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 NOTICE  The 2010 New Zealand miniature railway convention is being held at the Nelson Society of Model Engineers from Wed. 6th - Sun. 10th Jan.

Had a lovely day out to the Rotorua track.

Had another lovely day at Whakatane.

The Rotorua Model Engineers have asked to me to re-do their website, so watch this space.

I am trying to co-ordinate a centralised list of all miniature railway events in New Zealand. I'll start this off with the Rotorua and Hamilton events, but please, PLEASE help me on my quest to do a national list. This started because I find it frustrating to find out what is going on as I like to visit different tracks. I am quite happy to co-ordinate this myself, I just need the information to add to the list!

I am going to loan my passenger carriage to the Hamilton Model Engineers - as it isn't of much use to anyone just sitting in John Bremner's workshop.

I have decided that the best way to resolve the recurring valvegear problem is a staged approach:

1. Replace the two cranks on either side with new ones of larger proportions - this should stop their current tendency to work loose over time.
2. More drastic action.

I prefer option (1) for now!

Unfortunately, I am really busy getting our business off the ground and I cannot spend as much time as I'd like working on POEM.

I have finished the website for the Rotorua Society of Model Engineers and it looks like another club may be interested in their own too.

Pip and I had a great time at Havelock North; not as busy as Labour Weekend but a great time nonetheless.

I've had the new cranks for POEM water-jet cut. All I have to do now is find enough spare time to machine them, and with work as busy as it is, that's not going to be easy.

Work seems to be getting in the way of progress on POEM and on the 29th we're going away on business for six weeks.

Away on business, so no progress on anything railway-wise.

Whilst in Melbourne on business I visited the Puffing Billy Railway and ended up firing loco 8A all the way from Belgrave to Emerald. Excellent.

It's possible that we may have found our piece of land. Not bad really, it's only taken us 2+ years.

The land purchase fell through. They wouldn't let us run a business from there; which is kind of fundamental really. It's a damn shame as it is by far the best section we've seen so far.