Menu
Vulcan railcar comes off the Taramakau road-rail bridges .ca.1965.
Expand/collapse
About this image
DescriptionRoss Branch : Southbound Hokitika - Greymouth Vulcan railcar comes off the Taramakau road/rail bridges in 1965 or 1966.
Shared with permission from Wheel5800.PhotographerRay MathewsonDate of Photo1965-66Map[1] ContributorClaire Ward
Shared with permission from Wheel5800.PhotographerRay MathewsonDate of Photo1965-66Map[1] ContributorClaire Ward
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)Taramakau BridgeOrganisation (eg business)NZ RailwaysEventVulcan railcar comes off the Taramakau bridge
Category Information
Category TagRailways
From Facebook
CommentsAve Muir - Been on that a few times.
Vincent Knapp - Remember when they had a man that locked the gates when the train came then opened them after--- rode a bike across the bridge.
Ave Muir - Abbie Biddington.
Nova Elizabeth Hichens - Must have seen that hundreds of time, they were the days.
Maggie Houston - Travelled on it quite a few times from Greymouth to Ross.
Keith Finch - Yip me to many times.
Ave Muir - Didn’t go to Hari Hari Finchy??
Keith Finch - Get real Ave i caught it from Ross every other Monday.
Rob Oakley - Hi why did we not store and use them today as a tourist attraction now we are fools.
Ave Muir - Agree.
June Williams - I remember that too Vincent. I have seen the man on the bike many times. Those were the days.
Janet Sutton - Loads of trips Hokitika to chch and return.
Christine Hoets - Oh great memories of the railcars shame they don’t still run.
Phyllis Aberhart - I drove behind a train once on the bridge. It was before phone cameras.
Chris Sinclair - I really wish those little railcar came back. I used to particularly love taking The Press railcar to Greymouth left Chch atv1.50am.
Donald Mathias - I traveled on Press run Railcar the day NZ changed to decimal currency. I remember that it had very cold windows. July I guess!
June Williams - Decimal currency day 10 July 1967.
June Williams - U are right about the windows Donald. They were always very cold.
Keith Finch - I to was on that Railcar on the 10 July 1967, I received a 50 cent piece in change which I kept for years , god knows what happened to it , mind you i have a fair idea , a jug was only about 38 cents.
June Williams - I was in Mandle Ward Hokitika Hospital. I asked mum to bring me up the new money. I remember the jingle on the radio telling us the date of Decimal Currency day.
Chris Sinclair - Lol...the 10th of July , next year...
June Williams - Lol. Then it became ..,, the 10th of July, this year....
Raymond Carr - A great train to ride in.
Sandra Geddes - Johnnie McGee used to drive these!
Joyce Fuller - Just loved going to Ross for weekends staying at Uncle Rob's hotel and enjoyed the dances on Saturday night I worked at the Road Service in Hokitika name was Joyce Carter in the 1940's.
Ken Johnston - Just a query...would that be Rob Parkers Hotel..opposite the Empire??
Phil Millar - My Dad was the ganger on the Hokitika to Ross line,1949 to 1954,we lived at Ruatapu,i started school there,Mr Milligan was the teacher.
Read Hudson - If you still fancy a ride on one of these great machines, there are two preserved at Tinwald, and there are a couple of others around as well - Ferrymead has at least one in operating order.
Karen Lawson - I used to catch the midnight railcar from ChCh to Hokitika. It was great. You used to buy a big fat pillow at the station. It used to be amazing traveling in the winter when the snow was on the ground and it was a moonlight night. Those were certainly the days.
Alan Mitchell - Had many trips from Hoki to CHCH return in 1950s and 1960s some times up front with the driver wouldn't be aloud now with all the osh bs.
Margi Adamson - Loved going to Ch.Ch.
Sandra Douglas - Travelled Ross/Hoki WHS 1969-72 . Dad was ganger on Ross-Hoki line.
Karen Lawson - Our Dad worked on the railway too. He used to bring the old green bus home. We thought it was pretty cool. He would give us a ride to town now and again. That was if you were game enough to put up with the cheek from his work mates.
Lynn Mckenzie - Traveled up by car from Harihari to Ross then rail to Greymouth to boarding school 1967.
Monica Harvey - Loved riding in that smooth as.
Lois Little - M m m loved going to greymouth as a kid with Aunty lil for a treat on this have to say it but those were the days.
Garry Wick - Wonder if it was RM 53? Road in her many a time.
Alison Armstrong - Many fond memories of this..
Linda King -Traveled on it many a time. Remember catching it with Rosie Kelly and Brenda Daglish to go to the Saturday movies. Wonderful memories.
Sue Fraser - Was our only way to travel Hokitika to Greymouth to visit family. No car in those days.
Marilyn Paterson - Sue Fraser same here, my parents just hoped the Grey Competitions worked in with the schedule!!
Dawn May Steer - travelled to Hokitika High.from Ross.,Loved it.
Diane Maitland - Annette Maw.
Stuart Willis - Will said flea.
Kath Merv Moreton - I used to meet the Vulcan railcar on cold wet Winter mornings to collect and deliver the Press before school for the princely sum of sixteen schillings a week.
Mark Jnr Moreton - Kath Merv Moreton should tell me all your stories from New Zealand.
David Barry Grant - Remember Vulcans doing trip to Kumara and back aftre friday night shopping.......when the town was buzzing lol.
Myron Caldwell - it was what we used to get to Westport or Reefton. Very few cars around then. From memory they were comfortable and we often used to tip the seats over as we left the unit, so as to help the guard.prepare for the return trip.
June Williams - Many wonderful memories of trips from Hokitika to Darfield and lining up at the door at Otira to be one of the first to get food and tea in a railway cup. Nothing like it. Great days.
Bev Kelly - My mode of transport to boarding school in Ch Ch from Hokitika. Often came home on the 2am railcar in time for brekky, sometimes the train!
Heather Newby - and it was such a cool trip too.
Margaret Suggett - Bev Kelly me too loved it!!
Myron Caldwell - Bev Kelly. A bit posh going to boarding school. Seems appropriate in your case of course. Blue.
Bev Kelly - Yes Blue - but I didn't go to one of the poshest schools though!!
Vincent Knapp - Remember when they had a man that locked the gates when the train came then opened them after--- rode a bike across the bridge.
Ave Muir - Abbie Biddington.
Nova Elizabeth Hichens - Must have seen that hundreds of time, they were the days.
Maggie Houston - Travelled on it quite a few times from Greymouth to Ross.
Keith Finch - Yip me to many times.
Ave Muir - Didn’t go to Hari Hari Finchy??
Keith Finch - Get real Ave i caught it from Ross every other Monday.
Rob Oakley - Hi why did we not store and use them today as a tourist attraction now we are fools.
Ave Muir - Agree.
June Williams - I remember that too Vincent. I have seen the man on the bike many times. Those were the days.
Janet Sutton - Loads of trips Hokitika to chch and return.
Christine Hoets - Oh great memories of the railcars shame they don’t still run.
Phyllis Aberhart - I drove behind a train once on the bridge. It was before phone cameras.
Chris Sinclair - I really wish those little railcar came back. I used to particularly love taking The Press railcar to Greymouth left Chch atv1.50am.
Donald Mathias - I traveled on Press run Railcar the day NZ changed to decimal currency. I remember that it had very cold windows. July I guess!
June Williams - Decimal currency day 10 July 1967.
June Williams - U are right about the windows Donald. They were always very cold.
Keith Finch - I to was on that Railcar on the 10 July 1967, I received a 50 cent piece in change which I kept for years , god knows what happened to it , mind you i have a fair idea , a jug was only about 38 cents.
June Williams - I was in Mandle Ward Hokitika Hospital. I asked mum to bring me up the new money. I remember the jingle on the radio telling us the date of Decimal Currency day.
Chris Sinclair - Lol...the 10th of July , next year...
June Williams - Lol. Then it became ..,, the 10th of July, this year....
Raymond Carr - A great train to ride in.
Sandra Geddes - Johnnie McGee used to drive these!
Joyce Fuller - Just loved going to Ross for weekends staying at Uncle Rob's hotel and enjoyed the dances on Saturday night I worked at the Road Service in Hokitika name was Joyce Carter in the 1940's.
Ken Johnston - Just a query...would that be Rob Parkers Hotel..opposite the Empire??
Phil Millar - My Dad was the ganger on the Hokitika to Ross line,1949 to 1954,we lived at Ruatapu,i started school there,Mr Milligan was the teacher.
Read Hudson - If you still fancy a ride on one of these great machines, there are two preserved at Tinwald, and there are a couple of others around as well - Ferrymead has at least one in operating order.
Karen Lawson - I used to catch the midnight railcar from ChCh to Hokitika. It was great. You used to buy a big fat pillow at the station. It used to be amazing traveling in the winter when the snow was on the ground and it was a moonlight night. Those were certainly the days.
Alan Mitchell - Had many trips from Hoki to CHCH return in 1950s and 1960s some times up front with the driver wouldn't be aloud now with all the osh bs.
Margi Adamson - Loved going to Ch.Ch.
Sandra Douglas - Travelled Ross/Hoki WHS 1969-72 . Dad was ganger on Ross-Hoki line.
Karen Lawson - Our Dad worked on the railway too. He used to bring the old green bus home. We thought it was pretty cool. He would give us a ride to town now and again. That was if you were game enough to put up with the cheek from his work mates.
Lynn Mckenzie - Traveled up by car from Harihari to Ross then rail to Greymouth to boarding school 1967.
Monica Harvey - Loved riding in that smooth as.
Lois Little - M m m loved going to greymouth as a kid with Aunty lil for a treat on this have to say it but those were the days.
Garry Wick - Wonder if it was RM 53? Road in her many a time.
Alison Armstrong - Many fond memories of this..
Linda King -Traveled on it many a time. Remember catching it with Rosie Kelly and Brenda Daglish to go to the Saturday movies. Wonderful memories.
Sue Fraser - Was our only way to travel Hokitika to Greymouth to visit family. No car in those days.
Marilyn Paterson - Sue Fraser same here, my parents just hoped the Grey Competitions worked in with the schedule!!
Dawn May Steer - travelled to Hokitika High.from Ross.,Loved it.
Diane Maitland - Annette Maw.
Stuart Willis - Will said flea.
Kath Merv Moreton - I used to meet the Vulcan railcar on cold wet Winter mornings to collect and deliver the Press before school for the princely sum of sixteen schillings a week.
Mark Jnr Moreton - Kath Merv Moreton should tell me all your stories from New Zealand.
David Barry Grant - Remember Vulcans doing trip to Kumara and back aftre friday night shopping.......when the town was buzzing lol.
Myron Caldwell - it was what we used to get to Westport or Reefton. Very few cars around then. From memory they were comfortable and we often used to tip the seats over as we left the unit, so as to help the guard.prepare for the return trip.
June Williams - Many wonderful memories of trips from Hokitika to Darfield and lining up at the door at Otira to be one of the first to get food and tea in a railway cup. Nothing like it. Great days.
Bev Kelly - My mode of transport to boarding school in Ch Ch from Hokitika. Often came home on the 2am railcar in time for brekky, sometimes the train!
Heather Newby - and it was such a cool trip too.
Margaret Suggett - Bev Kelly me too loved it!!
Myron Caldwell - Bev Kelly. A bit posh going to boarding school. Seems appropriate in your case of course. Blue.
Bev Kelly - Yes Blue - but I didn't go to one of the poshest schools though!!
Editing is temporarily disabled
Cancel EditClick on the image to add
a tag or press ESC to cancel
a tag or press ESC to cancel
West Coast New Zealand History (22nd Jun 2023). Vulcan railcar comes off the Taramakau road-rail bridges .ca.1965.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 14th Jun 2026 00:00, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/17104