transpress nz

Thursday, January 29, 2026

an NZ Fiat railcar on its way to the Wairarapa stops briefly at Upper Hutt station in the early 1970s

With a Wellington region electric multiple unit on the opposite platform. For lots more, see the book Wellington Transport Memories.

Bagnall tank engine at the Christchurch NZ gas works in 1960

The engine was built in 1909 and the coal wagons will have been NZR ones. In the background is the tipler to dump the coal into the heap. The Christchurch Gas Coal and Coke Company donated the Bagnall to the Canterbury Railway Society in 1970 and apparently it is currently in Ferrymead, dismantled. The gasworks ceased in 1982. (Pic credited to B.D. Whebell, colorized)

Christchurch NZ tram, January 1950

Tram No. 152 seen inward bound from Opawa on the cross-city service to Fendalton which closed the following month. This is the Shakespeare Road and Waltham Road intersection, the former junction of the St Martins line, which had closed in May 1946. The streets have since been much widened.

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

'Fiducia' tram travels east through Courtenay Place in Wellington NZ, in 1962

One notes the Humber and Commer signs on the building a few doors along from the interesection. This was assembler Todd Motors' Wellington sales building, demolished in the late 1980s.

For lots of pics like this, see the books Wellington Transport Memories and Wellington: a Capital century

opening of the NZR branch line to Motuhora, 1917

Motuhora was later respelled as Moutuhora. This is Monday 26 November 1917 at about 12.30 pm and shows the official train arriving at Motuhora from Gisborne for the opening ceremony. hauled by two 2-6-2T Wa-class locomotives. That class was replaced by 4-6-4T Wg-class locomotives from 1942. Later, 4-8-0 Bb's, then 4-6-2 Ab's ran trains on the line until it closed in 1959.

For lots more see the book Steaming to the Sunrise.