Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Award-winning restored locomotive joins Waihi's Goldfields Railway fleet

By Rebecca Mauger
Bay of Plenty Times·
24 Jun, 2019 09:51 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The award winning locomotive at Goldfields Railway.

The award winning locomotive at Goldfields Railway.

GOLDFIELDS Railway has a shiny new, award-winning locomotive ready to add to its fleet.

Once track upgrades and locomotive certification is completed, the Hunslet DSA 551 will be the third locomotive working the tracks at the historic railway station.

The newly restored loco — which took nearly three years — has recently won a prestigious award. It took the motive power award (non steam) at the annual Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand (FRONZ) conference in Timaru earlier this month for its restoration job.

''This is a very important win,'' says secretary treasurer Chris Hale. ''A major plus for the railway here and a big recognition for the repair and maintenance team. They have done an excellent job.''

Executive officer Peter Cooper put in the application which won the Hunslet over a handful of trains from around the country. FRONZ represents the heritage and tourist rail industry in New Zealand.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The old locomotive had had a rich history before it ended at Goldfields Railway undergoing a massive restoration.

It used to belong to New Zealand Railways Corporation which operated it, retired it and the loco went to Hastings to work as a shunter lugging fertiliser stock.

Eventually the fertiliser company sold it to a Napier man.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

''We heard about it so Dennis Blake and I went to chat to him. We came to an agreement.''

''But what we found was that it needed a bit of work. Fertiliser gets in everywhere, in the all the joints, and so we stripped it right back down to the chassis, and we realised we had to rebuild it all.''

The best part of $90,000 was spent on the rebuild, Chris says. The engine was sandblasted, rebuilt, repainted and the air lines were restored.

''Now we have a good operable automotive.''

Discover more

Driver and hit pedestrian knew each other, police say

29 Jun 04:22 AM

Go Waihi co-ordinator ready to continue work

11 Jul 12:00 AM

Salvation Army desperate for winter clothing

18 Jul 12:00 AM

From here, funds will be applied for the track to be upgraded. The loco can be run for testing but it is not yet certified to carry people.

When the track is upgraded it will pull their passenger train. The third loco is bigger than the other two and it will be able to take a slightly larger carriage. Chris hopes it will be ready by Christmas.

Boosting popularity
The addition of the Hunslet DSA 551 is all part of a drive by Goldfields Railway Incorporated to increase numbers.

The drive is take more people on to Waikino as they have the capacity to do this.
''With all the preservation work and to upkeep the railway itself we need to develop more income,'' Chris says.

''We have good income but it could be better, I spend a lot of time looking for more funding. The operation of the railway is able to fund itself but when we have major capital work to do, it's expensive — and we have to fund it ourselves.''

The railway was built in 1905 and Goldfields Railway society was established in 1980 to preserve the rail heritage. It is a popular tourist railway operating between Waihi and Waikino.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They are undertaking a plan with the emphasis on the preservation and historic part of the railway.

Chris says Goldfields is a charitable society that operates as a business, and all the money they make goes back into preservation and operation.

They have some paid staff and rely on the help of 30 volunteers.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Sport

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

12 Jul 03:58 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Puchner makes history with silver at U23 canoe slalom world titles

12 Jul 03:37 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

One taken to Tauranga Hospital after SH29 crash

12 Jul 02:27 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

12 Jul 03:58 AM

In her debut at Madison Square Garden, the 30-year-old produced a 'total beatdown'.

Puchner makes history with silver at U23 canoe slalom world titles

Puchner makes history with silver at U23 canoe slalom world titles

12 Jul 03:37 AM
One taken to Tauranga Hospital after SH29 crash

One taken to Tauranga Hospital after SH29 crash

12 Jul 02:27 AM
Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP