I was a locomotive assistant in Wellington in 1978. I remember the rail workers lodging huts next to Wellington loco depot shown in the video at around 2 minutes. Majority of work was in the shunting yards as a low seniority fireman. Life changes meant I moved to Australia but my time on NZR was enjoyable and worked with some great drivers. There was only one I remember as being obnoxious and unpleasant. Very few of the Locomotive Assistants got on with him. As in most jobs there is always one.
We traveled to & from school during the late 60s & early 70s everyday on them old Hutt Valley-Wgtn trains..was like our own little before & after school get together community. For a bit of mischief fun we would carriage hop between stations in an attempt to avoid the ticket guard who knew us all & would double click our tickets the next day..😂 miss them simple days....😏
Great. I reckon you caught the 4.05 Ew hauled to Upper Hutt followed by the 4.30 Express to Auckland in an earlier sequence. EE units as I recall them from 1970 onwards. Great memories.
I remember the "Choo Choo Trains" chuffing past our place in Levin in 66/67. They took ages to get up to speed from the station and you could hear them forever. It was really relaxing hearing them go off into the distance, but not so much as the ground shook as they passed. It was mostly during the night, so put us back to sleep as they left. My father drove them until the diesel electrics came in. David Bowie has the sound on a song from his album "Station to Station'...Many thanks for sharing...
I just remembered when travelling on the electric units from Upper Hutt into Wellington passing along the harbourside near Ngauranga Gorge in the 60's, the effluent from the waste pipes of the nearby Ngauranga meatworks turned the sea blood red and seagulls by the hundred diving for chunks of flesh. How times change !
Thank you for a very interesting and strangely relaxing video. I was still living in Wellington and at school at that time and can remember the trains, including the steam engines. Nice touch to finish the video with a steam locomotive pulling freight carriages. I remember as a small boy in the 1950s waving out to the steam locomotive drivers from our car and getting a wave back. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
I can still remember the sounds of heavy freights being pulled by DA diesels as I lay in bed late evenings as a child, they echoed up the Hutt Valley through Wallaceville and Upper Hutt ramping up power as they gained height heading for the Rimutaka range and the tunnel. I would feel quite secure for some odd reason and fall asleep to the vibrating chugging sound of the US, Canadian and Australian supplied DA diesels regular as clockwork nearly every night if I remember correctly. The Hutt Valley line electric units were often the gateway to Wellington for movies and school excursions to the old Wellington museum and of course the annual A&P show. We would board at the outer extremity of the line at Upper Hutt and I clearly remember the whirring sounds of the idling electric motors while waiting at the stations. Great memories, thankyou!
Amazing how much Wellington has changed throughout the years. I remember when the trains used to pass our back fence in Trentham and Upper Hutt. Since I was 3 and 4 years old during those 2 years.
I spent a good portion of my early childhood in Wellington, though that was in the 80s when the EM class EMUs were new. Interesting to see steam, diesel, and electric all operating mainline service and how some of those types were in still in front-line use until quite recently (DM class EMUs, 56ft carriages, etc.)
It is also great to see the Wellington to Auckland and vice versa Express and Limited passenger trains with their infamous and notoriously unreliable silver FS steam heating cars.
Excellent old footage I was living in Porirua in early 1963 and travelled daily to work in Wellington by electric unit then drove trucks for McGowan and Magee, in and around Wellington. So I used to see many of the sights depicted in this footage. Thanks for sharing.
That bought back a flood of memories of NZ rail in its hey days of the way we moved freight and passengers the arrival of both the AK -WN Express and Limited passenger trains.
As for the Limited to AK...I was the last SLEEPING CAR ATTENDANT on the LAST Limited....Wgtn to National Park,changed over,return to Wgtn...I have many wonderful memories of NZR....By the way,does anyone know PAT RUSCOE,he drove Railcars from New Plymouth to Palmerston North,changed over, and drove the other back to NP......I could write a book,however,my pen hand is not too good to do that....Tony Robb (Melbourne Australia)
@@tonyrobb8815 - did you ever run into Gordon Moheke? Whenever he was on duty there was always the prospect of a cup of tea and biscuit in the guard's van!
@@scottlewisparsons9551 Those electric locomotives would have only been operating in the Wellington region, which is well within 100 miles. I think it has more to do with that fact that there as more industry and warehousing in those days, and that rail was underinvested in.
@@danieleyre8913 from what I remember, if you wanted to ship freight long distance, say from Wellington to Auckland you had no choice, you had to use the railway.Road transport was restricted.
Great video Peter. It was great to see the EW and ED class electric locomotives in action before the DA class locomotives were given running rights between Paekakariki and Wellington.
That's something I never got to see. By the time I moved from Auckland to Wellington in the 1980s, even the Ed's and Ew's were pretty much a thing of the past, and the Ganz units were the new emu's in town. These days the Ganzes and English Electrics have both been replaced by the Matangi units.
I really enjoyed that . Did not get to Wellington until 72 when the new motorway blocked the views you have here. Looks like great times especially for the enthusist back then .
Interesting to see how old and run down the old 30s English units were back then and they continued to use them well into the 2000s. Interesting to see the motor way to nowhere’s piles being built. This was like a different city back then. They should go back to using electric for freight within the Wellington region.
They weren't all 1930s stock, and the 30s stock was retired well before the rest. In any case yes all the units were well past their expiry date. But they were refurbished for the Jville line and filled in peak time only on the other lines, where the Mavags did most of the trips from the early 80s onwards.
Don't Know about Paekak and Wellington, but I can remember them running up the valley in 1969. I could always hear the 11.00 pm goods coming down the valley All the way from Stokes Valley. Because they were loud and unmistakable. It was little wonder that anyone who was in them day in and day out went deaf.
@@thecelticprince4949 Thank you for sharing that. I definitely remember how loud the DA's 567c prime movers were. I have also been informed that the DA Locomotives were finally given running rights between Paekakariki and Wellington in July 1967 when the tunnels between Paekakariki and Wellington were deepened. This consigned the EW and ED Locomotives to only hauling peak hour commuter trains on the Hutt Valley and Main Trunk lines.
![เปิด อาณาจักร หมื่นล้าน "สาระตั้ม" l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3XE0nPF4YkQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m now 73 and this really takes me back, thanks for this great nostalgic clip.
Super beautiful trains
I was a locomotive assistant in Wellington in 1978. I remember the rail workers lodging huts next to Wellington loco depot shown in the video at around 2 minutes. Majority of work was in the shunting yards as a low seniority fireman. Life changes meant I moved to Australia but my time on NZR was enjoyable and worked with some great drivers. There was only one I remember as being obnoxious and unpleasant. Very few of the Locomotive Assistants got on with him. As in most jobs there is always one.
We traveled to & from school during the late 60s & early 70s everyday on them old Hutt Valley-Wgtn trains..was like our own little before & after school get together community. For a bit of mischief fun we would carriage hop between stations in an attempt to avoid the ticket guard who knew us all & would double click our tickets the next day..😂 miss them simple days....😏
I have just finished reading all the comments and enjoyed them immensely. I don’t usually do that! Thank you everyone from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
Many thanks. It is great to see an Aussie taking an interest in New Zealand's Railway history.
Sorry to disappoint you, I am a kiwi, born in Wellington in 1951. However, I have lived in Sydney since 1988.
Great. I reckon you caught the 4.05 Ew hauled to Upper Hutt followed by the 4.30 Express to Auckland in an earlier sequence. EE units as I recall them from 1970 onwards. Great memories.
I remember the "Choo Choo Trains" chuffing past our place in Levin in 66/67. They took ages to get up to speed from the station and you could hear them forever. It was really relaxing hearing them go off into the distance, but not so much as the ground shook as they passed. It was mostly during the night, so put us back to sleep as they left. My father drove them until the diesel electrics came in. David Bowie has the sound on a song from his album "Station to Station'...Many thanks for sharing...
I just remembered when travelling on the electric units from Upper Hutt into Wellington passing along the harbourside near Ngauranga Gorge in the 60's, the effluent from the waste pipes of the nearby Ngauranga meatworks turned the sea blood red and seagulls by the hundred diving for chunks of flesh.
How times change !
I can still remember the stink of the meat works and the seagulls.
Brings back memories. This was awesome
Priceless 10 mins of footage.
Thank you for a very interesting and strangely relaxing video. I was still living in Wellington and at school at that time and can remember the trains, including the steam engines. Nice touch to finish the video with a steam locomotive pulling freight carriages. I remember as a small boy in the 1950s waving out to the steam locomotive drivers from our car and getting a wave back. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
I can still remember the sounds of heavy freights being pulled by DA diesels as I lay in bed late evenings as a child, they echoed up the Hutt Valley through Wallaceville and Upper Hutt ramping up power as they gained height heading for the Rimutaka range and the tunnel.
I would feel quite secure for some odd reason and fall asleep to the vibrating chugging sound of the US, Canadian and Australian supplied DA diesels regular as clockwork nearly every night if I remember correctly.
The Hutt Valley line electric units were often the gateway to Wellington for movies and school excursions to the old Wellington museum and of course the annual A&P show.
We would board at the outer extremity of the line at Upper Hutt and I clearly remember the whirring sounds of the idling electric motors while waiting at the stations.
Great memories, thankyou!
ah memories of riding on some of those trains as a kid. A simpler time.
Amazing how much Wellington has changed throughout the years. I remember when the trains used to pass our back fence in Trentham and Upper Hutt. Since I was 3 and 4 years old during those 2 years.
Brings back old memories of when i was living in the single mens camp in Thorndon Quay ,working as a locomotive assistant.
I spent a good portion of my early childhood in Wellington, though that was in the 80s when the EM class EMUs were new. Interesting to see steam, diesel, and electric all operating mainline service and how some of those types were in still in front-line use until quite recently (DM class EMUs, 56ft carriages, etc.)
What if these are still in use today? That would be brilliant.
It is also great to see the Wellington to Auckland and vice versa Express and Limited
passenger trains with their infamous and notoriously unreliable silver FS steam heating
cars.
Excellent old footage I was living in Porirua in early 1963 and travelled daily to work in Wellington by electric unit then drove trucks for McGowan and Magee, in and around Wellington. So I used to see many of the sights depicted in this footage.
Thanks for sharing.
That bought back a flood of memories of NZ rail in its hey days of the way we moved freight and passengers the arrival of both the AK -WN Express and Limited passenger trains.
As for the Limited to AK...I was the last SLEEPING CAR ATTENDANT on the LAST Limited....Wgtn to National Park,changed over,return to Wgtn...I have many wonderful memories of NZR....By the way,does anyone know PAT RUSCOE,he drove Railcars from New Plymouth to Palmerston North,changed over, and drove the other back to NP......I could write a book,however,my pen hand is not too good to do that....Tony Robb (Melbourne Australia)
@@tonyrobb8815 - did you ever run into Gordon Moheke? Whenever he was on duty there was always the prospect of a cup of tea and biscuit in the guard's van!
@@nocturn791 So long ago,I vaguely remember the name though..
It's crazy how much more freight used to be shifted by railways around Wellington all those years ago...
That was because it was compulsory! Road freight transport was only allowed to travel about one hundred miles from base.
@@scottlewisparsons9551 Those electric locomotives would have only been operating in the Wellington region, which is well within 100 miles.
I think it has more to do with that fact that there as more industry and warehousing in those days, and that rail was underinvested in.
@@danieleyre8913 from what I remember, if you wanted to ship freight long distance, say from Wellington to Auckland you had no choice, you had to use the railway.Road transport was restricted.
@@scottlewisparsons9551 Yeah but I wasn’t talking about that in my opening posts
I was talking about the freight shifted around Wellington.
My apologies, reading again it was Wellington only. Have a good day.
Great video Peter. It was great to see the EW and ED class electric locomotives in action before the DA class locomotives were given running rights between Paekakariki and Wellington.
Great footage ! Just taken for granted at the time.
Remember well the red seats of the english electric trains and how you could flip them to face each other to create you own mini lounge 😎😎
Yes - and do you remember the guard turning every carriage seat at a terminus to face forward again?
Love the shots on the Johnsonville like with the old Ew locomotives on the stock trains
That's something I never got to see. By the time I moved from Auckland to Wellington in the 1980s, even the Ed's and Ew's were pretty much a thing of the past, and the Ganz units were the new emu's in town. These days the Ganzes and English Electrics have both been replaced by the Matangi units.
My father Transfered to Napier locomotive depot in 7/3/1960
I really enjoyed that . Did not get to Wellington until 72 when the new motorway blocked the views you have here. Looks like great times especially for the enthusist back then .
You didn't by some chance go to Hutt Valley Memorial around 77/78?
Somehow you managed to create an air of dejection around the condemned Ab beside the new Di.
Interesting to see how old and run down the old 30s English units were back then and they continued to use them well into the 2000s. Interesting to see the motor way to nowhere’s piles being built. This was like a different city back then. They should go back to using electric for freight within the Wellington region.
They weren't all 1930s stock, and the 30s stock was retired well before the rest. In any case yes all the units were well past their expiry date. But they were refurbished for the Jville line and filled in peak time only on the other lines, where the Mavags did most of the trips from the early 80s onwards.
How times have changed
Super nice🙏
Awesome thank you.
Nice
A great piece of NZR history. Do anyone know when the DA Locomotives were finally given running rights between Paekakariki and Wellington?
Don't Know about Paekak and Wellington, but I can remember them running up the valley in 1969. I could always hear the 11.00 pm goods coming down the valley All the way from Stokes Valley. Because they were loud and unmistakable. It was little wonder that anyone who was in them day in and day out went deaf.
@@thecelticprince4949 Thank you for sharing that. I definitely remember how loud the DA's
567c prime movers were.
I have also been informed that the DA Locomotives were finally given running rights between
Paekakariki and Wellington in July 1967 when the tunnels between Paekakariki and Wellington
were deepened.
This consigned the EW and ED Locomotives to only hauling peak hour commuter trains on the Hutt
Valley and Main Trunk lines.
Do you have any video of rewanui railway
Sorry, no, but there is some South Island footage including Greymouth yet to be restored