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Home / Whanganui Chronicle

It's full steam ahead for train

By staff reporter
Whanganui Chronicle·
21 Mar, 2013 07:47 PM2 mins to read

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A 1920s vintage weekend is planned for Wanganui at the end of April.

The Whanganui Riverboat Centre is joining with the Wellington's Mainline Steam Heritage Trust, which will bring its vintage steam locomotive Ab663 on a public excursion to Wanganui on April 27 and 28.

The theme of the two-days will be the 1920s, and passengers will be encouraged to dress for the occasion, with the best-attired refunded their ticket. Riverboat Centre's director Grant Collie said steam trains played an important part in the development of Wanganui in the early 20th century, when the southern terminus of the North Island Main Trunk Railway from Auckland was at Taumarunui. Travellers wanting to go further south towards Wellington had a two-day journey on the Whanganui River on a number of Hatrick's riverboats, which began operating from the late 1800s.

Ab class locomotives regularly took passengers from Wanganui, south towards Wellington from 1915, when the first of the class was built in the Addington Railway Workshops in Christchurch. The Ab663 was built in the same workshops in 1917 and gained distinction in transporting the Prince of Wales during part of his 1920 tour of New Zealand.

A number of local trips along Wanganui tracks previously used by trains have been planned, including a trip along the Castlecliff branch.

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That section of the track has only recently been reactivated for use after being mothballed for many years.

In 1993, the Waimarie was lifted out of the Whanganui River on the Somme Pde section from where she sank at her berth in the 1950s. With intensive restoration started in 1997 the Waimarie was restored to her former glory, and since 2000 the paddlesteamer has been taking locals and tourists on two-hour return cruises to Hipango Park and Upokongaro.

Information and tickets for the trip, which includes being transferred to the Whanganui Riverboat Centre by vintage car, a cruise on the Waimarie with a barbecue dinner at Upokongaro, accommodation at the heritage-listed Grand Hotel and other Wanganui hotels and guest houses can be obtained from the Riverboat web site www.riverboats.co.nz

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The all inclusive ticket includes a vintage-themed evening function along with included but optional guided tours of Historic Wanganui, the Whanganui Regional Museum and Sarjeant Gallery.-->

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