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Post by Kereru on Apr 4, 2008 12:11:01 GMT 12
I had some extra time in Queenstown so on Monday motored on over to Kingston to get some photos of the Kingston Flyer. Was a bit cloudy and misty when I got there and the train had finished its early morning run. Nice Cafe there too with good food and coffee. I must go back and do the ride next time probable in 2010. Colin
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 4, 2008 13:38:12 GMT 12
Wow, that is fantastic! Thanks for those shots Colin. Nothing quite like a steam locomotive. And the setting in the mist is very atmospheric.
Was this engine in regular NZ main trunk usage back inthe days before it became a tourist attraction I wonder?
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Post by Bruce on Apr 4, 2008 17:03:13 GMT 12
Awesome pics Colin - What a lovely locomotive. The Ab class locos such as this one were probably the most significant class of mainline steam locomotive in NZ railway history. They were the standard type of mainline loco from the 1920s until the 1940s when the K and J classes arrived, and continued to supplement the later types until the advent of Diesels. the are an example of the 4-6-2 Pacific wheel Format(invented in NZ), ideally suited to lightweight rails and tight curves, and the success of this loco class meant the "Pacifics" were widely accepted and used worldwide. (No I'm not a "trainspotter", but I love the engineering involved!) Of Course, Ab778 and her Kingston flyer buddies wouldnt have looked this nice and shiney in their "previous lives"!
Feel like having a Crunchie bar now....
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 4, 2008 17:46:11 GMT 12
Thanks Bruce. So the Kingston Flyer probably pulled a few troop trains during the war then. I like steam trains, there's just something about them. It's a pity there are none round here. They took away out railway.
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Post by Kereru on Apr 4, 2008 19:03:00 GMT 12
Thanks Bruce and Dave. I was always under the impression there was just one Kingston Flyer locomotive but after I got back and did some internet surfing there is two locomotives that they use. The other is Ab 795? www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=179218www.kingstonflyer.co.nz/activities.htmAfter reading the web site the Kingston Flyer was the train service and either locomotive pulls the train. Plane spotting always comes first then ships and trains follows third. Colin
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 4, 2008 20:03:18 GMT 12
Interesting, I never knew they had two engiend either.
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