Iconic Kawakawa steam train sends SOS

One of Northland's most iconic attractions could close because of a shortage of volunteers.

The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust, which operates Kawakawa's steam railway, is putting out an SOS as it seeks help to keep the trains running.

The shortage of firemen, whose job it is to feed the boiler with coal, is especially acute.

The railway has six drivers but just one fireman, so drivers have to fill in as firemen when they should be taking days off.

Operations manager Mike Bradshaw said it was ironic that the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway was the country's top volunteer organisation - it won TrustPower's national Community Awards last year - but could be forced to close because of a lack of volunteers.

"The railway does a tremendous amount for the town. The last time the trains stopped running, in 2000, an awful lot of shops closed. If we stopped running a lot of shops would close again."

The volunteer shortage also meant Mr Bradshaw couldn't get time off - he'd have dearly loved to go to the miniature train convention in Whangarei earlier this month but couldn't - and if he fell ill the trains would grind to a halt.

A fireman shovels coal, checks water levels and steam pressure, and keeps an eye out at left-hand corners: "The fireman's the driver's second pair of eyes."

The role took about four trips to learn and was not arduous, even though the 1927 steam locomotive Gabriel used half a tonne of coal a day.

"We've had little old ladies do it. We used to have a family where the mother, who was in her 50s, was the fireman, the father was the guard and the daughter was the driver."

Volunteering as a fireman was a step to becoming a diesel driver, led to new skills and unit standards, and looked good on a job-seeker's CV.

Trust chairman Johnson Davis said the railway had volunteers from Kaikohe, Kaitaia, Kerikeri, Mangonui, Okaihau, Rawhiti and Whangarei - but none from Kawakawa, despite a leaflet drop calling for fresh helpers. Four hundred flyers were distributed without one response.

The Advocate understands the town has 147 able-bodied adults on the unemployment benefit.

The trains run four times a day during the summer holidays, taking passengers on a 10km return trip to Taumarere and Kawakawa is one of the few places in world where trains run down the middle of a state highway.

The railway carries more than 10,000 passengers a year. That number is expected to skyrocket once the tracks are restored all the way to Opua. The trains are also essential to the future of two other projects: the Twin Coast Cycle Trail, which aims to link up with the railway for the Kawakawa-Opua leg, and the restoration of the 101-year-old steam ferry Minerva, which could also connect with the railway once it reaches Opua.

-The railway is also looking for painters, gardeners, guards and drivers.

If you can lend a hand call in at the station, phone Mike Bradshaw on 021 171 2697 or (09) 404 0450, or email mikethesteam@hotmail.com.