Firstly, we would like to thank each and every person who
made the trip down to Invercargill – this year has been one of the biggest
turnouts so far for Conference. Whether it was by car or by plane, we
definitely showed that no matter the location Conference is worth the trip!
Secondly, we would like to thank our host group Waimea
Plains Railway, along with the Kingston Flyer and Lumsden Heritage Trust for
their hard work and time in preparing for our visits, and being such wonderful
hosts.
Friday kicked off on a high with a tour hosted by Allan
Boyer visiting Hayes Hardware, Bill Richardson’s Transport Mecca, Motorcycle
World, Bluff, and checked out locomotive F150 being restored by Southern Steam
Train Trust.
While the group was on its way back, Maeva and Colin Smith
and I got the name tags and wonderfully presented information packs ready for
collection. The mood of the registration was fantastic- there were people
mingling from all groups and a few of us brave ones tracked down the swimming
pool!
Saturday was a mixed bag of information, with FRONZ
President Grant Craig giving us the “pre flight” safety information,
Waimea Plains Railway officially welcoming us, and local legend Marcus Lush
opening the day with laughs, information and some deadly honest thoughts. He
spoke of his TV show “Off The Rails”, the 4 things to keep in mind
when making a destination food, accommodation, the Instagram opportunities, and
being conscious of the climate.
We then had Lindsay Buckingham with an incredibly
interesting presentation on the Southland Railway History.
As someone who has been to Southland plenty of times, but
was born “too late” for the peak railway era, trying to imagine a
time when these lines were all operating is just mind blowing.
There were plenty of images, but the major highlight for me
was the map he had created which highlighted where the lines all were. As we
went through the slideshow, the lines changed colours to represent their status
(open, passenger services, closed etc).
Waka Kotahi filled us in on the new R3F framework, David
Gordon (acting CEO for KiwiRail) ran us through KiwiRails current position
including the redevelopment at Hillside Workshops in Dunedin, and Joseph Mooney
(MP for Southland) discussed climate change policies.
Myles Manihira (in place of Neville Simpson who was unable
to attend) gave us a bit of an update on the Kingston Flyer and the Kingston
area, including developments happening in the area. Boiler inspections were
discussed, as well as carbon emissions. This was followed by Michael Leefe and
David Maciulaitis running us through a presentation on carbon emissions, carbon
credits and offsetting them, and alternative energy supplies, such as solar
panels on workshops/buildings and E-Coal.
Other methods included things like using cardboard tickets
rather than thermal paper (as it is not recyclable), and using wood for longer
as a start up material. Donald Ross updated us on Heritage Operational
Training, including some of the challenges they faced with reduced opportunity
for travel during Covid and how they overcame them.
After afternoon tea. we divided into the three break out
groups- Mainline, Tramways & Heritage. On Sunday we launched straight into
the big stuff with the AGM.
We began with a moments silence, for the members we lost
during the past year. Grant Craig was re-elected as President, with Jeff Tollan
(Secretary) and Bruce Shalders (Treasurer) also re-eleccted. Guy Wellwood and
David Maciulaitis were both up for re-election, with Scott Osmond resigning.
I (Courtney Kilner) was nominated to fill Scotts position,
and was successfully elected. I’m very grateful to be the first woman elected
on to the FRONZ Executive- and am excited to get to work alongside everyone.
It was minuted at the AGM, but I would like to take another
moment to thank Scott for his service not only to the committee but also to
FRONZ’s groups. He has put an amazing amount of effort in to organising many
conferences, showing me the way of the Journal and now Conference too- I have
massive boots to fill!
Our host group for Conference 2023 will be Kawakawa. After
the AGM, Barry O’Donnell from the Rail Heritage Trust updated us on their
projects (complete, in progress, and up and coming!). These have a great spread
of buiildings, wagon movements, and technology including the Wingatui Station
Signal Box, Moana, Greytown goods shed, the Cass Railway Station, a new
website, carriages from Dunedin Railways to the National Railway Museum and
Canterbury Railway Society and TR56s 85th birthday celebrated with a fantastic
colouring in story book!
Our last presentation for the day was the Tramways update
with Henry Brittain. The slideshow had plenty of pictures showing us works that
have been done on trams, but we were also filled in on how MOTAT had operated
safely under the new Covid framework, the CAD designs on how Wanganui
convertible tram trailer Number 21 will look once complete with its enclosed
and open layouts, the positive impact Transmission Gully has had on passenger
levels in Wellington, and the new tram loop in Christchurch.
Also covered were updates on restoration at the Tramway
Historical Society, and Dave Hinman’s Queens Service Medal. After a quick bite
to eat, we jumped on the busses and headed off to Mandeville, to visit our host
the Waimea Plains Railway and the Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre.
It was a fantastic visit with K92 all polished up and in
steam, and carriage A294 running for us to check out the restoration progress.
A few lucky guests also took up the opportunity for a flight in the Tiger Moth.
Thank you to the crew for being so welcoming- there were cab
rides happening. great conversations with the Guard, the ladies in the gift
shop, and guided tours around the yard by other members of the railway. We had
our group photo taken, had unlimited rides up and down the line, checked out
the Aviation Heritage Centre and then got back on the bus to return to the
hotel for the awards dinner.
Thanks to David Maciulaitis for the write up for our 2022
award recipients:
The Paul Heighton Award for Excellence 2022 John Bovis for
his leadership role and oversight over many years coordinating the talented and
committed Steam Incorporated team.
The Paul Dillicar Award for Innovation 2022 The Glenbrook
Vintage Railway team and Railway Enthusiast’s Society; the management,
employees and volunteers for the innovative ways that they have safely
responded to and coped with the challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic.
KiwiRail Infrastructure Improvement Award The Bush Tramway
Club for their Level Crossing Extension and track replacement.
Non-Steam Motive Power Award Waitara Railway Preservation
Society for the Restoration of Bagnall 3144 – Portland Cement No. 11.
Carriage/Guards Van Restoration Award Lumsden Heritage Trust
for the Static Restoration of carriage A 199.
Waka Kotahi Tourist and Heritage Railway Safety Award 2022
Steam Incorporated for the implementation of a purpose-built comprehensive
asset management system.
Rail Heritage Trust of NZ Restoration Award 2022 Lauder
Beautification Society for their relocation and restoration of Lauder Railway
Station.
The awards dinner was a great chance to get glammed up, have
a fantastic meal, and mingle with other societies and groups. On Monday we once
again jumped on the busses, and headed off to the Kingston Flyer.
As the same for many of our attendees, I had never had a
chance to ride on the Kingston Flyer before, or even see it in steam so it was
a great moment when we arrived.
A few keen passengers (including myself) braved the standard
southern winter weather conditions, and rode on the outdoor platforms the
entire way. Hearing the whistle echo off the valley was great not only for us,
but as a marketing tool – everyone in Kingston knew the train was running!
There were members of the public, and a few game conference
attendees who chased us from Kingston to Fairlight. Once the locomotive had
“turned” on the triangle and reattached to the set, we boarded the
bus and headed back to Lumsden for lunch.
On arrival at Lumsden however there was something very
important to do before lunch- we were lucky enough to be involved in the
official opening of Carriage A199 (winner of the Carriage/Guards Van
Restoration Award) – cutting the ribbon and all!
After lunch many of us headed our separate ways- some on the
bus back to Invercargill, others by car back to Dunedin and further North.
All in all it was a great conference- the facilities,
people, and experiences all together made it a great weekend.