Toot n Whistle man's new project

Rotorua local John Smale is working on creating a 2.5km bush railway in Mamaku. Photo/Ben Fraser

He's the man who brought the iconic Toot 'n' Whistle to Rotorua.

Now, more than 50 years later, John Smale is working on another rail project for the local community to enjoy.

Since Mr Smale was a teenager he has had "huge fascination" with steam trains. In 1958 it drove him to begin work on what would become something of an icon in Rotorua, the Toot 'n' Whistle miniature railway at Kuirau Park.

Mr Smale spent hours on his hands and knees painstakingly laying the track. Two-and-a-half years later, in 1960, the project was complete and Toot 'n' Whistle opened to the public.

Mr Smale later decided to sell the Toot 'n' Whistle but it went on to be very popular and is a treasured memory for many people who grew up in Rotorua. It closed in 2004.

Now he is determined to build another legacy. For the past few years Mr Smale and the Bush Railway and Old Sawmill Trust have been working on plans to build a 2.5km bush railway in Mamaku and a 1920s historic experience at a cost of $1.5 million.

"When I tell people about it, they often think 'he's mad'," he said.

"But it will be a way for people to go back into the past, to learn more about it and just enjoy time away from the hustle and bustle of modern life."

The railway would feature a working steam train that people could ride through the bush, a saw mill used for demonstrations, an old cookhouse where people can eat food popular in the early 1900s, a petting zoo and a camping ground.

He said it would be an interactive experience for visitors, entirely different from what they would experience at local museums.

Mr Smale said a site had been chosen on Cecil Rd in Mamaku and the trust was waiting to get the lease approved by the Department of Conservation.

He hoped the project would be completed in about two years.

At 86-years-old Mr Smale said he would not be building the train or laying the tracks himself as he did with the Toot 'n' Whistle but he hoped to play a key role in the project.

"It's definitely on my bucket list. I want to see it up and running before I cark it," he said.

"I hope that it will be something for the Rotorua community to enjoy, like the Toot 'n' Whistle was. It served the community for almost 50 years, if this new railway can do the same then that would be worthwhile indeed."

Mr Smale is looking for people who might want to help fund the project on the PledgeMe website.

For more information visit www.historicexperience.co.nz