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tranzrail wins big coal deal in New Zealand

Discussion about railroad topics everywhere outside of Canada and the United States.

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tranzrail wins big coal deal in New Zealand

 #4615  by David Benton
 
[url]http://xtramsn.co.nz/business/0,,5007-3194948,00.html

ths deal was on the cards for a while . Huntly actually sits on coalfields , the coal is railed to a nearby steel mill , but its apparently too expensive fo rthe power station . hence the coal is imported and railed to the power station , a distance of approximately 120 k.m .
[/urlhttp://xtramsn.co.nz/business/0,,5007-3194948,00.html]
Last edited by David Benton on Sat May 15, 2004 5:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 #11422  by Sir Ray
 
The 33 coal wagons needed to move the coal will be built at Tranz Rail's Hillside workshops in Dunedin.
Kit form (don't laugh, you know what I mean) or fabricated from scratch?
Or perhaps rehabiliating some forgotten wagons left on an old branch line?


Also, not particularly related to this, but is the rail yard in Hokitika (South Island) in use? - It was about the only rail facility I had time to explore, and all I really remember was a small yard in decent enough shape, one flat car (wagon?) (or perhaps a space flat), and a modular steel building which straddled one track and a pavement area, which I guess they used to do road/rail transfers. This was in January 2000...

 #11430  by David Benton
 
Built from scratch , they even cast all the underframe components .
the hillside workshops are the "little workshop that could " , highly respected in the egineering industry , they often win contracts outside of tranzrails work . IF theyre going to build 33 of them before November though , that would be quite a challenge .

Hokitika survives , and is quite busy thanks to a dairy factory there . i think it sees one train a day . Quite a feat for a small station on a branchline . It would be gone without the dairy factory i'm sure . The line used to continue down to Ross , abit further south , but there is n o industry there , so its gone .

 #11652  by Sir Ray
 
David Benton wrote:Built from scratch , they even cast all the underframe components.
Sounds like our major railroad (and here the PRR comes right to mind) during their glory days. I wonder if the (prototype) PS1 kits spoiled the American railroad backshops.

Hokitika survives , and is quite busy thanks to a dairy factory there . i think it sees one train a day . Quite a feat for a small station on a branchline . It would be gone without the dairy factory i'm sure
I do remember the tour guides mentioning the Dairy factory - I also saw on the web a recent picture of the hokitika local, but stating it was going to a lumber centre? Of course I can't find that site again...

And yes, while in Hokitika I did buy some jade piece for my mom and my (then) girlfriend - I think all tourists were required too...

 #11719  by David Benton
 
Quite right , there is a large timber mill there as well .
My timetable shows a mon to fir shunt , depart Greymouth 640 am , arrive Hokitika 7.30leave hokitika 18.45 pm , arrive greymouth 19.35 pm . I cant imagine it spends all day shunting in Hokitika , more likey the crew return to Greymouth by road , and come back to pick the shunt up in the afternoon .
Yes the Jade ( or Greenstone as its known locally ) is a Great souvenouir , this region was a bit slow on the tourist uptake , but theyre relaisng they must do so to survive now .

 #23553  by gravelyfan
 
Hokitika survives , and is quite busy thanks to a dairy factory there . i think it sees one train a day . Quite a feat for a small station on a branchline . It would be gone without the dairy factory i'm sure
I do remember the tour guides mentioning the Dairy factory - I also saw on the web a recent picture of the hokitika local, but stating it was going to a lumber centre? Of course I can't find that site again...

And yes, while in Hokitika I did buy some jade piece for my mom and my (then) girlfriend - I think all tourists were required too...[/quote]


Wow, this is funny; I visited New Zealand in 1986 and did a month around both islands on a Travelpass; one of the Railway Road Service buses I took went from the Glacier area to Greymouth and stopped in Hokitika, and sure enough I bought something made out of jade while there.

Also saw a DJ sitting there. Now you've made me want to find my journal and get out my slides! Thanks! Sure are great memories.

 #23603  by David Benton
 
lol , looks like Hokitika is more famous than i thought . the DJ's were mostly scrapped , tranz link retained one for history , however it has been pressed back in service way up north ( they were only used in the south island originally ) running log trains on a lightly laid branchline .
the railways road services were rebranded intercity ( the train services took the same brand , i found that abit silly , comparred to britains intercity services , services to places like Hokitika can hardly be classed intercity ), and were then sold off completely to a private company .
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