New Zealand Locomotive "Skunk" recovered from a beach

There has been a lot of interest about a locomotive found in the sand at Wanganui in New Zealand. This Facebook site is the best one to see progress on recovering this locomotive, which seems to have been discovered serendipitously very recently, having been abandoned about a hundred years ago. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100024945015535 It is one of the earliest steam locomotives to have run in New Zealand.

The locomotive is said to be "Skunk", one of three locomotives built by the EW Mills Foundry in Wellington in 1875, and named "Skunk", "Wallaby" and "Opossum".

These were built for service on the Palmerston North - Foxton line, and the photo (link below) is the only known photo of one of the locos while on service on that line.

Of the three, "Skunk" was sold around 1880 and went to the South Island before returning to the North Island around 1909, where it worked for the Wanganui Harbour Board. My copy of Sean Millar's book "The NZ Steam Locomotive" says "converted to chain drive in later years" which I think explains the discrepancy between the photo here and the loco that has been dug up from a beach.

"Wallaby" is believed scrapped.

"Opossum" also went to the South Island and remained in use until around 1953 at a saw mill. In 1958 it was put on display in a park in Greymouth and later moved into storage. I believe it still survives and is the oldest NZ steam locomotive - at least until the discovery of its sister just now!

Leading dimensions:
Weight - 8 tons
Length - 16'6" (est.)
Cylinders - 8" * 16"
Driving wheels - 24"
Boiler pressure - 100psi
TE - 3,413 lbf.

https://manawatuheritage.pncc.govt.nz/item/432b1bed-d658-4650-80b7-5228569f10e5#tab-item-description

Tom

 

What livery do you think it should wear first…?



Simon

 

5'3 or 3'6?
Digging locomotives out of river banks seems to be a national sport out there.
(And yes, I would move there all things being equal...)

 

3'6" (I don't think there is any 5'3" in NZ).

Tom

 

What an excellent name.

 

Do they have any scrapyards in NZ or was the preferred method of disposal for old steam locos to dump them by bodies of water?

 

As far as I can tell for the one, it was just abandoned, and then gradually covered over by sand. But quite a number have been recovered from rivers where they were deliberately dumped to prevent erosion of the river banks.

This is what the loco looked like like later in its life after conversion to chain drive:



Tom

 

There isn't any more, and hasn't been for some time, but pre-New Zealand Railways, some of the provinces took up this error. Given the great age of it, it's just about old enough

(Like most bad ideas, it was exported to West Island waves @Copper-capped ).

 

Variety of gauges in NZ in early years:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_New_Zealand#History

 

Indeed. NZ is the Isle of Man with the volume turned up. 3' (well, give or take 6") mainline gauge, lots of geography, eccentric locals and unexpected 1435mm gauge trams. Oh and road racing...

 

This popped up for those who do Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1347223027187061/?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&fs=e&fs=e

(Apologies for the soundtrack!)

 

Heritage all-black with a white lateral stripe surely? Might kick up a bit of a stink with the locals though!

 

There is a small length of broad gauge at Ferrymead as a demonstration.

 

Ooh, when was that put in? Didn't see it when I was there last (which was 2019).
I did see narrow (2'?), standard (3'6"), Christchurch Tram gauge (1435mm).

 

Think its been there a long time, on the far side by the small cabin, i.e. opposite side to the main box, Moorhouse.
Incidentally its the operating base for the Steam Incorporated Arthurs Pass service these days which is served by coaches ex Littleton terminal.

 

Winter/Spring floods in New Zealand are pretty spectacular and the scour away river banks. The best way of disposing of locomotives was to bury them where the scouring was worst to strengthen river banks. It worked and now enthusiasts have a treasure trove of old locomotives. I noticed a few years ago that two(?) 2-8-0s had been recovered