87-478: The Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) is a heritage steam railway in Glenbrook, New Zealand . The GVR is run by a trust board of three trustees elected and appointed from Railway Enthusiasts Society (RES) membership. The board appoints a general manager who is responsible for day-to-day operation. The 7.4 km (4.6 mi) long railway carries up to 30,000 passengers during the normal operating season, which
174-496: A heavy rail metro line. Although the use of heavy rail also refers to rapid transit as with American parlance, it is characterized as electrified passenger rail services that use 8- or 10-car trains. This is then distinguished from light rail used to describe medium-capacity rail systems such as the LRT Line 1 and MRT Line 3 , and medium rail which is a regular rapid transit system operated with fewer train cars such as
261-465: A car and wagon shop in the north yard (specialising in carpentry and paint work) and three carriage storage sheds. The railway has been recognised on numerous occasions at the annual Federation of Rail Organisations NZ (formerly National Federation of Rail Societies) conference awards evening for various locomotive and carriage restorations. Each track in a carriage shed holds between three and four standard 50 ft (15.24 m) carriages. As an example
348-409: A fleet of carriages, known as the "mainline fleet", formerly owned by the parent body ( Railway Enthusiasts Society ) and leased to the railway. The fleet has undergone an overhaul and re-certification with KiwiRail . Excursions have seen them tour all around New Zealand, including to Gisborne, New Plymouth, Whakatāne , Bay of Islands, Wellington, Christchurch, Arthurs Pass and Timaru. Turned out in
435-402: A guard's van and an open car. In 1985, J 1250 (along with K 945) hauled the first mainline steam excursion from Auckland to Wellington and return. This was the first steam excursion to run after NZR lifted their ban on steam traction. In 1986, an extension was completed to Fernleigh, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Glenbrook. On 5 December 1986, DC 4444 and six Cityrail branded carriages made
522-619: A large collection of freight rolling stock, mostly consisting of tank wagons used for oil and water storage, some of which are mainline certified. These wagons are largely of the UC class, although there is one example of each of the UCA and URK wagons preserved. The group also has a number of KP, ZA, and ZL class box wagons for use as secure storage for locomotive and carriage parts, along with several other general-use goods wagons. UCA 223 Mainline Steam operate regular excursions using steam locomotives from
609-648: A mainly above-ground suburban rail network serving Greater London , the London Overground , which took over Silverlink Metro routes. Confusingly, the term overground is also used to refer to National Rail networks within London generally, or any non-London Underground rail service in everyday speech The term metro is not usually used to describe metro systems in German-speaking areas (Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland), instead using
696-691: A metro system, is nonetheless officially classified as being heavy rail . In North America, the American Public Transportation Association defines a heavy-rail system as an electric railway with the capacity to handle a heavy volume of traffic. The term is often used to distinguish it from light rail systems, which usually handle a smaller volume of passengers. In North America, heavy rail can also refer to rapid transit , when referring to systems with heavier passenger loadings than light rail systems, but distinct from commuter rail and intercity rail systems. It
783-702: A range of historic rolling stock and locomotives. These events usually run with resident locomotives and rolling stock, although visiting locomotives have occasionally made appearances, such as the Museum of Transport & Technology 's (MOTAT) L 507, which attended the 2009 Railfan Festival. Steam festivals combine displays of various steam-powered vehicles on one major site. The Glenbrook Vintage Railway staged its first festival in Easter 2002, to celebrate its Silver Jubilee. A myriad of visiting railway locomotives, steam boats, miniature locomotives, static steam engines and even
870-402: A round trip taking approximately 60 minutes. The return journey consists of a 20-minute non-stop run from Glenbrook to Victoria Avenue, a five-minute stop where the engine runs round the train, a ten-minute run back to Pukeoware Workshops, a 15-minute workshop inspection visit and a ten-minute run back to Glenbrook. When the train is not at Glenbrook station hand jigger rides are available within
957-409: A steam-powered car were features. Trains operated on a half-hourly basis each of the four days of the festival and the visiting Pleasant Point Model T railcar also operated in the schedule. Two DC locomotives pulled a special train on Saturday from Wellsford to Glenbrook and back (and associated empty runs from Otahuhu to Wellsford and back before and after the passenger service) to bring patrons to
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#17327930520271044-446: A system devised by Frank J. Sprague , in which a spring-loaded trolley pole pushed a small trolley wheel up against an overhead wire to collect electricity for the motors. Although not the first overhead collection system, it was far more reliable than its predecessors, and eventually became used by almost all streetcars. Some authorities believe that the vehicle became known as a trolley car because it reminded people (particularly on
1131-792: A transit sense refers to a rapid transit heavy rail system that goes underground. The term may refer only to the underground parts of the system, or to the full system. Subway is most commonly used in the United States and the English-speaking parts of Canada , though the term is also used elsewhere, such as to describe the Glasgow Subway in Scotland, and in translation of system names or descriptions in some Asian and Latin American cities. In some cities where subway
1218-556: Is a British English term referring to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". These lighter standards allow lower costs of operation at the price of slower operating speeds and lower vehicle capacity. They were permitted under the Light Railways Act 1896 and intended to bring railways to rural areas. The London Docklands Light Railway , has more rapid transit style features than would be typical of light rail systems, but fits within
1305-553: Is a growing desire to push the Federal Transit Administration to help fund these startup lines as well. Light rail is generally powered by electricity, usually by means of overhead wires , but sometimes by a live rail , also called third rail (a high voltage bar alongside the track), requiring safety measures and warnings to the public not to touch it. In some cases, particularly when initial funds are limited, diesel -powered versions have been used, but it
1392-473: Is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~80 km/h (50 mph)) and rapid acceleration. It uses passenger railcars operating singly or in multiple unit trains on fixed rails. It operates on separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded (i.e. is fully grade-separated from other traffic). The APTA definition also includes the use sophisticated signaling systems , and high platform loading . Originally,
1479-426: Is an American term for streetcar systems that use vehicles that were built before 1960, or modern replicas of such vehicles. Cable car is an American word for a passenger rail vehicle attached to a moving cable located below the street surface and powered by engines or motors at a central location, not on board the vehicle. There are cable cars operating in numerous cities, such as San Francisco . A light railway
1566-732: Is anticipated that some will not be shipped to New Zealand but remain in South Africa. The locomotives at Waterval Boven have reverted to the THF and are expected to be scrapped. Mainline Steam rosters a large fleet of carriages which will be formed into three trains: At present the stock for these trains are kept at Plimmerton and Middleton (with some MkII coaches stored at Feilding). A 2226 AO 209 AO 238 ASO 68 AO 100 AO 146 ASO 151 ASO 136 AO 123 AO 215 AO 19 AO 25 AO 60 A 2151 AO 31 EA 6709 AO 117 AO 48 AG 32 EA 7144 EAM 24 FM 3010 FM 3027 Mainline Steam has
1653-592: Is based on part of the old Waiuku branch line which opened in 1922 and closed from Glenbrook to Waiuku in 1967. The initial concept for a steam-powered tourist railway was initiated when the New Zealand Government Railways announced the closure of the line, which was a popular route for excursions operated by the RES. Re-construction of the GVR began in 1970, slashing back gorse that had overgrown
1740-567: Is characterized by high-speed, passenger rail cars running in separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded. Such passenger rail cars are almost always electrically driven , with power either drawn from an overhead line or an electrified third rail . In the Philippines , the North–South Commuter Railway has been described by Philippine National Railways general manager Junn Magno as
1827-420: Is currently on lease from KiwiRail and is intended to be used to power GVR's AO carriage fleet. Wooden Guard's Van F 394 (TMS F285) was built in 1913 and used on the 2008 Parliamentary Special and Governor's Special, in green livery. Steam railroad Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: A rapid transit system
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#17327930520271914-410: Is from October to June, and is also available for charter throughout the year. The railway is staffed and maintained by volunteers and RES membership provides automatic access to all activities as a volunteer. Special Events are often held, such as "Day Out With Thomas" weekends, Railfan Days (with display freight trains and other unique consists), Country and Western days and night steam runs. The GVR
2001-683: Is named to distinguish it from heavy rail , which refers to rapid transit systems as well as heavier regional rail / intercity rail . A few systems such as people movers and personal rapid transit could be considered as even "lighter", at least in terms of how many passengers are moved per vehicle and the speed at which they travel. Monorails are a separate technology. Light rail systems can typically handle steeper inclines than heavy rail, and curves sharp enough to fit within street intersections . They are typically built in urban areas, providing frequent service with multiple-unit trains or single cars. The most difficult distinction to draw
2088-545: Is not a preferred option. Some systems, such as AirTrain JFK in New York City, are automatic, dispensing with the need for a driver; however, such systems are not what is generally thought of as light rail, crossing over into rapid transit . Automatic operation is more common in smaller people mover systems than in light rail systems, where the possibility of grade crossings and street running make driverless operation of
2175-423: Is notable for having imported a number of African steam locomotives from South Africa and Zimbabwe (including a GMA/M Garratt), with more South African locomotives still overseas. It has also imported former British Rail Mark 2 carriages for use on its steam-hauled excursions and is in the process of overhauling them for New Zealand use. The organisation regularly operates excursions out of Auckland and Christchurch,
2262-440: Is often less expensive by a factor of two or more. Despite the increased cost, the more modern variation (which can be considered as "heavier" than old streetcar systems, even though it's called light rail ) is the dominant form of new urban rail transit in the United States . The Federal Transit Administration helps to fund many projects, but as of 2004, the rules to determine which projects will be funded are unfavorable toward
2349-431: Is regardless the general term for both types of system. Bus subways are uncommon but do exist, though in these cases the non-underground portions of route are not called subways. Until March 2019, Seattle had a downtown bus subway in which diesel-electric hybrid buses and light rail trains operated in a shared tunnel. The hybrid buses ran in electrical-only mode while traveling through the tunnel and overhead wires power
2436-425: Is that between light rail and streetcar / tram systems. There is a significant amount of overlap between the technologies, and it is common to classify streetcars/trams as a subtype of light rail rather than as a distinct type of transportation. The two general versions are: Many light rail systems – even fairly old ones – have a combination of the two, with both on-road and off-road sections. In some countries, only
2523-475: Is the site for the restored former Auckland 'B' signalbox . The box used to stand in the former Auckland yards, near Gladstone Rd, on the location where the current North Island Main Trunk line now passes to go towards Britomart Transport Centre . The box has been fully restored and received a Rail Heritage Trust of New Zealand Restoration Award in recognition of the work. The box controls all signals at Glenbrook,
2610-487: Is used, it refers to the entire system; in others, only to the portions that actually are underground. Naming practices often select one type of placement in a system where several are used; there are many subways with above-ground components, and on the other hand, the Vancouver SkyTrain and Chicago "L" include underground sections. Historic posters referred to Chicago's Red & Blue lines (then called
2697-623: The Berlin S-Bahn . The Frankfurt U-Bahn is an important exception, the system being really a light rail transit system with underground sections. Hamburg S-Bahn fulfills all criteria for heavy rail inside the state and city of Hamburg, but some lines go beyond the state border into the state of Niedersachsen and there the S-Bahn runs with lower train frequency. The same applies also to the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Copenhagen, Denmark, with
Glenbrook Vintage Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
2784-700: The Ferrymead 125 events in Christchurch. Based around the collection of steam locomotives that were privately owned by Ian Welch, the first of which had begun operating on the mainline with J 1211 with an excursion to Timaru and Arthurs Pass double-heading with the Glenbrook Vintage Railway 's J 1250 . Depots operated by the Trust included Parnell , (Auckland) Middleton and later Plimmerton . The Auckland depot used to be based in
2871-508: The International Association of Public Transport ( L'Union Internationale des Transports Publics , or UITP) as urban guided transport systems "operated on their own right of way and segregated from general road and pedestrian traffic. They are consequently designed for operations in tunnel, viaducts or on surface level but with physical separation in such a way that inadvertent access is not possible. In different parts of
2958-565: The KiwiRail network, and the original "drop toilets" have been upgraded with chemical retention holding tanks. Three carriages built during World War II to replace the original North Island Main Trunk express service carriages, and later allocated to Auckland commuter trains from the 1970s to retirement in 1994. Five 'small window' former KiwiRail charter fleet carriages. Three 'big window' former KiwiRail charter fleet (previously Overlander and Tranz Alpine) carriages. Guard's Van FM 1133
3045-534: The LRT Line 2 . Heavy rail term according International Union of Railways (UIC) refers to both freight rail and passenger rail (commuter, regional, intercity and high-speed) other than large-capacity metro. The terms tram , streetcar , and trolley refer to most forms of common carrier rail transit that run entirely or partly on streets, providing a local service and picking up and discharging passengers at any street corner, unless otherwise marked. While tram or tramway are widely used worldwide,
3132-660: The Newark City Subway , each about half underground, originated from fully surface streetcar lines. Also, the Buffalo Metro Rail is referred to as "the subway", while it uses light rail equipment and operates in a pedestrian mall downtown for half of its route and underground for the remaining section. Sometimes the term is qualified, such as in Philadelphia , where trolleys operate in an actual subway for part of their route and on city streets for
3219-497: The Tangiwai disaster and Who Dares Wins . A converted former guard's van has been converted into "Shady Rest" – two basic units for volunteers staying overnight. Originally built for husband and wife teams (and each unit comprising one double bed, and two bunk beds). The unit has been valuable for volunteers when preparing for major events at the railway or excursions away with the GVR's national network fleet. Glenbrook Station
3306-466: The West Coast ) of a boat trolling for fish . Others believe it derived from a dialect word for a wheeled cart. In the U.S. the word tram frequently refers to a special-purpose bus used as a shuttle (and often not designed for use on public roads), such as for parking lot shuttles at theme parks and major events or transportation within theme parks. Other common North American English meanings of
3393-490: The "shafts of a wheelbarrow ". From this the term "tram" was used in the coal mines of Scotland and Northern England for a coal cart running on rails, and by extension to any similar system of trackway. Streetcar is an American word derived from "street" + "car", where "car" is used in the sense of a vehicle running on rails, i.e. railway car. The first American streetcars, introduced around 1830, were horsecars , and this type of streetcar became ubiquitous because very few of
3480-563: The GVR and national excursions, the workshops have also been involved heavily in contracted restoration work of other organisations rolling stock such as Silver Stream Railways C 847 in 1994 and Mainline Steams K 942 in 1990. The workshop also assisted in the preparation of two carriages for the Carriage's Cafe restaurant in Kumeu, and filming of episodes of the Heroes television series on
3567-511: The Korean war was giving rides. Steam launches gave rides on the small lake while others were on display. Other events have included "Railroad Country", "The Great Train Race", "Santa Day" and a "Military" weekend. The first two events have only happened once in the 1990s. Relocated from Waiuku and restored in 1995, Glenbrook House serves as the GVR's training and meeting facility. Located alongside
Glenbrook Vintage Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3654-495: The State Street & Milwaukee/Dearborn lines) as "the subway lines". Medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. Some light rail / street car lines that have underground sections that are referred to as subway are often sub surface subways. Notably, Boston's Green Line and
3741-440: The U.K. light railway definition. A light rail transit (LRT) system is an urban rail transit system with a "light" passenger capacity compared to heavy rail and metro systems. Its operating characteristics are that it uses railcars , called light rail vehicles (LRVs), operating singly or in short multiple unit trains on fixed rails in a right-of-way that is not necessarily grade-separated from other traffic for much of
3828-627: The event and the following day, Mainline Steam 's J 1211 hauled a train from Auckland, whilst J 1236 returned the train to Auckland. Numerous steam train runs also operated across the Mission Bush branch line to Pukekohe on the Sunday also. A second steam festival was held in February 2007, incorporating a visit from 7nhp Burrell 'Scenic Special' showman's engine Quo Vadis (wrks. No. 3938) and associated carousel . The weekend also celebrated
3915-571: The first public showing of a half scale replica Newcomen engine, built by the Auckland Steam Engine Society. This engine stands 5.5 metres tall and is based on the engines built 300 years before at the dawn of the industrial age to pump water from mines. Six locomotives took part in the passenger hauling during the weekend. There were displays of vintage machinery including traction engines under steam. A vintage Bell helicopter in mobile army surgical hospital colours as used in
4002-400: The former Parnell diesel depot. It was in the past the organisation's primary restoration base and most of Mainline Steam's currently active locomotives were restored there. It closed in 2015. Mainline Steam is developing a new depot at Mercer . The Wellington depot, located at Plimmerton , is a purpose-built building that replaced the formerly leased Upper Hutt goods shed. It has now become
4089-404: The item of rolling stock had sentimental value to the members of the RES. In 1977, the railway opened between Glenbrook and Pukeoware. Early services used the line's ex-Ministry of Works Ruston diesel (later GVR No. 3), a motor trolley, and several material trolleys fitted with longitudinal seats. For the first proper services, steam locomotive No. 1 (formerly W 480) was used, with two carriages,
4176-516: The late 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, plans were laid out for the extension of the railway line from the Fernleigh Terminal into the town of Waiuku itself. Planning, lobbying public support and fundraising continued until the major physical works began in 1999. As the original Waiuku station and yards had been developed following the closure of the line in 1968, the decision was made to have the new Waiuku Station at Tamakae Reserve. As part of
4263-502: The latter inappropriate. Mainline Steam The Mainline Steam Heritage Trust is a New Zealand charitable trust devoted to the restoration and operation of historic New Zealand Railways and overseas mainline steam locomotives. Regular day excursions and multi-day tours are operated over rail lines throughout New Zealand. Excursions are operated by the Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch branches. The Trust began in 1988 after
4350-495: The latter is described as light rail . In those places, trams running on mixed right of way are not regarded as light rail, but considered distinctly as streetcars or trams. However, the requirement for saying that a rail line is "separated" can be quite minimal – sometimes just with concrete " buttons " to discourage automobile drivers from getting onto the tracks. There is a significant difference in cost between these different classes of light rail transit. The traditional style
4437-426: The latter operating excursions primarily along the highly scenic Midland Line . Mainline Steam also has a number of diesel and electric locomotives in its care. In addition to their core fleet of New Zealand locomotives, Mainline Steam owns a number of ex-South African and Zimbabwean locomotives. Four are stored in South Africa at Bloemfontein. Several engines have been shipped to the Auckland and Wellington depots. It
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#17327930520274524-647: The light rail trains which continue to operate in the tunnel. Bus subways are sometimes built to provide an exclusive right-of-way for bus rapid transit lines, such as the MBTA Silver Line in Boston. Subway , outside the US, and especially in Europe, often refers to an underground pedestrian passageway linking large road interconnections that are often too difficult or dangerous to cross at ground level. In Canada,
4611-540: The line, renewing rail, and building the Pukeoware Depot and the terminus at Glenbrook. The acquisition of items of rolling stock included "delivery" rail-tours, bringing the steam locomotive fleet from the South Island back to Auckland for use at Glenbrook. Carriages were sourced out of stock being retired from the Auckland commuter network at the time, and in some cases (such as carriage "Manukura"), where
4698-576: The only exception that the word "Metro" is used instead of "U-Bahn", and "S-tog" instead of "S-Bahn". (The Danish word "S-tog" applies to the trains ( tog ), rather than the tracks as in Germany; "S-tog" means "S-train".) Otherwise, the S-Bahn of Berlin and the S-tog of Copenhagen are very similar with the exception of the size. In Switzerland, where there is only one underground railway system in Lausanne,
4785-437: The original Glenbrook Vintage Railway livery of yellow bodies, white ceilings and chocolate lining, the fleet consists of the following vehicles... Four carriages built in the early 20th century for the (then) newly opened North Island Main Trunk express services, before being relocated onto Auckland commuter train services post war through to retirement in the early 1970s: These carriages are fully certified for operations on
4872-467: The primary restoration base for the organisation. The depot in Christchurch is a former industrial building that used to be located at Studholme, it was relocated to land on the premises of CWF Hamilton . As of 2021, the trust was given notice to vacate the current Christchurch depot and is now building a new site at Midland Rail Heritage Trust 's own lines and land in Springfield . Mainline Steam
4959-511: The railway line, as was traditional of railway houses, the building is also used as a preparation and storage area prior to large events such as steam festivals and the Friends of Thomas events. The railway undertakes restoration projects at its workshop, located at Pukeoware, some four kilometres from Glenbrook. The site consists of a heavy engineering workshops in its main yard (with facilities for locomotive overhaul and mechanical engineering),
5046-439: The railway) has been completed. Work continues on planning the requirements of the final extension to Tamakae reserve. The millionth passenger was carried on 7 January 2007. The railway operates selected Sunday's and public holiday weekend (except on Christmas Day and Boxing Day) between Labour weekend and Queen's Birthday weekend. Steam train services depart from Glenbrook every 90 minutes between 11 am and 4 pm, with
5133-527: The railway, two trains up to six carriages long depart Glenbrook half-hourly between 10 am and 4 pm, usually. A smaller "shuttle train" operates in the siding linking the railway to the KiwiRail network. Often hauled by small diesel locomotive "Basil" in earlier years, the service has also been operated by W 480 "Terry the Tank Engine" and more recently by "Thomas the Tank Engine" – a visitor to
5220-566: The railway. The GVR's "Thomas" is Bagnall 2475, owned by the Mainline Steam Trust and formerly used at the Tomoana Freezing Works, Hastings. Double-decker buses, traction engines, vintage cars and other related displays have also been presented at these events over the years. On "Day Out With Thomas" weekends, trains only travel to Fernleigh, before returning to Pukeoware and Glenbrook. The first Railfan Day
5307-468: The re-launch of W 644 into service after 37 years in storage and overhaul. This event was much lower-key, with no visiting engines attending this event. A third steam festival took place at Waitangi weekend 2009. The opening event was a special evening on Thursday 5 February. Historic 19th century visiting tank engine L 207 (from MOTAT) operated a demonstration freight train (including a rare mainline appearance by historic 3-axle carriage C 472), followed by
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#17327930520275394-562: The recreation of an original New Zealand "trial rail-motor" from the beginning of the 20th century (which comprised one small tank engine pulling one of four purpose built 60 ft car/vans). The train comprised L 207 and the recently restored dining car van "Kurahaupo" (A 1182), which was one of the original purpose-built trial rail-motor carriages. Between Friday 6 February and Sunday 8 February, there were many activities including ploughing, steam boats, steam cars, stalls, heritage displays and equipment. Steam trains ran half-hourly throughout
5481-579: The remainder. This is locally styled subway-surface . When the Boston subway was originally built, the subway label was only used for sections into which streetcars (trams) operated, and the rapid transit sections were called tunnels . Also, in some countries, subway refers to systems built under roads and the informal term tube is used for the deep-underground tunnelled systems (such as London's Piccadilly line ) – in this usage, somewhat technical nowadays and not used much in London, underground
5568-405: The run from Auckland to Fernleigh (including the GVR section). The next day a special excursion train ran from Auckland, carrying Prime Minister David Lange , who presided at the opening on 6 December 1986. J 1250 and D 529 hauled a large public excursion out to Glenbrook station from Auckland dubbed the "Sunset Coast Express". Acquisitions and improvements to track and structures occurred during
5655-512: The same fixed-guideway principles as steel wheel systems. Paris , Rome , Madrid , Barcelona , Lisbon , Copenhagen , Helsinki , Warsaw , Saint Petersburg , Amsterdam , Rotterdam , Prague and Moscow all have metro (from the word metropolitan where "metro" means "mother" and "politan" means "city") systems which are called metro in French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Dutch, Czech and Russian. Subway used in
5742-514: The simpler streetcar systems (partly because the vehicles tend to be somewhat slower). Some places in the country have set about building the less expensive streetcar lines themselves or with only minimal federal support. Most of these lines have been "heritage" railways , using refurbished or replica streetcars harkening back to the first half of the 20th century. However, a few, such as the Portland Streetcar , use modern vehicles. There
5829-426: The station yard and motor jigger rides are available to Morley Road level crossing, a round trip of four kilometres. During the course of an operating season, special events are organised featuring a range of unique operations. These include – Lego Weekends, Santa Days, Steam Festivals, Easter Celebrations, Day Out With Thomas Weekends, and events specific to each operating season. The most popular events operated by
5916-473: The streets in American cities were paved. Mechanical versions, pulled by cables , were introduced around 1870. Electric streetcars were introduced in the 1880s and soon replaced the horse-drawn streetcar in cities across the United States. Trolley is an American word derived from the electric current pickup mechanism in early systems. The first successful electric streetcars in the United States used
6003-509: The surface by 'cut-and-cover' methods. The Glasgow metro system is known as the Glasgow Subway or colloquial as "the subway". The word metro is not usually used in London or Glasgow to refer to those cities' metros, but it is used in and around Newcastle upon Tyne to refer to the Tyne and Wear Metro . In the UK, the term overground was created in 2007 by Transport for London to refer to
6090-476: The term rapid transit was used in the 1800s to describe new forms of quick urban public transportation that had a right-of-way separated from street traffic. This set rapid transit apart from horsecars , trams , streetcars , omnibuses , and other forms of public transport. A variant of the term, mass rapid transit (MRT) , is also used for metro systems in Southeast Asia and Taiwan . Though
6177-616: The term U-Bahn – a shortening of Untergrundbahn , meaning "underground railway" – and S-Bahn – an abbreviation for the German Stadtschnellbahn or just Schnellbahn (fast city train, fast train) the more common English translation, suburban train. So for example in Berlin, the mostly underground system is known as the Berlin U-Bahn and it is integrated with the mostly above-ground system, known as
6264-660: The term subway may be used in either sense. The usage of underground is very similar to that of subway, describing an underground train system. In London the colloquial term tube now refers to the London Underground , and is the most common word used for the underground system; and it is used by Transport for London , the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system throughout Greater London. However, strictly speaking, it should only refer to those deep lines which run in bored circular tunnels as opposed to those constructed near to
6351-613: The term tram include aerial cable cars and short-distance, rubber-tired people-movers (such as at certain airports). Tourist buses that have been given the appearance of a vintage streetcar (i.e. trolley-replica buses ) are most commonly referred to, ambiguously, simply as trolleys by the companies or entities operating them or selling them, but may be referred to as trams or streetcars. Specific terms for some historically important tram technologies include horsecar , heritage streetcar , and cable car . Heritage streetcar (also known as heritage trolley or vintage trolley )
6438-626: The term metro is generally used, due to the influence from the French language. In Sweden, the metro of Stockholm is called "Tunnelbana" or "T-bana" which refers to the fact that the trains often run in tunnels. The same applies to Norway and the "T-bane" of Oslo. Elevated is a shorthand for elevated railway , a railway built on supports over other rights of way, generally city streets. The term overhead tends to be used in Europe. The names of elevated railways are sometimes further abbreviate it to El or L . Some examples include: The term heavy rail has different meanings in different parts of
6525-571: The term used varies in different dialects of English , with streetcar and trolley most commonly used in North America ( streetcar being more common in the western and central part of the continent and trolley in the eastern part), while tram predominates in Europe and elsewhere. Tram is a British word, cognate with the Low German traam , and the Dutch trame , meaning
6612-456: The term was almost always used to describe rail transportation, other forms of transit were sometimes described by their proponents as rapid transit, including local ferries in some cases. The term bus rapid transit has recently come into use to describe bus lines with features to speed their operation. These usually have more characteristics of light rail than rapid transit. Metros , short for metropolitan railways, are defined by
6699-497: The third shed holds 12 standard 50 ft (15.24 m) carriages across three tracks, with a recently added lean-to addition adding another eight carriage lengths to the shed's capacity. A further extension to the rear of the shed is now being planned after approval of a grant by the ASB Community Trust. This ensures ongoing conservation of historic railway items. Apart from maintaining and restoring items for use on
6786-630: The traditional narrow-bodied A series wooden carriages, turned out in a red livery, featuring opening windows and outdoor viewing balconies on each end. These carriages either have side-facing longitudinal seating or arrangements of paired seating on one side of the aisle and singular seating on the other. These carriages are named after the Māori migration canoes that brought the Māori people to New Zealand from Hawaiki. The core fleet of carriages includes or has included: Notable unique carriages which are operated on special occasions include... The railway owns
6873-447: The way. Light rail vehicles are almost always electrically driven , with power usually being drawn from an overhead line rather than an electrified third rail , though a few exceptional systems use diesel multiple units (DMUs) instead as a cheaper alternative to an electrically driven light rail system. The phrase light rail was coined in the 1970s during the re-emergence of streetcars / trams with more modern technology. It
6960-421: The weekend including appearances by L 207, W 644, J 1250 and Mainline Steam 's J 1275 which had arrived under her own power from Parnell on Saturday morning. W 480 was on standby duties outside the depot along with a number of locomotives normally in storage or awaiting overhaul such as recent arrivals A 423 and W 800. A fourth festival took place on the weekend of 23 and 24 March 2013, which included
7047-407: The western end mainline points and the points to the fully restored ex Papakura turntable. The railway has a number of historic station buildings in its care, all being from former New Zealand Railways stations. The diesel roster used for Ways and Works, Shunting, and other purposes, comprises: The domestic passenger fleet comprises late 19th and early 20th century rolling stock. Most vehicles are
7134-757: The work, a new bridge would be required to reach Tamakae Reserve, and so a temporary station was opened at Victoria Avenue in Waiuku, just behind the Cosmopolitan Club. When the final extension is completed, it is intended that Victoria Ave will be retained. Member preview trains ran on Easter Saturday 2010, and at Labour Weekend 2010 the new route was opened to regular service by former Waiuku Mayor Kevan Lawrence and Mayor of Auckland Len Brown. The heritage 1922 concrete bridge known as Black Bridge has been strengthened to allow trains to operate beneath it, and laying of newly welded rail onto concrete sleepers (a first at
7221-584: The world, Metro systems are also known in English as the underground, the subway or the tube. Rail systems with specific construction issues operating on a segregated guideway (e.g. monorail, rack railways) are also treated as Metros as long as they are designated as part of the urban public transport network." Metropolitan railways are used for high capacity public transportation. They can operate in trains of up to 10 or more cars, carrying 1800 passengers or more. Some metro systems run on rubber tires but are based on
7308-679: The world. The German complementary term is Vollbahn and the opposite Kleinbahn . These terms were defined to distinguish different axle loads and connected construction rules. Today the term Vollbahn is not common and Kleinbahn is used for narrow-gauge lines. In the United Kingdom, heavy rail refers to conventional railways forming part of the national network, including commuter, intercity , high-speed rail , regional rail and freight services, as distinct from metro , light rail and tram lines, people movers , and similar. The London Underground , despite being described as
7395-430: Was built as a three-module van for freight service in 1981. Withdrawn when guards were no longer required on freight trains, the RES converted one module into a storage area, the middle module into a crew area and the third module into a fully functioning kitchen for catering on excursion trains. The van is currently out of service pending major repairs including fitting of refurbished bogies. Generator and Luggage Van AG49
7482-573: Was devised in 1972 by the U.S. Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA; the precursor to the Federal Transit Administration ) to describe new streetcar transformations which were taking place, and was a translation of the German word Stadtbahn . However, instead of the literal translation of city rail , UMTA used light rail instead. In general, it refers to streetcar/tram systems with rapid transit-style features. It
7569-616: Was held in February 1996, specifically a celebration to dedicate the National Network fleet van FM 1133 to the memory of past long-time treasurer Arthur Tichener and celebrate the completion of the overhaul of historic carriage C 472. A variety of passenger and mixed trains was run culminating in an impressive steam train triple-headed by Silver Stream Railway 's C 847, W 480 and GVR No. 4, the ex-Taupo Totara Timber Company ( Mallet ). Since then various similar events have been held with special passenger and freight workings featuring
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