steam loco 'Passchendale' Ab 608

 

This was named after the infamous WW1 battle of Passchendale in Belgium and carries a commemorative plaque.  A submission from Stu Hammond:

"This 1915 built steam loco took to the rails again recently after a restoration lasting 20 years. It is leased to Steam Incorporated at Paekakariki by the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. It was the former who restored it.

It was originally withdrawn from service in the late 1960s and was one of the most numerous class to run in NZ with something like 170 [in fact the Ab was the most numerous class with 152 of them] being built. It was named Passchendale in the 1920s in honour of those fallen in the First World War.

It was the only such loco to be named as unlike the UK, NZ did not normally name engines [not in the 20th century].

On 16 August it headed a special from Paekakariki to Feilding and return, the train recreating a typical 1950s scene with red coaches. The only thing that was untypical was that the locomotive was very clean. I followed by car with some friends from Palmerston who knew some good photo locations in addition to those I had singled out. 

Regards

Stuart"