Shunting Loco ORB No1

Photo: [Archives Reference: AAVK 6390 W3493/180 B3904] Archives New Zealand The Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua

The Trust has been offered the opportunity to purchase 1947 built Ohai Railway Board No.1. ORB No. 1 is the forerunner to the NZR Ds class of locomotive which were first put into service as heavy shunters during 1949.

The Trust is currently undertaking a fundraising appeal to purchase and transport Ohai Railway Board No.1 from Pukemiro to Maymorn. This locomotive will provide the Trust with a level of redundancy when major work is required on Tr189 as well as forming a key role in future railway construction activities and shunting work at Maymorn. 

The locomotive is essentially complete although a number of components have been removed from the locomotive and overhauled. There is also an assortment of new old stock spare parts for the engine and gearbox that will be included in the purchase of the locomotive. As OHB No.1 is fitted with train brakes it will give the Trust greater control over work trains and allow us to run demonstration passenger trains similar to those formerly run by ORB. 

Photo: [Archives Reference: AAVK 6390 W3493/180 B3904] Archives New Zealand The Department of Internal Affairs Te Tari Taiwhenua

Recent posts

De-scaling rust and old paint from another ballast wagon

Work in progress 5 September 2015

Another ballast wagon is in the paint shop. Rust and old flaking paint has been removed with a needle-gun, making short work of this laborious job.

Individual components from shunt locomotive ORB #1 are also being prepped and painted, including areas of the frame, headstocks and sand boxes.

We have also added a lot of backfill into the floor area of the workshop extension to our shed, using a small rubber-tracked excavator to move around 20m3 of hard fill.

A few photos from recent weeks follow.

Gardner 8L3 diesel engine started on Ohai Railway Board No.1

Gardner 8L3 diesel engine was test-started by Dave Shaw of Shaw Diesels on 3 April 2015.

ex-Ohai Railway Board locomotive No.1 arrives at Maymorn

Diesel locomotive welcome addition to railway

On Tuesday 21st October we took delivery of ex-Ohai Railway Board locomotive No.1 at our Maymorn railway heritage site.

The locomotive was built by Drewry/Vulcan in 1947 for the Ohai Railway Board and along with being used on coal trains was used on some of the first diesel locomotive hauled passenger trains in New Zealand.

ORB No.1 hauling a passenger train on the Ohai Railway Board Line near Nightcaps

History of Ohai Railway Board No.1

Drewry 2248 /1947 was built for the Ohai Railway Board as their No. 1 and was joined by sister engine No.2 in 1957 effectively dieselising the Ohai Railway Boards Line.

ORB No. 1 is the forerunner to the NZR Ds class of locomotive which were first put into service as heavy shunters during 1949.

In 1968 Ohai Railway Board replaced the two Drewry locomotives with two new locomotives built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. No 1 along with No.2 were dispatched to the State Mines railway between Stirling and Kaitangata in Otago.

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