TRAVEL
TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL VOLUNTEERS WEEK, ENJOY THIS LITTLE LOOK INTO THE TYPICAL WEEK ON THE RAILWAY! The Weka Pass Railway charitable society has been operated entirely by enthusiastic volunteers since 1983. Collectively, between 300 and 400 volunteer hours are spent on-site each week. Monday is one of very few days with no regularly scheduled activities on the railway, though it’s one of the more common days for business, school, and tour group charters (which are commonly staffed by our shift-working or semiretired volunteers). Tuesday is one of the busiest days of the week at the Waipara depot. It’s the regular meeting day for the carriage restoration team, a passionate group of carpenters, painters and anyone else enthusiastic enough to lend a hand. Our 1930’s carriages are now 12
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issue 33 • summer 2021-22
cared for more than they have ever been thanks to the efforts of this passionate crew. The engineering team also meet at the depot on Tuesdays, and activities could range from locomotive maintenance to the completion of rolling stock mechanical inspections. Other trivial jobs, such as site maintenance and gardening, may be undertaken. And, of course, it would be unusual for a Tuesday to pass without a comprehensive shunt of the yard with the trusty DE loco—
shunting is a methodical game of chess on a large scale, with the rolling stock the ‘pieces’ and the shunters the players. Wednesday is the regular meeting day of the Track Gang. Comprised of about half a dozen committed volunteers who meet each Wednesday, the gang work in rain or shine to help keep our 1881 built stretch of permanent way in safe working order. While Gary’s hi-rail excavator and tamping head makes the job a lot easier than it was in days past, it’s still hot, sweaty work. Track gang volunteers are involved with a range of tasks - ranging from spot sleeper replacement and ballasting to maintaining the bridge and 62 culverts. They typically set off from the depot around 9am, but
