Newspaper Article 1994 – Carriages moved for restoration

Carriages moved for restoration

It was an emotional day for Hawke’s Bay railway enthusiasts today as two railway carriages, built in the 1900s, were taken away for restoration.

The red motor van, used between Wellington and the Hutt Valley, and the green AF728, which travelled Wellington to Manawatu, had been sitting by railway tracks in Clive since being taken out of circulation in the 1960s.

The motor van, sold to Hasting man Jason Scott by the Hawke’s Bay Model Engineers Society about six months ago, was to be taken this morning to a Tomoana Road residence, where it will be restored.

Mr Scott said he hoped to turn the carriage either into a batch or a restaurant. The work would take about three years and cost about $30,000, he said.

The kauri and rimu exterior will be restored first, then the interior, Mr Scott said most of the carriage’s timber will be replaced.

The green carriage, which has a first-class and second-class compartment and was built from wood from the Belmont Viaduct, near Wellington, is owned by the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society.

It will be moved to Wellington where the society will begin restoring it. The society’s Hawke’s Bay branch has contributed $20,000 towards the restoration.

Society spokesperson Bruce Fordyce said it was sad to see the carriages leave the site.  There were only a few of each kind in the country, with none like the green one in such a good condition. Mr Fordyce said it will be the only restored carriage of its type.

Photo caption – THE OLDEST member of the Hawke’s Bay branch of the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society, Clive’s Arthur Vosper, stands in front of a historic railway carriage about to be taken away from Clive for restoration.