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Bush Tramway Club 29
Bush Tramway Club

The Bush Tramway Club is a heritage railway 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Huntly along the Rotowaro Road, in the Waikato region of New Zealand. It regularly operates restored locomotives along a 5.4 km (3.4 mi) Rotowaro-Glen Afton section of the former Glen Afton Branch. Open days are the first Sunday of each month.

The Bush Tramway Club was founded in 1965 to preserve equipment from New Zealand's former bush tramways and light industrial lines, railway lines which were used to remove timber from the bush and transport coal from mines to dairy factories. It obtained use of the Rotowaro-Glen Afton section in 1974 and has since purchased most of the rail corridor land. The Glen Afton Branch Line, a former New Zealand Railways branch line to the Pukemiro coal mine was opened in 1915 and closed in 1973.

The locomotives include geared Climax and Heisler locomotives (formerly used on the Ellis and Burnand Tramway, Ongarue), a F class No. F 185 of the New Zealand Railways Department, several diesel shunting locomotives used by the NZR and industrial lines, and some "jiggers".

Locomotives and Rolling Stock

NZR Steam Locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Original class and number Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes
F 185 Dubs & Co. 1171 1874 1972 Entered New Zealand Railways Department service on 16 May 1879. It was withdrawn in November 1933 and sold to the Taupiri Coal Company, Rotowaro. It was then sold to Mines Department, Rotowaro in 1951. It was then purchased to the club in August 1972 and moved to the Museum of Transport and Technology for restoration. It was recommissioned in 1973. In 1977 it was transported to the clubs railway. It was taken out of service in 1985 for an overhaul. It was recommissioned in 1996. It was taken out of service in 2003 and overhaul. It returned to service in 2005. In the mid to late 2000s it was taken out of service and is currently awaiting an overhaul.

Industrial Steam Locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Type Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes
CB A & G Price 117 1927 1977 Built in 1927 for the Auckland City Council for the Upper Huia Dam construction. Sold to Hayward Timber Co, Waimiha in 1933. After getting into financial difficulty the Hayward operations at Waimiha were purchased by Ellis & Burnand. Cb 117 continued work at Waimiha until 1945 when it was moved to Manunui to shunt between the NZR and the Ellis Veneer factory. E & B was purchased by Fletcher Industries in 1962 and the loco was placed into storage. It was then acquired by the New Zealand Railway Preservation Soc who moved Cb 117 and a Price C loco to Taringamotu for storage. It was transferred to the club in 1974 and moved to MoTaT. The Club shifted its assets to the site at Pukemiro Junction and the Cb was restored to operation by September 1996.
Climax Climax Manufacturing Co. 1650 1924 1977 Built in 1924 for Ellis and Burnand, Ongarue. Purchased by J. Melse, Mangapehi in 1960. It was then sold to the Museum of Transport and Technology in 1969. It was then sold-on to the club in 1977. Stored until 2011 when restoration commenced.
E A & G Price 111 1924 1958 Built for Selwyn Timber, Mangatapu in 1923. It was placed into storage in 1929. In 1935 it was then purchased by Ellis and Burnand for their Mangapehi plant. It was sold to their Ongarue plant in 1944. In 1958 it was purchased by the club. In 2013 restoration commenced to static display.
Heisler style Stearns Manufacturing Company 1063 1902 1967 Built in 1902 for Brownlee & Co, Havelock. In 1915 it was then sold to New Forest Sawmilling Co., Ngahere. Unused from 1965 to 1967. In 1967 it was sold to the club and was used sometimes at Pukemiro until it was scrapped.
Heisler style Stearns Manufacturing Company 1082 1904 1977 Built in 1904 for the Taupo Totara Timber Company as their NO. 2. In 1947 it was then sold to Ellis & Burnand, Ongarue. In 1966 it was sold to the club and was stored at the Museum of Transport and Technology. In 1977 it was then moved to Pukemiro. It was used there for a while but it was placed into storage.
Peckett Peckett and Sons 1630 1923 1977 Built in 1923 for State Mines, Rotowaro. Used until 1972 when it was purchased by the club and stored at the Museum of Transport and Technology. In 1977 it was then moved to Pukemiro. In 2002 it was withdrawn for an overhaul. It returned to service in April 2013.
  • The rear bogie of Hawthorn Leslie 3663 of 1927 is held by the club.

NZR Diesel Locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Original class and number TMS class and number Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes
F 216 Neilson and Company 3751 1888 1985 Built for the Kaihu Valley Railway Company, in 1888, F216 was the very last of her class, which first appeared in 1872. Became an NZR engine when the Kaihu Valley Railway was bought in 1889, by NZR. Withdrawn on 20 April 1932. It was then sold to AFFCo, Horotiu. In 1936 it was converted to a diesel locomotive. It was used until 1977 when it was sold to Goldfields Railway. In 1985 it was then sold to the club and is currently stored.
TR 16 33 Drewry 2068 1936 1983 Entered NZR service on 7 November 1936. Renumbered as TR 33 in 1978. Withdrawn in May 1983 and is now used for part supplies for TR 34.
TR 34 217 Drewry 2149 1939 1985 Entered NZR service on 3 February 1940. Renumbered as TR 217 in 1978. Withdrawn in April 1985.

The frame of FA 41 is held by the club. Converted to diesel in 1964.

Industrial Diesel Locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Original number Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes
401 Drewry 2623 1957 1997 Built for the New Zealand Electricity Department in 1957 for their Meremere plant and operated as NZED 401. It was purchased by the club in 1997 and stored until 2004. It was then restored in 2005 to operating condition and reclassified as BTC 1.
402 Drewry 2624 1957 1991 Built for the New Zealand Electricity Department in 1957 for their Meremere plant and operated as NZED 402. It was purchased by the club in 1997 and stored until 2004. It was then restored in 2005 to operating condition and reclassified as BTC 2.
D3 Planet 2168 1939 1985 Built in 1939 for Farmworld. Sold to Bisley Industries, Hamilton. It was then purchased in 1983 by the Goldfields Railway. It was then sold-on to the club.
A & G Price n/a 1971 1988 Used as the A & G Price works shunter at Thames. Sold to the club in 1988.
Union Foundry 32 1947 1968 Built in 1947 for Ellis & Burnand, Ongarue. It was sold to the club in 1968.

Battery Locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes
Goodman Mfg Co 3511 1922 n/a Built for The New Zealand Co-Operative Dairy Company Limited's Frankton box making factory in 1922. Overhauled from 2002 to 2008.

Motor Jiggers

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Original class and number Builder Year built Arrived Notes
Unidentified n/a n/a n/a

Bush Jiggers

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Builder Year built Arrived Notes
O. W. Smith 1948 1972 Built in 1948 for the New Zealand Railways Department for the Mamaku Tramway. It was then sold in 1972 to Paul Mahoney. In 2004 it was on-sold to Ian Jenner who restored it to operational condition in 2009. It has been operated at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway twice, once in February 2011 and in March 2013.
O. W. Smith 1948 1972 Built in 1948 for the New Zealand Railways Department for the Mamaku Tramway. It was then sold in 1972 to Paul Mahoney. In 2004 it was on-sold to Ian Jenner and stored. In the 2010s it was placed into active restoration.

Former Industrial Diesel Locomotives

Key: In service In service, Mainline Certified Under overhaul/restoration Stored Static display Scrapped
Builder Builder's number Year built Arrived Notes
Drewry 2248 1947 1986 Built for the Ohai Railway Board as their NO. 1 in 1947. Used until 1968 when it was purchased by State Mines, Kaitangata. In 1974 it was sold-on to State Mines, Rotowaro. In 1986 it was sold to the club and repainted in their green livery. It was then sold to Bruce McLuckie in 2011. In 2014 it was purchased by the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust and arrived at their Maymorn site on 21 October in the same year.
Drewry 2585 1957 1986 Built for the Ohai Railway Board as their NO. 1 in 19457. Used until 1968 when it was purchased by State Mines, Kaitangata. In 1974 it was sold-on to State Mines, Rotowaro. In 2005 it was sold to the Wallis Family for the Wallis Family. In 2008 it was sold to the Rotorua Ngongotaha Railway Trust and is currently being restored.
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