Taita Gorge Railway..... 13 years old

. New Years Day, and another birthday for the railway, Here's the standard birthday pic, taken from the same place as opening day, and the fifth birthday in 2005.
 

 
Pity about the shadow, but I can't do anything about the sun.... it just wants to keep shining this time of year.
 
Today was another beaut day, so I freshened up the railway, cut back some vegetation, and inspired by a shot I took on JR's railway, I photographed the O&K passing Duck Crossing, through the bushes.
 

 
 

Great piccies Gavin, I envy you the sun we have snow or heavy frosts at the mo, enjoy the running and have a good 10th

  They say, Mad dogs, Englishmen,..... and Garden Railways, come out in the mid day sun. Just finished some mods to the Climax, and gave it a run (to help the paint dry ).
 

 
...and seconds later, passing the O&K in the Log Siding.
 

 
The Climax has had the footboards installed, mine came without them, then I remembered that Mack's Tracks had a set in the 'spares' area, so I grabbed them.
 
The O&K, and the Climax, both had prototypes operating (and both are preserved) here in New Zealand.

This what 10 years of growth on a Dwarf Alberta Spruce looks like.
Actually, I took the pic to show progress on the Climax, (since someone asked).
 

 
I'm thinking of actually making it #1203, the one preserved at Shantytown.
 
1203, in preservation, has a balloon stack, but in service had a straight one. Main reason for the change... 1203 worked on at least 3 different tramways, and hopefully, I can find some log trucks that will suit those from at least one of the lines. 1650 spent all its life on the same line, and that line had standard bogies for it, of which you can't even get similar looking wheels, let alone trucks.

Great pics Gavin.
Picked up my copy of AMRM today. Well done on Pizza 'n' Beer.

Gavin,
Do you plan on a subtle weathering job eventually,
Grant

L.N.R.


Gavin,
Do you plan on a subtle weathering job eventually,
Grant

 
One day.

corgi


Great pics Gavin.
Picked up my copy of AMRM today. Well done on Pizza 'n' Beer.

Thanks Ron. My copy arrived in the post on Friday. They photoshoped the main pic by whitewalling the sides. The original shows the beer crate sides rather arty like. The layout is a hit at shows. I can take the layout out of the crate, and strangely enough, can fit 12 bottles of beer in there. I get the usual quips about having to have to drink the beer first..... actually took longer to drink the amber fluid than it did to build the layout.

You have to encourage the Grandkids....
 

Grandaughter enjoying the new Thomas that turned up yesterday.

The latest addition to Taita Gorge is this San Francisco cable car. It too, got Homeland Security all intertested on my checked baggage ! 

Nice Spring day in New Zealand's capital, and the fact the boys are coming around Tuesday evening for my annual twilight meet, so a tidy up, and test run, of the Taita Gorge Railway was undertaken today.
 

 
The good old reliable Climax, 'picking up sticks'! This is on the return loop at the rear of the shed.

Garden railway work never stops, always something to do. You have a lovely looking railway. I'm most impressed by that young lady in her engineers outfit with Thomas.

casey jones snr


Garden railway work never stops, always something to do. You have a lovely looking railway. I'm most impressed by that young lady in her engineers outfit with Thomas.

 
Grandaughter, with her 'train suit'.... Grandad's got one too, but Grandma won't let him wear it. So Grandad went back to America, and got a 'plain' engineers set of overalls. The hickory stripe pair are now my costume for the World Rugby 7's.... and what do I get called wearing that?, none other than Casey Jones !

Now 11 Years Old.
 
 

Gavin Sowry


Now 11 Years Old. 

Happy Birthday and many more. Keep up the great work. I love it.

nice to see it celebrated with a bighauler pic

mikka


nice to see it celebrated with a bighauler pic

 
Picked that up at the Silent Auction real cheap at a Convention. Was body damaged, and poorly repaired, but a dose of body putty and some patience paid off. Was worth it for the 'poor mans' sound system alone!

Looks lovely and 11 years - wow! The vegetation is beautifully established

The entire railway started out as ordinary lawn.

Every now and then, some plant in the garden just gets too big, or unmanageable... so out went the ground creeping 10 year old Cypress, and now the settlement of Taita Gorge has a more puposeful look.
 

Mums new 55 Chev filling at the 4 Square, and John Milner is inside getting a Milkshake as the local passenger train glides through.