All aboard for pre-quake memories

Design engineer Darryl Whiting has built a perfectly scaled and finished No3 Napier tramcar, identical to the ones which ran before the 1931 earthquake. Photo / Paul Taylor

As Taradale man Darryl Whiting pointed out with a smile - some people have a boat on their front lawn.

"I've got a tram."

It is a very faithful and colourful replica of one of the No3 Napier trams, which ran the tracks of the city before the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.

To say it had drawn some attention would be an understatement, but the full-time design and innovation engineer is hoping it may capture some commercial attention as he would like to build some more.

Mr Whiting said much of his previous work had involved the creation of stretched limousines but he was always looking for something a little different to build.

"I like to do new things - creative things."

He and his wife Rose moved to Napier about two years ago to be closer to family, and both were born in Hawke's Bay.

"I saw the picture painted at the tram stop over Ahuriri way and then came across some old photos of the trams that used to run here before 1931 - and I remember seeing them in Auckland when I was a boy."

He said there was something magical and special about fine old things, and he asked himself if he thought he could build a tram.

"And I thought yes, I could."

So, just over a year ago, he set to work after carefully scanning old drawings and photos to get the critical dimensions and designs.

"I had to modify it slightly to make it comply with the new Land Transport regulations but there is a lot of authenticity to it - it had to look and feel like one of the old No3 trams."

Mr Whiting said that, as he progressed, he began to realise that apart from having a unique Art Deco garden centrepiece, there was also the potential for the return of the trams to become a commercial attraction.

"They could be set up as a little cafe or muffin and coffee shop - anything at all really."

And if someone wanted to run it like a tram it would not be difficult to install engine running gear, which he had designed it for.

He said that, while it was fitting to have it in Napier, it was the sort of structural nostalgia that could be enjoyed in any city where trams once ran the rails.

His dream is to one day set up a small factory, with the help of local investors, to produce 1930s trams, 2015-style.

In the meantime, he will put the finishing touches to the interior and the paintwork and simply use it as his one-of-a-kind picnic area. "But if someone wants to buy it - then hey, I'll just build another one."