The Kind Hearts accessible carriage sets off on its maiden ride at Palmerston North Esplanade Scenic Railway on November 7. Photo / Judith Lacy
The Kind Hearts accessible carriage sets off on its maiden ride at Palmerston North Esplanade Scenic Railway on November 7. Photo / Judith Lacy
It’s all aboard at Palmerston North Esplanade Scenic Railway, as it’s now able to accommodate wheelchair users.
The miniature railway has launched an accessible carriage that can carry two wheelchair users and two non-wheelchair users.
When not required for wheelchairs, two bench seats can be fitted. They are shorter thanthose in the other carriages so passengers can access them without having to swing one leg over.
The Kind Hearts-branded carriage had its genesis in 2018 when railway member Arnold Brown approached Kind Hearts founder Leigh Rosanoski.
Rosanoski said the launch was the most amazing moment. The miniature railway creates memories for a lifetime and leads to strangers smiling and waving at each other. This is what Kind Hearts is about, too - making people’s days.
Samuel Baylis, 9, waits while Palmerston North Esplanade Scenic Railway president Bernard Watson opens the door to the Kind Hearts carriage. Photo / Judith Lacy
Jenny Baylis and her son Samuel, 9, were among the first to use the carriage last week. Baylis said it meant children who are wheelchair users would be able to experience what other children do. She was glad someone had thought of it.
Samuel goes to Whakarongo School and was joined by students from Freyberg High School and West End and Riverdale Schools at the launch.
Retired engineers Quentin Hughes and Wayne Scott built the carriage - their first.
They started at the end of 2019 but lost a lot of time due to Covid-19.
Hughes said the project took a while, but he enjoyed doing it and the satisfaction of seeing it finished was immense.
The pair got together most Wednesdays and started with a clean floor, designing the carriage to fit the railway and platform.
The Kind Hearts carriage is the same length as the railway’s other carriages, but wider so as to accomodate wheelchairs.
Scott said there were a great bunch of guys at the railway. They all get on well and bring various forms of expertise to their volunteering roles.
The accessible carriage is in memory of Arnold Brown, who died in January, and Basil Gimblett, who died in June. They were both long-serving railway volunteers.
The accessible carriage was launched by railway patron and Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith.
Smith’s comment that, without a doubt, the Esplanade railway was the best miniature railway in New Zealand drew applause.
He recently told KiwiRail the miniature railway carries more passengers than the state-owned enterprise does.
The miniature railway has 18 carriages and three locomotives, with a fourth loco being built.
