After five long days of effort by Trust volunteers, steam locomotive Ab745 arrived at Maymorn on Wednesday 30 October.
The locomotive frame, boiler and many stored parts were prepared for transport over Labour Weekend. The frame and boiler were brought out of the Stratford goods shed ready for lifting onto trucks. On Tuesday 29th the frame was loaded onto a long trailer, the boiler onto a 8m truck trailer and various parts stowed on and around the main components.
The weather was a key factor in the move, much better than what had been forecast earlier in the week.
A big thanks to the members of the Taranaki Flyer Society for their hospitality and help over the weekend, and to Hammond Crane and Cartage of Upper Hutt - lead contractor for transport from Stratford to Maymorn.
Following are a small selection of photos from the move.
Running numbers applied to the headstock
Frame of Ab745 loaded onto a long quad-trailer at Stratford on Tuesday 29th
Trust volunteers checking the frame inside the goods shed before the move
Frame on our mainline at Maymorn on Wednesday 30th, with smokebox placed in the saddle.
Boiler about to be lifted onto the frames by Collins Cranes
Tr189 "running around" the Ab before placing it into the rail vehicle shed.