Friends of Opapa Station 2000 Newsletter

THE OPAPA INCLINATION

AUGUST 2000

Back in the days of steam, if the fireman hadn’t got his fire into shape by this point on the line he was in for a hard time, because Opapa Station, seen here with 611 ICE service from Hastings to Palmerston North, is at the foot of the formidable 1 in 46 sharply-curved Opapa Bank, toughest grade on the Napier-Wellington line. Once a crossing station, Opapa itself now has no place on the contemporary railway but the station building is being renovated by the Hastings-based group Friends of Opapa Station.   Photograph: Geoff Blackmore

GREETINGS ALL

Welcome all to the next magazine of the Friends of Opapa Railway Station Inc.

MAYORAL VISIT

The visitation of Mayor Dwyer and Cynthia Bowers from Council was very worthwhile. They both thought that we were doing well and had taken on a formidable challenge in the restoration of the station and the environs.

Their visit was moral boosting and although only a few people were able to visit they were able to put forward a positive approach and assist our visitors. The meeting concluded and scones supplied by Tom and Kay.

YOUR COMMITTEE – listed on the back page

Have decided that the casual approach to working at the station is NOT getting us the results we want!

SO!

Your new committee have decided that we will concentrate our efforts on one particular day each month – this being

the second Saturday each and every month – wet or fine

Come one and all – this one day we request that you keep clear and come down to the station and help us do whatever we need to do.

Starting at about 10.00 a.m. and going on till approx. 4.00 p.m.

Your Committee will draw up a programme when they meet each month to asses [assess] and evaluate progress.

This approach has been taken so that we can focus on individual projects and get them finished.

WORKING BEES

The working bee held at the beginning of June was very well patronised and many people made light work of the challenges put ahead of them for the day – The prime objective was to smarten up the Station for the visitation of the Ormondville group and a small group from Wellington.

The working bee held on the 24th of June was equally well represented by our members and some from the Napier group also! This working bee was formulated to carry on where we left off earlier that month and get the station ready for our visitors – in particular – to finish the picket fence. This didn’t happen cause it took longer than I thought to get the wood, cut it to length, trim the ends and cut them to the appropriate shape using only a jig saw! Then re-cutting them to the final length, painting the bottoms, and backs of all the boards was yet another mission, and finally get them to the station so that we could paint them fully and they finally put them on the rails.

The meeting on the 8th July was cold and wet, so not much got done to the picket fence! Well the rails were finished and the pickets were slowly fitted but the weather beat us to it and the rain soon washed off the paint that we applied to it in place. So we had to resort to painting the pickets in the station and then we can fit them to the fence in due course.

The visitors including Paul Mahoney and Val Barr from various groups were suitably impressed and although deciding we had a

long way to go yet, also had come a long way! Hopefully this will aid their decision to give us the grant that was applied for in February.

SO! Great work people, and THANK YOU! Lets keep it up.

Countdown Working BEE!

Thanks go to everyone for helping with the working bee at the stocktake of Countdown Supermarket.

For this work we raised $320.00 for the station.

Thanks also to family members and friends whom are not members – without your help we wouldn’t have done it!

The management of the Countdown store was suitably impressed and we will be called back next time once again thanks to you all.

The WATER TANK STAND

Your Secretary sent out notices and plans of the tank stand to timber merchants seeking donations of timber for the Tank stand, and ONE merchant has donated us enough timber as per specifications drawn out! to make the tank stand completely – provided we allow them to put up a notice – Donated by Smith Timbers

Thank you Smith Timbers for the kind donation!

YOUR COMMITTEE FOR 2000 – 2001

PRESENT:   LEE HALL
VICE PRESIDENT:   SPUD LANGLEY
SECRETARY/TREAS:   MIKE BETTS
PUBLICITY OFFICER:   KEVIN BREWER

Committee Body:
Brian and Julia, Tom Wheeler, Graham Cross, Ray Beattie

Thank you people for volunteering

The committee are the hub of the group and if you have any concerns, queries, ideas then please approach any member of the committee.

We need your input and ideas – No matter how crazy they may be!

OUR PUBLIC PROFILE HAS GONE ONE STEP FURTHER WITH HELP FROM VAL BURR AND JOHN GRIFFITHS THE F.O.O.R.S. Inc NOW HAVE AN INTERNET WEB SITE.

JUMP INTO THE SPACE AGE AND VISIT US AT
[W.W.W]GEOCITIES.COM/OPAPARAIL/INDEX/HTML

WE WANT MORE PICTURES AND INFO TO ADD TO OUR SITE, SO ANYTHING THAT YOU THINK WILL BE HELPFUL GET TO MIKE B. AND WE CAN MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING OR ENTERTAINING TO LOOK AT.

STATION PLATFORM:

THANKS TO THE EASTERN & CENTRAL COMMUNITY TRUST GRANT.

WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH THIS PROJECT.

The platform has been started and major works have been undertaken by Lee whom has under seen the placing of boarding around the building and the necessary plastic to prevent water draining against the piles and other building timber components.

The tarseal on the North end of the Station is removed and the surface has been levelled off to the required 100 mm below the new concrete nibbing that has been placed all round the platform and are now waiting the next step in the filling and compacting stages of the construction prior to the sealing stage.

Thanks Lee for your help and assistance in this project.

NOTE

This project features on our internet site: For those of you with computers please look into it and tell me what you think.

Also give me ideas and information that we can use to get more interest!

THE WATER TANK

we still need one? who’s got one hanging around – start looking into ALL properties and find us a tank that we can use to get this project completed then we can get the downpipes finished on the building!

go get us a water tank

A NEW ADDITION!

Publicity Co-ordinator

Welcome to a new addition to our Committee and I hope that this new role will help everybody and create a greater positive profile for the group.

The Co-ordinator is Mr Kevin Brewer and his job is to help the Secretary to get people contacted and noticed about work bees, activities and projects that require special help for. This role includes the publication of this newsletter. Any questions contact Kevin and he will assist greatly!

His help so far has been immense and I thank him for taking on this role and taking the load off the secretary.

Thank you Kevin, your help in keeping the group in contact has been of great help – Mike Betts.

STATION PROGRESS

Glazing has been replaced and reputtied thanks to Brian and Julia.

Water tank has been built and in the building – timber donated by Smith Timbers made by Mike Betts.

Water tank footing by Lee Hall

Picket fence at last has been finished: thanks to All whom helped build it and Mike for making up the pickets.

Water Tank

Concrete nib around platform almost finished: thanks to Lee and helpers

North area of platform awaiting the laying of crushable aggregate then tarsealing.

Thanks Lee and helpers.

Zip water heater has a replacement element: thanks Mike.

During October will be having again another working bee at Countdown to gather more funds for the platform. Please be free for one night this week to help with the stock take – it is a lot of fun and the more people we have the more money is donated to us.

WATER TANK.:

Thanks to Douglas Taylor, one of our younger helpers, whom has helped from way back has managed to get us a tank off their property it has been donated to us and is the correct size for the stand, and will look prominent on top of our tank stand.

This tank has undergone a transformation, the bottom removed and the inside cleaned out, painted and protected, and a new bottom fitted. This was done to by Chas Bone Plumbers and an overflow pipe fitted with a regulated outlet so we can use the tank for waste water and also for the toilet cistern. The drinking water will have to be bought out of the existing water supply for safety.

The foundations for the tank stand are in place and shortly the stand will be placed and painted the burnt brick colour, the tank will be painted the same colour as the main building. Once the stand is in place the top boards will need to be placed, these boards will be the original ones used at the station and will be cut down to length to suit. Once this is done then the tank will take prominent place and be finally painted awaiting the spouting to be finished and drained into the tank.

Thank you Douglas Taylor and his parents for allowing us this tank!

Firewood: thanks to Kevin Brewer

we have loads of poplar firewood for sale at $60.00 per trailer (3/4) cord. All the wood was donated and the proceeds will come back to the station.

Call Kevin Brewer for arrangement of deliveries [Phone number withheld – KB]

Welcome visitors! 8/2/00

Summer is coming – time for some social events

General Club meeting

2nd sat in November

at the station!

10.00 a.m. – lunchtime
bbq supplied – bring meat & drinks

Committee Meetings

Held each month – 2nd Monday

at 808B Gordon road.

YOUR COMMITTEE FOR 2000 – 2001

PRESENT:   LEE HALL
VICE PRESIDENT:   SPUD LANGLEY
SECRETARY/TREAS:   MIKE BETTS
PUBLICITY OFFICER:   KEVIN BREWER

Committee: Brian and Julia, Tom Wheeler, Graham Cross, Ray Beattie,