Ocean Beach Railway, Heritage railway in Saint Kilda, New Zealand.
Ocean Beach Railway is a heritage train line beside the beach in Saint Kilda, Dunedin, running along a track of about 900 meters. The route goes between John Wilson Drive and Moana Rua Road and carries passengers in original carriages and locomotives from different periods.
In 1960 S. A. Rockliff and Otago members of the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society bid NZD 20 for a 9-ton Fowler 0-4-0T tank locomotive, maker's No. 15912 of 1921, formerly Public Works Department No. 540, from the Otago Harbour Board. It became the first steam locomotive preserved in New Zealand for operation. Its whistle sounded near the old Ocean Beach station in August 1961, and passenger trains ran from Festival Week 1963.
The name comes from its location beside the beach, where historical locomotives and carriages from different eras of New Zealand's railways are on display. Visitors see different types of vehicles during rides that show how train transport evolved in the country.
Trains run on weekends from Labour Weekend in October to Anzac Weekend in April, using either steam or diesel locomotives. Overhauls usually take place on Saturdays, and visitors are welcome to watch work in the workshops and see restoration in progress.
Among the equipment is a hand-operated crane from 1874, one of the oldest working devices on the site and rarely noticed by visitors. This gear shows manual techniques from the steam locomotive era that most people overlook.
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