Whanganui's former 'railway family' meets up again

About 60 former Whanganui railways workers got together at Club Metro on March 14. Photo / Lewis Gardner

A get-together of former New Zealand Rail workers in Whanganui turned into a kind of reunion and may be repeated, one of the organisers says.

After many phone calls Dave Darby and Tom Potaka Jnr tracked down about 100 former staff of all kinds who worked in Whanganui in its railway heyday. Those who could make it met at Whanganui's Club Metro at 2pm on March 14.

Darby worked for New Zealand Railways from 1975 to 1995, trained in Whanganui and was involved in the social club. He was one of the last to leave, made redundant when Whanganui's locomotive branch shut.

Dave Darby (left) and Tom Potaka organised a get-together of former railway staff. Photo / Lewis Gardner

But the main impetus behind the get-together was Potaka's father, Tom Potaka Snr. He had worked for railways back in the days of steam.

Those at the Saturday gathering included train examiners, engineers, maintenance staff, locomotive crew, shunters and people from the traffic branch. The oldest was 84.

Some were the sons of railwaymen, now fully qualified and driving iron ore trains in Australia.

"That was quite emotional."

The gathering was still going when Darby left the club at 9.30pm, and he said people are asking for another meeting.