Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust
| Rimutaka Incline Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale |
 Maymorn, New Zealand
|
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Wairarapa Line |
| Original gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Stations | Maymorn |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 16 October 1878 |
| Closed | 30 October 1955 |
| Preservation history | |
The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is a non-profit, charitable trust in New Zealand that was established in 2003 with the objective of reinstating an operating heritage railway over the Rimutaka Ranges using the original route of the Wairarapa Line between Maymorn and Featherston, including the world-famous Rimutaka Incline.
The trust was formed by a steering committee that had earlier been established to investigate the proposal, and was composed mainly of members from existing rail heritage organisations.
It was established with the goal of realising the following objectives:
The main rail vehicle shed is currently under construction with a machine shop annex in the planning stages.
Parts for NZR WB class locomotives 292 & 299 have been acquired by the Trust with plans to eventually restore them to working order.
NZR TR class No. 937 Diesel shunting locomotive has been acquired from KiwiRail and, having been restored, is used for shunting and construction duties.
NZR AB class No.745 North British built Pacific locomotive, makers No. 22880 of 1922. The locomotive was involved in a washout accident on 16 July 1956 and plummeting 50 feet, while hauling a full load of freight from Wanganui to New Plymouth. Both crew survived. Too expensive to recover it remained in situ built into the embankment at Hawera. The engine lay undisturbed until November 2001, when it was purchased for $1 by the Hootsville Charitable Trust, and in 2002 salvage work began after 46 years underground. The raised wreck minus tender was taken to Waitara. In 2007, The Taranaki Flyer Society Inc.. was formed and AB745 was transported to its new home at the old railway goods shed at Stratford, where it was being restored. Lack of funds and the loss of the Stratford old railway goods shed led to the Society asking for expressions of interest in the locomotive. The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust's proposal was accepted and it was moved to Maymorn in October 2013.
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