Long train runnin’

After twenty-seven years out of action, a steam train will soon start rolling around Masterton’s Queen Elizabeth Park again.

Loader Construction owner Keyten Gibson said a crane lifted the 1.2 tonne train to its home on the tracks on Friday morning, attracting a crowd of families with young children once it was in the air.

He said they had to use a crane with a 35-tonne capacity and a reach of 22 meters to get the train over the water and into place.

The train had first been restored by Loader Construction in 1974, but was removed in 1994, Gibson said.

Once the train was removed, Vic Ormond of Ormonds Engineering had spent over twenty years restoring it in his free time.

Now, the two local engineering companies had teamed up to put the train back.

“It’s great that we get to work together on something like this. We may be rivals but we do work with one another from time to time.”

Gibson said he was proud that he got to put the train back where it belonged.

He said it took about two hours to get the train fully into place.

The train would begin operating again soon, and it would only cost $1 for a ride.

“It’s great and affordable for families – it’d only cost $4 for a family of four to have a ride.”

Gibson said it was important for his company to donate time for projects like this, especially in such a tight-knit community.