N
ORTHERN
VIEWS
ISSUE No 249 … … June 2012
Clubrooms and Running Track at Heritage Park,
State Highway 14, Maunu, Whangarei.
Annual General Meeting
Thursday, June 28, 2012
at 7 p.m.
Agenda: Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting
President’s Report, Financial Report
Election of Officers
THE REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING WILL BE HELD AT
THE CONCLUSION OF THE AGM
NEW MEMBER: A welcome back to the club to Mike Bradshaw from Kawakawa. Mike is deeply involved with the Bay of Island’s Railway, but also has a few live steam model locos varying from 2½”, 3½”,
5” gauge that he has constructed over the years. He is also in the throes of constructing a 7¼” gauge
locomotive.
CLUB HAPPENINGS
Next General Meeting: Thursday, June 28, 2012,
at the Clubrooms, Western Hills. — Follows AGM.
3rd Sunday Running — June 17, 2012.
Mid-week Workdays: Mostly Every Wednesday.
Extra Running Days This Month:
NONE ADVISED
THESE WORK IN WITH
MUSEUM “LIVE” DAYS AND
OTHER EVENTS
QUIZ — What is it and
where
?
For answer see Page 4.
President’s Annual Report:
Initially some thought that it would be beyond us, some thought that we would be too
antiquated to last the distance, then there were doubts such as, maybe there were not
enough of us, were the facilities suitable to do it, could we afford it, are we too far off
the beaten track to attract enough people to register, and so on. Fortunately we had
Roger leading the way and with his enthusiastic organizing ability, and general know how,
together with full support and some serious work from the rest of the team, greatly
assisted by those willing helpers from Manukau, we accomplished the task of holding a Convention. And from the
reports received afterwards it was recognized as a very successful affair, although a little damp at times.
With considerable work from the MEANZ team in Wellington the club achieved Registration with the Department of Labour under the Amusement Device Regulations and this was followed by local Council Registration.
We are the first club to reach this stage under the newly recognized procedures. With a more formal
arrangement, it now becomes necessary to pay closer attention to the requirements of working with the public
and ensure that the documented running procedures are followed.
Having tidied up after the convention and coped with some very busy running days we are able to confidently
look to the future and the first thing that comes to mind is the track through the bush. However, more pressing
than that is the need for some new passenger carrying rolling stock and that’s where the effort has to be
concentrated if we are to have enjoyable running days. Once we have new rolling stock it will be possible to
overhaul the present trolleys and end up with full reliability. We have spent many hours upgrading the track and
now need better rolling stock to reap the benefit.
Despite considerable patching up by Rodney, through the year, the Santa Fe locomotive finally made it quite
clear that it was time for some serious attention to the propulsion arrangements. Having reached the decision
that the problems were in the main associated with vibration, a new engine was sourced, purchased and installed.
Thanks to some sterling work by the Wednesday crew we now have a rejuvenated work horse ready for many
more busy running days.
The club continues to benefit hugely from the work of our Associate Members, Herb and Graham who although
not primarily enthused by the Miniature Railway, or Model Engineering do copious amounts of work for us. We are
again indebted to the ladies who give us so much support making our activities possible and catering for our
visiting club members, thanks also to those who have manned the BBQ, enduring hot sun and cold winds to satisfy
the customers and boost our funds.
We thank you all sincerely.
Running and development of the club has become much more enjoyable with an excellent relationship with the
Kiwi North management team, we had excellent co-operation with them when arranging the convention and look
forward to continued good communication.
Our Committee has made the decisions and planned the way ahead and found the monthly get together on a
Wednesday afternoon much easier to manage than an extra evening stint. The problem of how to make the
General Meeting a more interesting gathering is still with us, and I’m sure that all suggestions would be gratefully
received.
In producing our monthly newsletter, Ian has done a fabulous job with lots of inputfrom him and very little from
the rest of us.
And for the future, we have several new members, two enthusiastic junior members and a healthy financial
situation. There is the prospect of more steam locomotives appearing in the future, and being a participant in the
group of builders, I really hope that this happens sooner rather than later.
Colin Smith,
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Ekppp
President.
Northern Views
Wednesday Workdays
By the Editor
2/5/12: There was a general exodus this day as most of the regular crew decided to go
down to Auckland and pay a visit to the IMTEC show. There was much discussion on the
goodies available at the show (providing you have deep pockets). Rodney decided to stay
behind and put the finishing touches the Santa Fe.
9/5/12: Quite a nice day after the heavy rain the previous night. Work was carried out
giving the DG a bit of an overhaul. The Santa Fe is now complete and fully operational and
the new coat of paint makes it look wonderful. We now have a very reliable locomotive at
less than quarter the price of a new one. One of the next jobs to be undertaken will be the construction of six
new trollies. Some cutting of the line-side shrubbery was also undertaken.
16/5/12: Weather a bit debateable. A meeting of those interested in constructing more trollies for the club.
Some of our present trollies are nearing the end of their useful lives and some serious thought has to be put into
constructing more. It was suggested that we should construct at least six, to be built similar to those used by
Manukau Live Steamers as this design has proven its worth over the years. The MLS design allows for more
flexing of the chassis thus giving more track “stickability”. This construction bee would include the manufacture
of bogies as well. Wood and steel quantities were discussed and a list made of these quantities which will be
priced out by the end of the month. The actual construction of the trollies will be production-line style. The
treasurer also came along and advised us what we had and had not covered by insurance. The list was read out
and what was not required to be insured was deleted. The price of insurance has “gone through the roof” since
the Christchurch earthquakes so it was decided to obtain a quote first.
23/5/12: Editor was A.W.O.L.
30/5/12: Small attendance. A part delivery of the steel for the new production run of trollies saw Colin and
Roger R make a start on cutting out components for the new trollies. Rodney was fine tuning Santa Fe and Rankin
was busy doing some maintenance on the trollies. A small repair to the track was also undertaken. A decision was
made to paint the ceiling and maybe the walls of the workshop white to give more light.
Other Club’s Events:
Eastern Bay of Plenty: Open Weekend. 7th & 8th July 2012.
Hawkes Bay Model Engineering Society: 50th Anniversary Open Weekend. 6th & 7th
October 2012.
New Plymouth Model Engineers: 60th Birthday Bash. 20th-22nd October 2012.
Havelock North Live Steamers: Open Weekend. 19th-22nd October 2012.
Third Sunday Running
After a fairly unsettled recent weather pattern the morning dawned fine but with a cold SW wind. The rush
started almost right on the button at 10 o’clock and continued unabated until about 12.30 pm. From then on it was
more subdued but still busy. We were a bit puzzled as to why there were so many people queuing for rides when
it suddenly dawned (duh!) that Neville had been very busy putting out signs out all over the city advertising our
running day. This saturation signage has proved the old saying that advertising pays. We also had a birthday
charter to contend with, this group was operating under our new ride rules and using the new concession tickets
for the first time. Despite the fact that both Neville and Jacqui had raging colds they both soldiered on, Neville
in the ticket box selling ride and sausage tickets and Jacqui manning the barbecue. Ivy and co came over from
Dargaville and made us some very delectable scones (complete with jam and cream).
Roger R was conspicuous by his absence . . . but he was down playing trains at Thames this weekend. It was also
nice to see Roger L in our midst again. He says that now all the house-building is nearing an end and he has nearly
completed a workshop he has bought a 7¼” 2-4-2 from Nelson to play with while he recommences work on his AB.
Lex finally showed after a tiki tour of the lower North Island.
Apparently the grandchildren have been keeping him on the ball.
Northern Views
Ekppp
Page 3
ANSWER TO QUIZ ON PAGE 2:
The “Great White Fleet” pictured illuminated on Auckland Harbour in August 1908.
The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a
circumnavigation of the globe from 16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909 by order of President Theodore
Roosevelt. It consisted of 16 battleships divided into two squadrons, along with various escort vessels. The
President sought to demonstrate the growing American military power and blue-water navy capability. Hoping to
enforce treaties and protect overseas holdings, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds to build American sea
power. Beginning with just 90 small ships, over one-third of them wooden, the navy quickly grew to include new
modern steel fighting vessels. The hulls of these ships were painted a stark white, giving the armada the
nickname Great White Fleet.
As the Panama Canal was not yet complete, the fleet had to pass through the Straits of Magellan. The scope of
such an operation was unprecedented in U.S. history, as ships had to sail from all points of the compass to
rendezvous points and proceed according to a carefully orchestrated, well-conceived plan. It involved almost the
entire operational capability of the U.S. Navy. Unlike the badly co-ordinated moves of the Russian fleet on its
voyage from the Baltic to the Pacific, which eventually led to its destruction by the Russians in 1905, the U.S.
effort benefited from a peaceful environment which aided the co-ordination of ship movements. The voyage
itself eventually set a number of world records including sheer number of ships simultaneously circumnavigating
the earth.
The 14-month long voyage was a grand pageant of American sea power. The
squadrons were manned by 14,000 sailors. They covered some 43,000 nautical
miles (80,000 km) and made twenty port calls on six continents. The fleet
was impressive, especially as a demonstration of American industrial prowess
(all eighteen ships had been constructed since the Spanish-American War),
but already the battleships represented the suddenly outdated 'predreadnought' type of capital ship, as the first battleships of the
revolutionary Dreadnought Class had just entered service, and the U.S.
Navy's first dreadnought, South Carolina,, was already fitting out. The two ABOVE: The decorations erected at
the bottom of Queen St, Auckland.
oldest ships in the fleet, Kearsarge and Kentucky, were already obsolete and
unfit for battle; two others, Maine and Alabama, had to be detached at San
BELOW: USS Connecticut, the
Francisco because of mechanical troubles and were replaced by the Nebraska
flagship of the fleet.
and Wisconsin. (After repairs, Alabama and Maine completed their "own,
more direct, circumnavigation of the globe" via Honolulu, Guam, Manila,
Singapore, Colombo, Suez, Naples, Gibraltar, the Azores, and finally back to
the United States, arriving on 20 October 1908 long before the remainder of
the fleet, which had taken a more circuitous route.)
The battleships were accompanied during the first leg of their voyage by a
"Torpedo Flotilla" of six early destroyers, as well as by several auxiliary
ships. The destroyers and their tenders did not actually steam in company
with the battleships, but followed their own itinerary from Hampton Roads,
Virginia, to San Francisco, California. ▪
Newsletters Received . . .
Title
Blast Pipe
Blowdown
Expansion Link
Model Torque
The Dam Tram
The Micrometer
Wheels & Floats
From
Valley Model Engineering Society (Inc)
{ Hutt
Maidstone Model Engineering Society (Inc)
E.B.O.P. Society of Model Engineers (Inc)
Kapiti Miniature Railway
Hamilton Model Engineers
Hawkes Bay Model Engineering Society (Inc)
Waitakere Tramline Society (Inc)
Auckland Society of Model Engineers (Inc)
Tauranga Model Marine and Engineering Club
Dated
May 2012
”
”
June 2012
Winter 2012
May 2012
May 2012
May 2012
June 2012
May-June 2012
THESE MAGAZINES ARE AVAILABLE TO READ IN THE CLUBROOMS FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS
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Ekppp
Northern Views
General Pics from Around the Site
PHOTOS ABOVE:
Northern Views
1 . A beautifully crafted set of cocks obtained by
Roger R when across the ditch recently.
2. I guess this is what’s referred to as “flat out”. A
position that keeps the wind resistance down.
3. The nice new sheds for the “big railway”.
4. The other side of the bush. This is where the
track emerges from a natural bush tunnel.
5. The “minders” of the stationary engine display.
6. The Oruaiti Chapel. A unique octagonal building
that only seats about a dozen persons.
7 . A seldom seen view from the back of the museum.
Ekppp
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