Can someone elaborate more on these two rip-rap locos in New Zealand?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3147064a11,00.html

Bob, Check your L&RP files. I seem to remember an article or News brief there about the New Zealand "locomotive archeology". One engine that was restored was a Rogers built 2-4-2.

I believe there were three of the 2-4-2s extricated. Two have since operated and the third is still unrestored. I think other types may have been exhumed since, however, hence the question. Any Kiwis here to comment?

Both are NZR P Class 2-8-0s, 3ft 6in in guage, and built by Naysmyth Wilson in 1885. #25 was construction number 278, #107 was 281.

The situation they were in was similiar to that of the WP&Y equipment in the rip-rap in the Skagway River in Skagway. They were in about the same condition as WP&Y #60 and #61 when they were pulled out. They are just the latest in a series of locomotives restored from such a state.

The Dunedin Gasworks Museum in South Dunedin, New Zealand is a model of what the Solvay Coke Plant could have been with the right vision and quite a bit of cash. Like the Solvay Coke plant, it was derelict when taken over as a museum. It was partially scrapped; but the engine house has been preserved, and it's 1926 Brian Donkin Co. duplex compressor engine restored to operation.

Along with the gasworks complex, a Ruston steam shovel and apparently the two locomotives are on the museum grounds. A steam festival on the museum grounds is pictured at:

http://www.geocities.com/steam_festival_2002/

also the bottom of:

http://www.messiaen.co.uk/steam/anz/nzhol3.htm

(The above page also has some pictures of New Zealand locomotives and other steam engines; it is from Rob Dickinson's International Working Steam Locomotives website.)

Two websites about the museum at:

http://www.historic.org.nz/magazinefeat ... single.htm

http://www.cityofdunedin.com/city/?page ... rks_museum

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project

Yes there have been 3 Rogers 'K' class 1877/78 recovered from the rivers with two being fully restored to working order. The 3rd loco will probably be kept in the 'as found' condition. In addition parts have been rasied from at least 2 other Rogers 2-4-2s, still in the river. I believe K96 and K87 are still in the river.

Ever since the success of the first Rogers restoration, various groups have been digging locos up of lost classes with a view to preservation. The ideal is to try to complete the NZR roster list. In more recent years, several 'P' class 2-8-0s have been pulled out, but I'm not sure how many will become actual working locos. Certainly a group several years ago raised a number of P class locos, and parts thereof hoping to find enough good bits to create one loco from the parts. More interstingly, a beautiful Baldwin high wheeled 2-6-2 has been rasied in early 2003, also Baldwin and Brooks 4-6-0s around the same time.

I'm sure someone close to the area can comment of the status of various projects, however these really are major restorations, and take decades. For some photos I took of the 3 Rogers locos in 2003 and a model I built of the Rogers in 1:24 scale, refer here:

http://4largescale.com/fletch/d13.htm

sorry about the broken links, I'll need to find and upload those two missing photos.

Fletch in Auz.

Amazing story, and one of the best websites I've ever seen..

Hi David;

Great website, great writeup, and even more fantastic model. Your workmanship on all three is commendable.

Do you know if there is a "roster" of all of the engines that are still buried in New Zealand? A few years ago, I was directed to webpage by an explorer who reached a site that had steam locomotives literally stacked on top of each other. But, I lost the e-mail, and I have never found it since.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project

Thanks for the nice comments chaps,
Yes there was a location, and write ups in a UK jounral about one of the loco dump sites on the east coast, north of Dunedin, where the locos were literally stacked up going down to the sea. Single Fairlies and all were lower down in the stack! The problem was the whole thing was really precarious, and the loco these guys wanted was some number inside the stack..getting to it would bring the whole shebang down.

I don't know how much is on-line...probably a lot,
However there is a very good book on NZ rosters:

Register of New Zealand Railways Steam Locomotives 1863 - 1971, by W.G. LLoyd.

This book has been around for many years in various forms...it was last reprinted in an all new format in 2003, and is still available. In the back it has a list of all preserved steam locos in NZ, including everything recovered from the mud. It probably doesn't have the Brooks and Baldwin 4-6-0s as they came out just when the book came out! But it does have a list of what is presumed to still be in the mud. I doubt it is complete however. As it doesn't list K-87 or the Fairlie, both of which I'm told by locals do exist in the dump sites.

There's gotta be a NZ fella here who can really clarify. To keep on top of this really requires subscription to the Railfan magazine in NZ..where every 2nd issue seems to have something about dumped locos in it, in the news section.

Thanks chaps,
David.