Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 30, 2008 19:17:33 GMT 12
Does anybody know anything about the trains that the RNZAF had for carting aviation fuel around?
Fuel that was stored in the numerous fuel tanks on each station and the Air Reserve fuel tanks around the country was often carted by rail in bulk. For example the AR.9 Fuel Depot here in Cambridge was filled by rail, with trains creeping into the station in the dead of night and offloading fuel. Small road tankers came in and took fuel from the tank but they never put it in, it was always filled by the train - so I'm told by the MT Sgt in charge of those tankers. They would cart the fuel off to Rukuhia or Hamilton (the latter for No. 1 RD for their engine tests done at Te Rapa)
I'm told that the trains were RNZAF, not NZ Rail, and they were pretty secret. I know the RNZAF had small trains at its Stores Depots but they didn't go on the main trunk line as far as I know.
They must have been fairly big I guess. Does anyone here know anything, have any photos, or memories? Which unit administrated them? Was it under the Aerodrome Services Branch perhaps? Or a specialist MT unit?
Fuel that was stored in the numerous fuel tanks on each station and the Air Reserve fuel tanks around the country was often carted by rail in bulk. For example the AR.9 Fuel Depot here in Cambridge was filled by rail, with trains creeping into the station in the dead of night and offloading fuel. Small road tankers came in and took fuel from the tank but they never put it in, it was always filled by the train - so I'm told by the MT Sgt in charge of those tankers. They would cart the fuel off to Rukuhia or Hamilton (the latter for No. 1 RD for their engine tests done at Te Rapa)
I'm told that the trains were RNZAF, not NZ Rail, and they were pretty secret. I know the RNZAF had small trains at its Stores Depots but they didn't go on the main trunk line as far as I know.
They must have been fairly big I guess. Does anyone here know anything, have any photos, or memories? Which unit administrated them? Was it under the Aerodrome Services Branch perhaps? Or a specialist MT unit?
