Bay of Islands Vintage Railway

Heritage Railway
name = Bay Of Islands Vintage Railway


caption=A Bay of Islands Vintage Railway train, hauled by a Price TR class shunting locomotive down the main street of Kawakawa.
locale = Kawakawa, Bay of Islands, Northland, NZL
terminus = Taumarere
linename = Opua Branch
builtby = Kawakawa Coal Mines (Kawakawa - Taumarere)
New Zealand Government Railways (Otiria - Kawakawa, Taumarere - Opua)|
originalgauge = 1435mm (tramway)
1067mm (railway)
preservedgauge = 1067mm
era =
owned = Bay of Islands Vintage Railway
operator =
stations = One
length = 14km (total length)
originalopen =1868 (as a tramway)
closed = 1985
stageyears =
stage =
years =
events =
years1 =The Bay of Islands Vintage Railway Trust (BOIVRT) is a heritage railway in Kawakawa, in Northland in New Zealand. The railway operates on part of the former Opua Branch railway.

History

The railway was formed as the Bay of Islands Scenic Railway, a private company, in 1985 following the withdrawal of New Zealand Railways services beyond Otiriacite book|author=Churchman, Geoffrey B., and Hurst, Tony|title=The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand)|date=1991 reprint] . The service began with a 4-4-0 Peckett on loan from the Portland Cement Company at Whangarei. The railway proved popular with tourists, and in the summer seasons of 1985/1986 and 1986/1987 the railway leased Mainline Steams J 1211 to haul three return trains a day. The locomotive did not return for the 1987/1988 season because of the Ferrymead 125 years celebrations that year.

In 1988 the group was reformed as a preservation society, the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway. The railway continued operations until 2001, when the Land Transport Safety Authority withdrew the line's operating licencecite web|title=Bay of Islands Vintage Railway - Our History|url=http://www.bayofislandsvintagerailway.org.nz/history.html|date=2008|accessdate=2008-06-07] .

There is now an active campaign to restore the railway, including the restoration of the locomotive, refurbishment of passenger carriages, and upgrading the line to safe standards. Currently, operations are limited to a short distance out of Kawakawa, including the stretch down the main street. It is hoped that the railway will reopen as far as Taumarere in 2008. The terminus in Opua is on land now owned by Far North Holdings, the trading arm of Far North District Council, and negotiations are under way for trains can return to Opua by 2009.

References

ee also

* List of New Zealand railway museums and heritage lines

External links

* [http://www.bayofislandsvintagerailway.org.nz Bay of Islands Vintage Railway website]
* [http://www.trainweb.org/nzrailheritage/boivr/ New Zealand Rail Heritage - Bay of Islands Vintage Railway]