Steaming along nicely Review by Jessica Ranginui | Taranaki News | Local News in Taranaki

Hundreds of locals took the opportunity to see or ride the AB663 Steam Train from Stratford to New Plymouth over the weekend.

I was lucky enough to enjoy the ride Sunday morning, which turned out to be quite eventful.

Arriving at the old Stratford Railway Station at 8.45am, I was greeted by hundreds of locals.

Although only around 300 people from a maximum of 400 could go on each of the four rides, many locals gathered at the platform wanting a glimpse at the engine and watching it depart.

Big, black smoke filled the air as the seven carriages were quickly filled, people seated and the doors closed ready for departure.

With a few loud whistles, the journey had begun. Throughout the entire journey it was exciting to see how many people travelling along State Highway 3 pulled over to stop and take photos, a video or simply smile and wave as we chugged along past.

It was interesting to learn that at Waipuku (between Midhirst and Tariki) sat the highest point for the railroad from Auckland to Wellington.

With only a short stop at the New Plymouth Railway Yards to fill the water tanks and swap the engine from the front to back, we soon found ourselves in New Plymouth.

Passing through a few tunnels and enjoying the breathtaking views of the ocean, we were soon greeted by hundreds of residents at the Puke Ariki Landing. The half-hour break was just long enough for more photos to be taken and a quick glimpse of the engine room.

Children walked between the carriages to see how long the train was and people going back and forth with scrumptious food organised by Pioneer Village volunteers added to the novelty of the trip.

Toot, toooot went the whistle and the journey home had begun.

The hills on the track must have been a lot steeper on the way home because stopped several times. The train would slowly come to a halt, go backwards a few hundred metres and then attempt the hill again.

More water was needed in Inglewood and we were greeted by the local fire crew.

The three-and-a-half hour journey took five hours, but I'm sure no one complained about a few more hours on a steam train.

The scenery throughout the entire trip was always green, lush grass, fat dairy cows and plenty of smiles and waves. It was funny when you were taking a photo from inside the train and a car would pull up beside you with the passenger half out the window taking a photo of you.

More than 1200 people enjoyed the excursion, which I am pleased to say will be repeated.

Organiser Peter Hancock from Hawe Orlando is already planning a trip from New Plymouth to Wanganui return. Peter said the four excursions over the two days was about raising public awareness and to gather support and interest about restoring the Hooterville Hulk (an identical train to the AB663), which is currently sitting in a storage shed in Stratford.

The AB663 Steam Engine, chartered by Mainline Steam, was a sight to see throughout Taranaki during the weekend.