stock and a van, cracked a cylinder at Wharepapa on 9/09/1953 and had to continue into Auckland on one cylinder, with a forced stop at Morningside due to loco_Wab796's incident.
• Loco_Ja1278 on train_121 was on time pulling a 5 total train on 26/09/1953.
• A derailed wagon on 20/09/1953 was dragged 2 miles along the sleepers on the Up main to Drury delaying early morning goods trains

Frankton

• Loco_K908 (oil burning) has returned from Hutt.
• Loco_Wa165 has left for Hutt Workshops
• Loco_A581? has left for the South Island with the other A_class_loco's following as they wear out.
• Loco_Ja1282 climbed the 3.5mile 1 in 100 Whangarata bank at 50mph representing 900 DHP
• The Cambridge Branch is nearly always worked by A_class_loco's now

Westfield Freezing Co's year old 0-6-0 was under overhaul early in September 1953 and the elderly 0-4-0 was set to work again