Bush Tramway Club, Heritage railway in Glen Afton, Waikato, New Zealand
The Bush Tramway Club runs restored locomotives over a 5.4 km section of the former Glen Afton Branch between Rotowaro and Glen Afton, 12 km west of Huntly on Rotowaro Road. The line opened in 1915 to carry coal from the Pukemiro mine and closed in 1973; the club took over the section in 1974.
The club was founded in 1965 to preserve equipment from New Zealand's bush tramways and light industrial lines, which carried timber from the bush and coal from mines to dairy factories. It gained use of the Rotowaro–Glen Afton section in 1974 and has since bought most of the rail corridor land. The Glen Afton Branch had opened in 1915 to serve the Pukemiro coal mine and closed in 1973.
The collection displays locomotives of different types that once worked in New Zealand's industry, showing how freight transport operated in this region. Visitors see machines that were part of everyday working life and gain insight into the country's technical development.
The Bush Tramway Club is 12 km west of Huntly along Rotowaro Road, in the Waikato region. Trains run on open days, held on the first Sunday of each month, over the 5.4 km Rotowaro–Glen Afton section. Check the club's website for the current open-day arrangements before travelling.
The club holds the rear bogie of Hawthorn Leslie 3663, a 1927 industrial steam locomotive, and the frame of NZR FA 41, converted to diesel in 1964. Its collection also includes geared Climax and Heisler locomotives from the Ellis and Burnand Tramway at Ongarue, plus several bush jiggers.
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