The Canterbury Railway Society is an organisation of railway enthusiasts based in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island, best known for their operation of The Ferrymead Railway at the Ferrymead Heritage Park.
Beginnings The Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society was formed in the late 1950s. In its early years, one of its major activities was in the operation of passenger excursions on the national rail network, then operated by the New Zealand Railways Department. In that era, there were far more excursion trains than there are today, and far more railway lines in general, including the many branch lines that were closed in the 1960s and 1970s. Steam traction was used in the South Island for longer than in the North Island, and a variety of motive power could be found on any of these trains.
Aside from a handful of locomotives placed on public display, little thought up to this time had been given to any serious notion of rail preservation. The catalyst proved to be the wholesale scrapping of steam traction which began in the mid 1950s and continued until 1971 when the last JA class locomotives were withdrawn from the Main South Line. In addition at this time, a large number of branch lines were closed and ripped up, and some of the earliest preservation efforts were based on these closed lines, while others took advantage of the opportunity to obtain cheap supplies of recovered rail materials for use elsewhere.
The idea of becoming involved in railway preservation in New Zealand did not become a reality for any group in New Zealand until the 1960s, when New Zealand Railways accelerated the pace of dieselisation, resulting in wholesale scrapping of its steam locomotive fleet. At that time, there was a nationwide move to save railway equipment which resulted in the large-scale purchase of locomotives and rolling stock and the establishment of the major preservation sites in New Zealand.
Ferrymead Railway The Ferrymead Railway has been the main project of the Canterbury branch since 1964. The railway has been established on the historical site of New Zealand's first public railway which opened in 1863 and closed in 1867. The railway runs from a station at the Ferrymead Heritage Park Edwardian village north-east to a small station alongside the Heathcote River. Work on the site had progressed sufficiently far by 1972 to allow train running to begin, and the railway officially opened in 1977. It was the major focus of 1988's Rail 125 commemorations, a celebration of 125 years of railways in New Zealand, and it has hosted numerous local events since, often in conjunction with the Ferrymead Heritage Park or other rail preservation societies.
Other activities As noted above, excursion trains were a major early activity of the Canterbury branch. It also held monthly members' meetings, often on railway premises, and organised special conventions and festivals. In the diesel era, the most notable of these was the aforementioned Rail 125. Passenger shuttle services and excursions operated daily throughout the week of this festival, which was attended by locomotives, rolling stock and railfans from all around the country. Following the reintroduction of excursions to the NZR mainline in the late 1970s, the branch or individual members operated a number of diesel hauled trains, and were well placed to take advantage of the reintroduction of mainline steam in the mid 1980s.
Changes in New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society (NZRLS) membership rules in 1984 resulted in the elimination of membership of Local Branches of the NZRLS. When the requirement for full membership of the parent society began to be enforced there was a move for the Canterbury Branch to follow the lead of the former Auckland, Wellington and Otago branches and form a separate Society. Constitutional amendments were passed in 1990 which resulted in the branch becoming the independent Canterbury Railway Society.
During the 1990s, the restructuring and privatisation of New Zealand Railways had a major impact upon the activities of many rail societies. Excursion train costs rose substantially and the number of such trains operated annually dropped off dramatically. Such trains then became mainly the preserve of two or three larger organisations with their own passenger carriage and/or locomotive fleets. Changes in employment law and working patterns for most New Zealand citizens resulted also in a major reduction in voluntary resources for groups all around the country. In general, this has resulted in most other activities of the Canterbury Railway Society dropping away, and the Society is now exclusively based at Ferrymead and forms most of its activities around the site.
Locomotives, railcars and rolling stock Ex-NZR steam locomotives Key:In serviceIn service, Mainline CertifiedUnder overhaul/restorationStoredStatic displayScrapped Number Names Builder Builders number Year built Year arrived Notes C 864 NZR Hillside Workshops 272 Purchased in 1971, and arrived in the following year. Operated from 1972 to 1982 when withdrawn for overhaul. Returned to in 1984, and used until 1994 for tender repairs and tyre replacement. Currently in storage. D 140 Scott Brothers 36 Donated in 1968. Operated 2003 to 2013. Recently returned to service after overhaul. F 12 Yorkshire Engine Company 241 1874 1968 Purchased in 1967. In storage. F 13 Peveril Neilson Brothers 1692 Originally named Edie Ochiltree. Donated in 1967. Recommissioned on 21 April 1984 after overhaul. Withdrawn from service in 1994, and overhauled again from 2006 to 2015. Re-entered service on 5 January 2015, and officially recommissioned on 3 April 2015. It is New Zealand's oldest operating locomotive. W 192 NZR Addington Workshops 1 Operated from 2003 to 2014. Currently out of service awaiting a 10-year overhaul. Owned by the Rail Heritage Trust. WD 357 Baldwin Locomotive Works 19261 Donated in 1967. Restored 1987–88. Operated until 2001. Now stored. First locomotive to run on the Ferrymead Railway. WF 393 A & G Price 5 1904 1968 Donated in 1968. Currently on static display in the Hall of Wheels at Ferrymead.
Ex-Industrial steam locomotives Key:In serviceIn service, Mainline CertifiedUnder overhaul/restorationStoredStatic displayScrapped Type Names Builder Builders number Year built Arrived Notes Bagnall The Gasbag WG Bagnall 1857 1909 1970 Ex-Christchurch Gas works. Donated to the CRS in 1970 Leased to the Pleasant Point Museum and Railway for restoration in 1979, Returned in 1994. In outside storage. Barclay Andrew Barclay Sons & Co 1894 1926 1961 Ex-Lake Brunner Saw Milling Co., Ruru. In outside storage. Last steam locomotive imported to work on a bush tramway. CB A & G Price 113 1927 1968 Ex-New Forest Sawmilling, Ngahere. Donated in 1968. Restored in 1975, and overhauled again in 1981 and 1998. Stored since 2008 Heisler Stearns Manufacturing Co. 1450 1922 1966 Ex-New Forest Sawmilling Company. Donated in 1966. Arrived with a current boiler ticket and operated during the early days of the Ferrymead Railway. It is now currently stored.. Manning Wardle Kermit Manning Wardle 1841 1914 1975 Ex-Christchurch Meat Company, Islington. Donated in 1975 and restored to working order. Withdrawn from service in 1985.
NZR diesel locomotives Key:In serviceIn service, Mainline CertifiedUnder overhaul/restorationStoredStatic displayScrapped Original class and number TMS class and number Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes TR 22 TR 91 Drewry 2101 1939 1985 Entered service in March 1939 for the NZR. Withdrawn in May 1985 and purchased by the Diesel Traction Group in that year. Used for a shunter for years until being loaned to the CRS. In 1996 it was sold to the society. In 2010 it was taken out of service. In 2012 it returned to service in a yellow livery. PWD 2112 TR 54 Hudswell Clarke D599 1936 1966 Entered service in 1936 for the Public Works Department as PWD 2112. It was purchased by the NZR in February 1956 and reclassified TR 54. It was withdrawn in October 1966. This is the smallest locomotive at the Ferrymead Heritage Park, and it weighs only four tonnes. It is powered by a Paxman Ricardo diesel engine of 40 hp driving through a 3 speed gearbox with a top speed of 15 km/h. It is now stored unserviceable. TR 111 442 A & G Price 208 Entered NZR service in November 1963. Withdrawn and sold to Reid McNaught. In 2006 it was leased to the Taieri Gorge Railway (now Dunedin Railways). In October in the same year it was repainted into the NZR Midland Red livery and took part in the Dunedin Railway Stations 100th birthday celebrations. It was then sold in 2009 to the TGR. It was sold to the society in July 2015. It is currently on loan to Weka Pass Railway TR 156 TR 592 WG Bagnall 3105 1957 February 1999 Entered service in July 1957 for the NZR. Withdrawn and purchased by the CRS in December 1998. It arrived on site in February 1999 and was restored in the NZR Midland Red livery later that year. In addition: In October 2013 Dunedin Railways DJ 1209 took part for the NZ Rail 150 celebrations at Ferrymead. A recent purchase from Oamaru Steam and Rail has now added DSA No. 234 to the collection.
Electric locomotives Key:In serviceIn service, Mainline CertifiedUnder overhaul/restorationStoredStatic displayScrapped Original class and number TMS class and number Builder Builders number Year built Arrived Notes EC 7 English Electric 723 1928 1972 Entered service in February 1929 for the NZR for the Lyttelton Tunnel. Withdrawn in September 1970. It was stored at the Linwood until being purchased by the CRS in 1972, then it was moved to the Ferrymead. Stored until 1977 when it was moved to the railway. In October 1988 the 'EC' took part in the Ferrymead 125 cavalcade. In November the same year it was officially commissioned on the electrified section of the railway. ED 103 ED 21 NZR Hutt Workshops 355 1939 September 1983 Entered service in June 1939 for the NZR. Withdrawn on 7 November 1981 and sold to the New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society and displayed at their Seaview base. It was then sold to the CRS in 1983 and arrived in September the same year. In 1988 it was repainted red and took part in the Ferrymead 125 cavalcade in October the same year. It has been stored since. EO 3 English Electric 524 1922 1972 Entered service on 4 August 1923 for the NZR for the Otira Tunnel as E 3. It was reclassified 'EO' for them not be confused with the 'EC' class of 1928. Withdrawn in April 1968 due to being replaced by the 1967 built EA class locomotives. It was stored from April 1968 to 1972 when it was purchased by the CRS and arrived at the Ferrymead Heritage Park. Stored until 1977 when it was restored. In October 1988 the 'EO' took part in the Ferrymead 125 cavalcade. It received a Restoration Award from the National Federation of Railway Societies in 1996. EW 1806 EW 171 Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 1736/E7492 1952 September 1983 Entered service in November 1952 for the NZR. It was derailed at Paekākāriki on 16 September 1961 after hitting a slip. Withdrawn in November 1987 and sold to the CRS. Arrived in that year. It took part in the Ferrymead 125 cavalcade. Restoration work was underway until 2011 when the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes struck, although some work has been carried out since then. In addition: In June 1998, a year after the end of the Otira electrification EOs 45 and 74 were leased to the CRS for storage and display in June 1998. In November 1999 EOs 39, 51 and 68 were transferred to Ferrymead as well. 45, 68 and 74 operated at the park ark on a number of times occasions including Easter Weekend in 2000. Three of the EOs were moved to Picton in 2004 while the other two stayed until 2008.
Railcars Key:In serviceIn service, Mainline CertifiedUnder overhaul/restorationStoredStatic displayScrapped