I first learned of this interesting line reading old Railway Wonders of the World magazine of pre-World War II vintage given to me by my father.
The idea of five locomotives spaced through a train aroused my interest.
In the interests of progress, the incline closed in 1955 and was replaced by a tunnel, 8.8km (5.5miles) long under the Rimutaka Mountains about 9 years before I first went to New Zealand.
The original line on the East side of the mountains, on a 1 in 15 gradient, was operated on the Fell system with a center rail, much like a rack system, but without cogs, with the locomotives fitted with a second set of cylinders operating wheels held against the center rail by springs. This was used in the climbing mode while descending hand operated brake shoes controlled by hand gripped the center rail aided by similar brakes applied from small 4-wheel brake vans.
The original locomotives were 0-4-2 Tanks 4 built in 1878 by Avonside and 2 built in 1886 by Neilson.
One locomotive H199 still exists in a specially built museum in Featherstone at the bottom of the incline.
I planned to include a visit on my recent trip to New Zealand, not realizing that off season hours closed at 1430.
After enquiries at the local library they contacted one of the Museum Volunteers, who turned out to be a 91 year old lady, widow of one of the museum founders, who drove over and let me in.
The loco is mounted on rollers which show the operating of both the outside adhesion wheels and the inside grips between the frames. A mirror was set up in the pit to make viewing of the inside gear easier.
A section of track showing one running rail and the center Fell rail.
Fell Locomotive H199 Front View
Fell Locomotive H199 Underneath
Fell Locomotive H199 Cab: Note two regulators
Fell Locomotive H199 Left hand outside Stephenson valve gear and between the frames gearing
Fell Brake van Inside
Rimutaka Incline Fell Locomotive H199
Photos of motive and rolling stock, stations, signals and anything else train related to Australia and New Zealand! Photos should be 800x600 pixels, maximum size 130K. Very good ones will be moved to the Online Gallery, the rest will be pruned away after 14 days to conserve space.
-
- Posts: 196
- Joined: 24 Feb 2009, 16:42
- Location: Sugar Land Texas
Return to “Australia/New Zealand - Photo Gallery”
Jump to
- YOUR FIRST TIME HERE? QUESTIONS ON THE FORUM? PLEASE READ....
- ↳ Using the Forums
- ↳ What You Can Get Out Of The Forum!!!!
- ↳ This Forum - Frequently Asked Questions
- ↳ FOTR Forum Help
- ↳ Testing How To Do Posts...
- FRIENDS OF THE RAIL - PUBLIC TRAIN TRIPS YOU CAN TAKE!
- ↳ FOTR Train Trips - Destinations, Schedules and Other News
- ↳ Cullinan Venues
- ↳ Corporate Venues and Packages
- ↳ Your Feedback on Trips and Venues
- ↳ Your Trip Pictures
- FRIENDS OF THE RAIL - NEWS, INFORMATION (INCLUDING OUR NEWSLETTER) AND WEBSITE/FORUM FEEDBACK
- ↳ FOTR - Announcements and News
- ↳ FOTR - 3117 15F Accident and Appeal
- ↳ FOTR - Newsletter !!!!
- ↳ FOTR - Website and Forum Feedback - Your Suggestions and Questions !
- FRIENDS OF THE RAIL PHOTO GALLERY (Requires Registration)
- ↳ FOTR Picture of the Month
- ↳ FOTR Trips and Events
- ↳ FOTR - Very Special Occasions !
- ↳ 15F 3117 - Inaugural Passenger Train - 16 December 2008
- ↳ 15F 3117 - First Steaming - 14 October 2008
- ↳ Hermanstad - first passenger train - 27 July 2008
- ↳ Hermanstad - 1st steam train to new site - 16 March 2008
- ↳ Farewell To John.....
- ↳ John's Wedding !
- ↳ 21st Anniversary of FOTR
- ↳ FOTR Steam and Miscellaneous Engines
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15F 3117
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 19D 2650
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 24 3664
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15CA 2850
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15F 3094
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 8D 1223
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Fireless Locomotives
- ↳ FOTR - Funkey Diesel Locomotive
- ↳ FOTR - Electric Motor Coach
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engines GMAM Garratts 4135 and 4148
- ↳ FOTR - Steam Engine 15F 3052
- ↳ FOTR Rolling Stock
- ↳ FOTR Miscellaneous Equipment
- ↳ FOTR - The New Hermanstad Site
- ↳ FOTR Capital Park
- ↳ FOTR People
- ↳ Railway Operations - ask a question about how railways work..
- ↳ Railway Research
- ↳ Railways at War
- SOUTHERN AFRICAN MOTIVE POWER MOVEMENTS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Main Line Motive Power
- ↳ Industrial Motive Power
- SOUTH AFRICAN RAILWAYS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ South Africa - Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Diesel Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Electric Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Rapid Transit Systems (Gautrain & Metro)
- ↳ South Africa - Industrial Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Coaches, Rolling Stock & Miscellaneous Vehicles
- ↳ South Africa - Stations, Signals and Infrastructure
- ↳ South Africa - General Railway News and Discussion (except for Heritage News)
- ↳ South Africa - Heritage Railway News and Discussion
- ↳ South Africa - Plinthed/Heritage Locomotives and Rolling Stock
- ↳ South Africa - South African Railways Abroad
- ↳ South Africa - Photo Gallery - POST YOUR PICTURES HERE!
- ↳ South Africa - Diesel Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Electric Motive Power
- ↳ South Africa - Rapid Transit Systems
- ↳ Gautrain
- ↳ Metro Rail Systems
- ↳ South Africa - Coaches, Rolling Stock & Miscellaneous Vehicles
- ↳ South Africa - Steam and Heritage Railways
- ↳ SAR/SAS/Spoornet/TFR
- ↳ Atlantic Rail
- ↳ Sisonke Stimela (Ingwe Municipality)
- ↳ Oosterlijn
- ↳ Outeniqua Choo-tjoe
- ↳ Paton County Railway
- ↳ Reefsteamers
- ↳ ROVOS Rail
- ↳ Sandstone
- ↳ Umgeni
- ↳ SANRASM
- ↳ Plinthed Locos
- ↳ Other Steam Sites
- ↳ South Africa - Stations, Signals, Infrastructure and Miscellaneous
- ↳ South African Railways Abroad
- ↳ The Charles Lewis Series - Comments and discussion
- ↳ The Charles Lewis Series - The Pictures
- WORLD RAILWAYS - REST OF AFRICA (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Rest of Africa - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Diesel Motive Power - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Steam Motive Power - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Coaches, Rolling Stock & Miscellaneous Vehicles - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Kenya - Stations, Signals, Infrastructure and Miscellaneous - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Sudan and South Sudan - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Zimbabwe and Zambia - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Eritrea - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Uganda - Photo Gallery
- ↳ UR/EAR/EARH Historic Photo Gallery
- ↳ Mocambique, Angola - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Other African Countries - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - EUROPE (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Europe - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Europe - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Europe - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Europe - Photo Gallery
- ↳ U.K. & Ireland - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Scandinavia - Photo Gallery
- ↳ France - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Switzerland - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Netherlands - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Germany - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Spain & Portugal - Photo Gallery
- ↳ Rest of Europe - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - AMERICAS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ North/Central/South America - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - ASIA AND MIDDLE EAST (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Asia and Middle East - Photo Gallery
- WORLD RAILWAYS - AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Modern Motive Power
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Steam Motive Power
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Other Railway Topics
- ↳ Australia/New Zealand - Photo Gallery
- PHOTOGRAPHING TRAINS AND RAILWAYS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Photography - Still Photography
- ↳ Photography - Video Photography.
- ↳ FOTR - Train Spotting and Photo Shoot Possibilities
- OTHER RAILWAY THINGS FOR RAILFANS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Train Tales
- ↳ Jokes and Assorted Humour
- ↳ Book/Magazine News
- ↳ DVD News
- ↳ Film News
- ↳ Railworks (ex Kuju Rail Simulator)
- ↳ Model Trains
- ↳ N Scale Entire Bedroom Layout
- ↳ MTE Model Railway Layout Build #1 - HO European Layout.
- ↳ N Scale Garage Layout Build
- ↳ OO/HO African profile model railway in Kenya
- ↳ Miniature Railway Engineering
- ↳ Websites
- ↳ Micromodels
- ↳ Microsoft Train Simulator.
- ↳ MSTS News, Views and Anything Else!
- ↳ MSTS News With A South African Flavour.....
- ↳ Microsoft train Simulator 2 (deceased!)
- ↳ Other Railway Software
- POLLS (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Polls
- OTHER THINGS THAT RUN WITH STEAM! (requires Registration)
- ↳ Other Steam Devices and Mechanical Machines and Objects!
- LOCKER ROOM (Requires Registration)
- ↳ Locker Room