Grant keeps Gisborne to Makaraka line on track

ON TRACK: East Coast Museum of Technology committee member Colin Taylor with a DSA locomotive, which is part of the on-site expansion. A $10,000 grant this week from Gisborne District Council will help with getting the rail track between the Makaraka museum and Gisborne restored. Picture by Liam Clayton

THE GISBORNE to Makaraka railway line is a step closer to reopening after East Coast Museum of Technology received a $10,000 grant from Gisborne District Council this week.

ECMoT is behind the project to restore and reopen the disused railway line from the museum into Gisborne.

Committee member Colin Taylor said the money would help them complete the railway work on-site and take them another step closer to their goal of re-opening the line.

“The grant is a good start,” Mr Taylor said. “We need to bring the museum end of the line up to scratch.”

The restored railway line and destination-excursions on Gisborne’s vintage Wa165 steam train, as ECMoT’s own locomotives, is part of the Makaraka museum’s five-point plan to attract more funding, visitors and volunteers.

The whole line has an estimated repair cost of less than $150,000.

The council grant money would go towards repairing a section of the rail line, and to buy parts and tools needed, Mr Taylor said.

The goal is to have the line ready by the Te Ha sestercentennial commemorations in 2019.

Last November ECMoT received a $10,000 grant from the Eastern and Central Community Trust to contribute towards safety signage, murals and artwork, website development including branding and logos, and repairs to the museum’s multi-purpose tractor.