The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 1 (May 1, 1931)
Famous Engines in Miniature
Famous Engines in Miniature.
To return to the models. Two “F” engines in miniature were next constructed, and assuredly it was right that this class should have a prominent place. As the late Rous Martin said, “I doubt whether smarter or more capable servants of all work (within the limits of their power) were ever seen on any railway.” F243 was a sister of the locomotive which had the distinction of taking the first train out of Auckland in October, 1873. In accordance with the fashion at that time, she bore the name “Flora McIvor.” The other “F” class model, No. 164, is of the high pressure type, and carries the elaborate finish of the early days. Construction of two “M's” an “L” and an “R” followed in due course. At Auckland, in March. 1929, the “R” (Fairlie's Patent) won the Sim Cup at an exhibition of working models, held by the N.Z. Society of Model and Experimental Engineers.
While it can safely be left to the photographs to indicate the care which has been taken to reproduce in the models the “Josephine,” a double-ender Fairlie of the old days, will sooner or later be in the picture, and, indeed, New Zealand Railway history would be very incomplete without her. The rolling stock in general and carriages in particular, the work of Mr. G. T. Roberts, District Engineer and Superintendent of Rolling Stock, help the story along. They, too, are gradually forming a chapter of their own. As for the track, it must not be judged by its length, as the distance between the terminal stations has been shortened to suit the amount of backyard available. However, a good effort has been made by the District Engineer to achieve scenic effects on the track, and the relevant illustrations suggest that the work has been well done.
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In the Department's New Workshops.
A section of the Boiler Shop at the Hutt Valley Workshops, Wellington.