this railway currently has no name - because it doesn't exist yet

2' (60cm) gauge in the garden

Go back to the September 2007 diary

October 2007 diary

7th October 2007
I took my theory and practical tests at the Victoria Battery Tramway Society and passed. I now need to take my medical, but if that is OK, I am qualified to drive the public!

8th October 2007
Murray at the Ngongotaha Railway Park dropped me an email to say that they had decided to retain all their 2' gauge equipment so the freight cars I was interested in are no longer for sale. Oh well, it was worth a try.

But on a brighter note, I passed my medical for driving at the Victoria Battery Tramway Society, so I am now allowed to drive the paying public.

Things are likely to go a bit quiet for the next few months now as we are gearing up to sell our house and move. We may well go in to a rental for a while until we find the right piece of land, so I may not have a huge amount to report.

22nd October 2007

I got to drive my first fare-paying passengers at the Victoria Battery Tramway Society - it turned out to be my wife and one of our friends. The weather was foul but it was good fun.

Go forward to the December 2007 diary

News

I have decided to put on hold any plans for a 2' gauge line here in New Zealand. It is not easy to source equipment from overseas and any line built to a gauge of 540mm or more requires an inspection every year by Transit New Zealand - just the same as the standard (3'6") lines.

I am not sure what I am going to do at the moment, but I am erring towards going 15" gauge and building practically everything myself.

Narrow-minded and proud of it!