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Greytown Branch

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64-440: The Greytown Branch was a five-kilometre 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) branch line railway off the Wairarapa Line at Woodside in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand 's North Island . It followed an almost straight course over flat terrain. There were no intermediate stations. On learning that the Wairarapa Line was to bypass Greytown, its residents sent several deputations to meet engineers of

128-546: A branch line from the Wairarapa Line at Woodside , which opened on 14 May 1880. For a few months Greytown was the terminus of the Wairarapa Line, but once the extension from Woodside to Masterton opened on 1 November 1880, the branch was one of the quietest railway lines in the country. The branch line closed on 24 December 1953, and at the time of closure its revenue was only a tenth of its operating costs. Greytown passengers are now serviced by Woodside Railway Station on

192-399: A badly cracked smokebox saddle, W 395 had not run in some years and was now the source of the spare parts, W 397 was out of service requiring valve repairs, new piston rings and side-rod brasses, and new trailing bogie flanges as well as unspecified repairs to sundry minor parts. W 404, previously the only operable steam locomotive at Nelson, had been removed from service with small cracks in

256-442: A further four locomotives in 1944 due to wartime requirements on traffic. This time four North Island locomotives were selected, W 's 392, 405, 431 and 434. These locomotives were equipped with new welded boilers making them marginally more expensive than the 1939 batch, which had retained their original saturated boilers. The four locomotives were rebuilt at Hutt Workshops before being shipped to Tasmania. The eight locomotives became

320-657: A hotel, restaurant and bar. The town is linked to Wellington and Masterton by New Zealand State Highway 2 , a scenic mountain route peaking at the Remutaka summit. The town was previously linked to Wellington and Masterton by a branch rail line. In the 1870s, when the Public Works Department announced that the Wairarapa Line railway between Featherston and Masterton was not going to pass through Greytown, local protests were successful in attaining approval for

384-763: A population density of 580 people per km . Greytown had a population of 2,466 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 228 people (10.2%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 363 people (17.3%) since the 2006 census . There were 1,044 households, comprising 1,176 males and 1,287 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.91 males per female. The median age was 51.5 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 429 people (17.4%) aged under 15 years, 243 (9.9%) aged 15 to 29, 1,077 (43.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 726 (29.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 93.6% European/ Pākehā , 9.1% Māori , 1.9% Pasifika , 2.3% Asian , and 1.5% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas

448-424: A standard on all subsequent NZR designs. With a maximum 9.3 tons axle loading on the driving wheels, the new locomotive would have a wide radius of action. Tractive effort was calculated at 15,330lbs with a working boiler pressure of 200psi. Forty-one engines of the type were built: Of the forty-one W class locomotives built, thirty-nine were built for NZR. The other two were built by A & G Price of Thames for

512-452: A twenty-acre farmlet in Udy Street which he planted with a mixture of soft fruits (blackcurrants & gooseberries) and apple trees. They made the improvement to the orchard, their main purpose in life, continually experimenting with propagating new varieties of apples. Their experiments with cross pollination resulted in the fixing of several commercial varieties, the most notable of which are

576-480: A variety of locomotives serving in this capacity. In the early years, the job was handled by an L or NZR D class (1874)class (2-4-0T), and occasionally by a [NZR C class (1873) class. Later, two 1903-built L class (4-4-2T] locomotives were allocated to the branch, alternately based at Greytown and Cross Creek, being swapped as required. In the late 1930s they were replaced by W class 2-6-4 T locomotives, both of which were converted for one-man operation. In its heyday

640-638: A volunteer organisation. The Wellington Gliding Club operates from the Greytown Soaring Centre in Papawai, approximately 4 km east of Greytown on Tilsons Road. NZR Wf class The NZR W class were steam locomotives designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways (NZR). Their wheel arrangement is described by the Whyte notation 2-6-4T and the first members of the class entered service in 1904. The locomotives were tank engines designed by

704-511: Is W 62, which had its boiler inspected in 1926. It was found the boiler had only two years of life left, and notice was given that the engine should not be used after 1928. The locomotive soldiered on, and was the last engine in steam on the Nelson Section in 1956. In 1955, Addington Workshops fitter Noel Mather was sent to Nelson due to the failure of all four W class locomotives. At that time, W 62 had been withdrawn earlier that year due to

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768-559: Is a regular spot for visitors. The 5 km rail trail winds through quiet farmland, native plantings and heritage trees to Woodside Station, with great views of the Tararua Ranges. Greytown was marketed as "The fruit bowl of the Wairarapa" when fruit was grown on the west of the town with orchards like Westhaven and Pinehaven. The Kidds came to Greytown in 1906 from Wanganui where they had been engaged in fruit growing. In 1910 they bought

832-514: Is the second-oldest cricket club in New Zealand, and 10 years older than Test cricket . It has been the powerhouse of the Wairarapa competition, with all three Senior teams winning their competitions in the 2005–06 season, and almost repeating the feat (two out of three) in 2006–07. There are over 30 sports clubs in Greytown which come under the umbrella of Greytown Community Sport and Leisure Society,

896-519: Is unique in that the magnificent carved ancestors that surround the pā face inward. In the late 19th century the wharenui was an important site of Te Kotahitanga , the Māori parliament movement. In the 1890s sessions were held at Pāpāwai, and were reported in Huia Tangata Kotahi , a Māori-language newspaper published by Īhāia Hūtana from 1893 to 1895. A large building was constructed at Pāpāwai to house

960-562: The Public Works Department to persuade them to change the route, but to no avail. In order to placate them, the Public Works Department offered to investigate the possibility of constructing a branch line to connect the town to the main line. Initial investigations concluded costs would be reasonable, and a survey was carried out in 1876. However, because of the Department's focus on other projects then underway, no further work on

1024-652: The Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) found itself unable to manage the increased tonnages it was being made to handle. Many older locomotives which had been withdrawn and were due to be scrapped were returned to service but a shortage of locomotives remained. The Chief Mechanical Engineer, H. J. Bennett, wrote to the CME of the New Zealand Government Railways, P. R. Angus, requesting a book of engineering drawings of NZR locomotives, and also asking if

1088-442: The Wairarapa Line . Greytown has two schools: Greytown Rugby club, established in 1877, is one of the oldest in the country. New Zealand rugby representatives from the Greytown club were: Cricket has a long history in Greytown. On New Year's Day 1867, festivities at Greytown included men's and women's cricket matches – the first known instance of women's cricket in New Zealand. Greytown Cricket Club, established later in 1867,

1152-558: The Kidd’s Orange Red, Freyburg and Gala which is grown worldwide. The town is proud of its history, claiming to have the most complete main street of Victorian architecture in the country, and of being the first planned inland town. It has played on these assets, creating a revival largely based on its architecture. Retailers like the butcher have changed their 1970s street frontage to a more Victorian one. The town recognises that buildings need to be maintained in order to maintain

1216-474: The NZR had any locomotives it could sell to TGR, enquiring in particular to the W class 4-6-4T tank locomotives. Angus advised Bennett that the NZR could not spare any W class locomotives as they were indispensable to NZR. He instead offered the W class 2-6-4T as a suitable design that could be released due to the conversion of locomotives of classes B (4-8-0) and C (2-6-2) to heavy shunting locomotives. The W class

1280-468: The Nelson Section W 's show that the brake hoses had been removed, although W 397 sported brake hoses for a time in 1956. Most of the Nelson Section's rolling stock was not air-braked, and so the brake hoses were removed. The remainder of the brake piping remained in case there was ever need to re-equip these locomotives to run with air-braked trains. Immediately following the Great Depression in 1936,

1344-498: The Nelson Section. It was followed in turn by W 62 in 1919 and W 395 in 1925, with the last, W 397 arriving from Auckland in July 1937. All four locomotives were fitted with non-superheated or saturated, boilers. The four Nelson locomotives were never fitted with superheaters. Instead, they were equipped with smokebox blowdown valves on the right-hand side of the locomotive, the only NZR locomotives to be fitted with this modification. This

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1408-518: The Picton Section between 1915 and 1936. By the time of the final Picton transfer in 1936 there were six engines - the seventh, W 398, had been returned to the North Island three years previously in 1933. The majority of the class, however, settled down to suburban and branch line duties. From 1935 onwards, two engines of this class, W 's 398 and 400, were converted to one-man operation by lowering

1472-590: The Public Works Department in 1906, who allocated them numbers PWD 501 and 502. These locomotives were taken over by the NZR in 1909, and were renumbered as W 467 and W 468 respectively. The W class was designed primarily for suburban duties, although the class saw a wider sphere of operations; during their early years several ran mainline trains in Taranaki for a time before being replaced by larger engines. Four were later dispatched to Nelson, while seven others (numbers 389/90/93/98/432/34/68) were sent at various times to

1536-542: The Railways Department's Chief Mechanical Engineer A. L. Beattie , and were mainly built for suburban duties such as those between Christchurch and Lyttelton . They also saw main-line service in the Taranaki region, but most of the class members were assigned to branch line and local services throughout the country. Two were experimentally converted to oil burners in 1909-1910. The tests were satisfactory, but as coal

1600-554: The TGR DS class on arrival and entry into service, receiving road numbers DS 1-8. They were used on suburban service in and around Hobart and also for shunting and short-haul freight work. The locomotives were not particularly successful as the TGR used soft coal, on which the W class were known to be reluctant steamers. Certain engines also suffered from reliability concerns, which later led to trial modifications made to DS 7 (W 434) by shortening

1664-417: The W class locomotives, and the arrival of the larger engines allowed for the smaller D and F class locomotives to be withdrawn, and in the case of the D class engines, transfer to other parts of the NZR network or sale to industrial users. The first of an eventual four locomotives of this class to be brought to the Nelson Section, W 404, arrived in 1915 and replaced D 144, one of the original locomotives on

1728-712: The Wairarapa Combined District Plan. The Greytown Hotel claims to be one of New Zealand's oldest surviving hotels. One of the Victorian-style buildings on Main Street is The White Swan Hotel . This building was originally constructed in 1905 as a railways administration block in Woburn , Lower Hutt . In 2002, it was cut into six sections, transported over the Remutaka Hill road, re-assembled and renovated to become

1792-449: The branch had six staff, but reductions in 1931 pared this back to one, who was stationmaster, porter, shunter, guard, and general factotum. As the branch had only one locomotive in steam at any time, the only signal was a home signal protecting Woodside. The branch narrowly avoided closure after the 1931 Royal Commission, and despite attempts to encourage more trade traffic continued to decline. During its last years it received little in

1856-556: The branch to be worked by horses: with traffic already declining it was considered too expensive for a locomotive. When no tenders were forthcoming, the department based its smallest locomotive at Greytown. Despite traffic not meeting expectations, Greytown handled around 6,000 outward passengers and 2,000 tons of freight annually for many years. With the erection of stock yards, livestock traffic started at 160 pigs and 15 sheep, and these numbers grew substantially. Beef cattle were not conveyed in notable numbers until many years later. In

1920-507: The branch was reported to be "very satisfactory"; while certainly the case for goods traffic, it is doubtful that this applied to passenger traffic with an average of four passengers per train. The only excursion train from Greytown transported picnickers, including many children, to Cross Creek on 29 May 1880. It was found that the destination was not suitable, and a suggestion for the next excursion to take revellers to Kaitoke never went ahead. Four months after opening tenders were called for

1984-575: The coal bunker and fitting one continuous back window to the cab, and allocated to work the Greytown Branch. One locomotive would be kept at Cross Creek during the week while the other was stationed at Greytown, and would swap around when the Greytown engine needed to come to Cross Creek for servicing. Both locomotives were withdrawn on closure of the Greytown Branch; W 400 in December 1955, while W 398 remained in service for several months primarily to run

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2048-704: The community. The Māori name for Greytown is Hūpēnui, the literal translation of which is "the big snot", better translated as "the fluid that comes out of your nose at a tangi or funeral". In October 2020, the Government committed $ 2,179,654 from the Provincial Growth Fund to upgrade Ngāi Tumapuhia a Rangi ki Okautete , Motuwairaka , Pāpāwai, Kohunui , Hurunui o Rangi and Te Oreore marae. The projects were expected to create 19.8 full time jobs. Greytown covers 5.07 km (1.96 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 2,940 as of June 2024, with

2112-473: The demolition trains and during which time it moved the Greytown station building to Woodside Junction to become the new goods shed there. In 1909, trials were conducted with W 436 to see if a solution could be found to reducing the amount of smoke produced by engines passing through the Lyttelton Tunnel. 436 was briefly converted to oil-firing for this purpose, but although the tests were satisfactory, oil

2176-411: The fiscal year ended 31 March 1884, 6,386 passenger fares were issued at Greytown, while freight traffic had risen to 4,721 tons outward and 1,051 tons inward. Consigned livestock rose gradually at first, but increased rapidly in the early 1900s to peak at more than 13,000 head in 1909-1910. This traffic remained high until the introduction of lorry transport in the 1920s, but was always a minor player in

2240-407: The formation is marked by fences and rows of trees. The former railway formation between Cotter Street, Greytown and Woodside has been developed as a walkway and cycleway, mainly for recreational use, but also for the benefit of commuters accessing rail services at Woodside Railway Station. This was possible, in part, because the route has " paper road " status. A group of local residents advocating

2304-658: The historic tree register is in the process of being updated in collaboration with the Greytown Community Board and South Wairarapa District Council. Pāpāwai Marae is located east of Greytown. It is affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu hapū of Ngāti Kahukuranui o Kahungunu Kauiti , Ngāti Meroiti and Ngāti Moe , and the Rangitāne hapū of Ngāti Meroiti , Ngāti Moe , Ngāti Tauiao and Ngāti Tūkoko . The marae's meeting house, named Hikurangi, dates from 1888 and

2368-520: The hulk of 395 was stripped of all useful components and the rest was broken up for scrap. W 's 62 and 404 were used to run the demolition trains, while W 397 remained at Nelson as the spare engine. However, 397 was only used once on the demolition trains in April 1956, only to be failed when it dropped a fusible plug. The locomotive was not repaired as both 62 and 404 were in reasonable condition, and therefore 397 would only need to be resurrected should one of

2432-428: The idea submitted a proposal to the Greytown Community Board which was subsequently approved after landowners along the route consented to the use of their land for the project. The trail was built using volunteer labour, with the first stage from Cotter Street to Woodside Road opening on 6 November 2011. After securing funding of $ 30,000 towards the completion of the second stage from Woodside Road to Woodside Station, it

2496-542: The idea was done at the time. In 1878, the project was again promoted and this time authorised. A second survey was conducted in January 1879, with design work completed and tenders for the formation and buildings called for in June of that year. The successful contractor for the formation completed the work between 11 November 1879 and 10 January 1880. Two separate contracts were let, for the Greytown station buildings and for fencing

2560-578: The listed buildings under conservation plans and now ranks as the top thing to see in Greytown on Trip Advisor . Heritage buildings are recorded by the Greytown Heritage Trust. The Greytown Heritage Trust was formed with the primary object of encouraging and facilitating the preservation of historic buildings in and around Greytown, with particular attention being given to the Greytown Historic Heritage Precinct as defined in

2624-489: The livestock trade compared with Masterton, Carterton, and Featherston. Passenger traffic never reached expectations. The population of the town grew rapidly in the 1870s, but the extension of the railway from Woodside to Masterton on 1 November 1880, making the Greytown line a branch line, helped Masterton become the dominant town in the district. Between 1905 and 1915 trains between Greytown and Woodside were increased to six return trains daily, Monday to Saturday. Thereafter

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2688-402: The new engine was 10,260lbs, considerably less than the 12,890lbs of the slightly smaller NZR W class 2-6-2T, and that a new boiler with a greater working pressure of 140psi would be required to have made the conversion of any real use. It was considered uneconomic to fit new boilers to the old V class frames and running gear, which would have retained the obsolete Stephenson link motion and so

2752-404: The number of trains fluctuated: in 1946 five were scheduled, and by 1952 this had been cut to two. Though by this time there was still a passenger car attached to the train, few passengers were carried (often none), and the trains only infrequently hauled freight wagons. The last train ran on 24 December 1953. A single-stall engine shed was the home for the locomotive that worked the branch, with

2816-504: The other two locomotives fail. All three remaining W class locomotives were withdrawn in December 1956 when the dismantling of the railway was completed. At the time there was a consideration to dismantling the locomotives and transporting them to Picton. This did not eventuate, and the three locomotives were scrapped in 1957. Any useful parts were then taken on to Picton and used as spares for their two W class locomotives. Although equipped with Westinghouse compressor pumps, photographs of

2880-418: The parliament, used for sessions in 1897 and 1898. The parliament passed a resolution to end the sale of Māori land and was visited by Governor General Lord Ranfurly, and by Premier Richard Seddon . From the 1910s Pāpāwai fell into disrepair, and little was done until the 1960s when conservation work was carried out on the carved figures. In the late 1980s the marae was fully restored, and is again in full use by

2944-480: The proposal lapsed in favour of developing the last three engines of the W class 2-6-2T tank locomotives, nos. 50, 68, and 137. In 1903, chief draftsman G. A. Pearson designed what was to become the eventual W class tank locomotive. The new locomotive proposed was a modestly-sized 2-6-4T tank locomotive with 45-inch driving wheels and an adhesive weight of just under 27 tons. The Walschaerts valve gear actuated inside-admission piston valves, which would later become

3008-492: The rack section of the line. DS 1 was first to be withdrawn in 1953 and was used as spare parts for Regatta Point-based DS 4, which was withdrawn later that year. These locomotives were fired on a mix of 60% Tasmanian soft coal and 40% NSW hard coal, which delivered a better result in steaming. During 1953 the Emu Bay Railway required a shunting locomotive to work in their Burnie yard. TGR appropriately reactivated DS 5, which

3072-428: The right of way. Both these contracts were completed on time. The first scheduled services ran on 14 May 1880, a morning and afternoon mixed return service between Wellington and Greytown , an extension of the existing services between Wellington and Featherston , an extra 35 minutes being allocated for the extra distance. A locomotive, usually a member of the L class , was based at Greytown. Initial traffic on

3136-508: The smokebox by 520mm and fitting a narrower 'Master Mechanics' funnel. This modification was successful, but despite the order to equip more engines with this modification, DS 7 remained the sole engine with this alteration. The first four locomotives were identifiable from the later four by several distinguishing features: The locomotives were all fitted with three-link screw couplings, vacuum brakes in place of Westinghouse air brakes, Detroit sight-feed lubricators, and electric marker lights on

3200-460: The smokebox saddle. It had been steaming poorly, and its valves were out of time, requiring some attention. Eventually, 62, 397, and 404 were returned to service. The first of the Nelson Section W 's to be scrapped was W 395. There are no photographs showing W 395 in service after 1951, indicating that it was probably withdrawn sometime during that year, although it lingered at Nelson as a source of spare parts for another five years. In March 1956,

3264-684: The smokebox side and bunker to make them suitable for TGR service. With the arrival of the new DP railmotors and the V class 0-6-0DM diesel shunters (mechanically similar to the D class), these locomotives were progressively withdrawn from 1951 when DS 2 was withdrawn. The last, DS 7, was withdrawn from TGR service in 1958. DS 1 and DS 4 were sold in 1951 and 1952 respectively to the Mount Lyell Railway & Mining Company, who operated them until 1953. The locomotives were used mostly between Regatta Point-Dubbil Barril and Rinadeena-Queenstown, and had their cowcatchers removed to facilitate transfer over

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3328-574: The soldiers' memorial park is very popular during long weekends and holidays. Swimming is free at the Greytown Memorial Park which remains a monument to the men of Greytown who gave their lives in both World Wars. Within the park are 117 lime trees, planted in 1922 to commemorate the 117 soldiers from the community who died in WW1. With cycling becoming increasingly popular the Woodside Rail Trail

3392-587: The title of New Zealand's Most Beautiful Small Town 2017 (pop less than 5,000). Greytown was first settled on 27 March 1854 under the Small Farms Association Settlement Scheme and was named after Governor Sir George Grey , who arranged for the land to be bought from local Māori . It became a Borough in 1878 and a ward of the South Wairarapa District Council in 1989. The first Arbor Day celebration in New Zealand

3456-450: The town's charm and in 2016–2017 six significant building were restored/painted. This formed part of Greytown's submission for the most beautiful small town in New Zealand. Cobblestones Museum , a regional history museum, on 167 Main Street, contains six Historic Places Trust category 2 buildings. In 2014 it opened a new exhibition building which showcases Greytown and Wairarapa history. It has embarked on an ambitious plan to restore all

3520-453: The way of maintenance. The end for the branch came after the 1952 Royal Commission. With revenue not covering even a tenth of the running costs, the decision to close was made after 73 years of operation. The rails were lifted and sold in 1954. The locomotive shed was sold and the station building moved to Woodside to begin a new life as a goods shed. The only remnants of the terminus are the goods shed and loading bank. For much of its length

3584-440: Was $ 32,200, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 417 people (20.5%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 921 (45.2%) people were employed full-time, 330 (16.2%) were part-time, and 42 (2.1%) were unemployed. Greytown is a popular weekend and holiday destination. The main street has a number of boutique, antique stores and cafés . The official camping ground next to

3648-447: Was 18.2, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.5% had no religion, 38.1% were Christian , 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs , 0.2% were Hindu , 0.4% were Buddhist and 1.6% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 543 (26.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 327 (16.1%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income

3712-479: Was at that time three times more expensive than coal, and so W 436 was reconverted to coal firing. Eventually, the problem was solved by the electrification of the line between Christchurch and Lyttelton in 1929 when the E class entered service. The isolated Nelson Section received four W class locomotives from the 1920s onwards to replace its stud of smaller locomotives, primarily the D class 2-4-0T and F 0-6-2T tank locomotives. These locomotives were smaller than

3776-800: Was by now largely confined to shunting work, except for those allocated to the isolated Picton and Nelson sections. TGR agreed to purchase a batch of four W class locomotives in 1939. Accordingly, Angus wrote to the District Mechanical Engineers in Wellington and Christchurch, before asking James Binstead, the DME for the South Island, to select four W class locomotives for sale. On receipt of this request, locomotives W 's 381, 385, 436 and 437 were withdrawn and transferred to Hillside Workshops for overhaul and rebuilding to TGR specifications. TGR purchased

3840-415: Was held in Greytown on 3 July 1890. Greytown Beautification Society has done a lot to keep the spirit alive for many years, especially Stella Bull Park and the park bench in the park dedicated to her, which states, "Only God can make a Tree". The town has many beautiful trees and a register is kept to help protect them. The Tree Advisory Group to the Greytown Community Board actively works to preserve trees and

3904-475: Was intended to increase the steaming capacity of the locomotives, making it easier to eject the ash, cinders and soot that would collect in the smokeboxes of the locomotives. A small port on the left-hand side of the smokebox was opened to assist this process, allowing one of the crew to brush down the smokebox and clean the spark arrestor. The locomotives were not known to be in the best condition due to decades of deferred maintenance at Nelson. One example of this

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3968-454: Was much cheaper than oil at the time, no further conversions took place. There were 41 in the class; built by Addington Workshops (10), Hillside Workshops (16), and A & G Price of Thames (15). In 1902, a drawing was made showing a 2-6-4T tank locomotive, based on a proposal to convert the NZR V class 2-6-2 tender locomotives to tank locomotives. It was noted that the tractive effort of

4032-459: Was opened on 3 February 2013 completing the Greytown – Woodside link. Greytown, New Zealand Greytown ( Māori : Hūpēnui ), population 2,202 (at the 2013 Census ), is a rural town in the centre of the Wairarapa region of New Zealand, in the lower North Island . It is 80 km north-east of Wellington and 25 kilometres southwest of Masterton , on State Highway 2 . It was awarded

4096-639: Was sent to Burnie and worked there for several months. It was later returned to TGR, and was finally written off and scrapped in 1956 at the Launceston Railway Workshops. Today, the last remnant of the DS class (other than the New Zealand Railways builders' plates) is the superheated boiler from DS 8 (W 392), owned by the Van Diemen's Light Railway Society and stored at their Don River Railway . It

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