Feilding's 'The Coach House Museum' Rally 23 - 25 September 2016

Members started arriving Thursday afternoon but most on Friday. We had 7 vans attend and all had great spots to park. The facilities were excellent. A good sized room was at our disposal with kitchen and toilets. We had also a large table to sit around with comfortable chairs. Friday night was spent looking at a movie.

Looking out towards the street

 

 

Looking towards the main entrance of the museum

                                          Happy campers taken from across the road.

 

Saturday after morning tea we set off walking to the Feilding and District Steam Rail Society Inc. just opposite the Museum but over the railway line. It was 10 min walking time. We had a guide who took us a around and explained what was going on. They have a very large. area which has been turned into parking tracks.  Many of the sheds with track laid for storage and repair.
Feilding Steam Rail is a incorporated Society formed in September 1996 to establish a Steam Engine Museum in Feilding and to run excursions using restored steam locomotives for the benefit of all people in the Manawatu.

Since then they have acquired leases on several steam locomotives and have purchased one diesel shunting tractor. they have also acquired a large collection of carriages, vans and wagons to ensure that examples of these items of rolling stock are available for the benefit of future generations. Their prided and joy is the Wab 794 locomotive which is one of two only left of this class loco in NZ.

 

Wab 794

 

This was built buy NZR workshops in 1927

It has seen service in Dunedin, Wellington, Wanganui and Southland and it had been stored at Ferrymead until Feilding Steam Rail obtained a lease for it in 1997. They fully restored it and is "mainline certified" and is used to run excursions and tours throughout New Zealand.

 

Carriages all cleaned ready to go tomorrow (Sunday) on a day trip to Hawkes Bay, via Palmerston North. To be hauled by a diesel engine.

Having spent over an hour looking around their interesting Museum, some of our members made purchases of the museum's merchandise as well as making donations.  We then returned back to our caravans for lunch and had a free afternoon.

4zzzzze's soon eventuated, with lots of fun and laughter.

At 5.45pm Saturday we took off to The Rangitikei Club for dinner. Some walked but others drove.
The evening was very good and the meal more than filling. Prices were good also.

                                                         The lions awaiting to be fed

The evening was concluded by returning to the museum room for coffee and chats and resetting our watches and clocks for Day Light Saving.

Sunday morning tea, we celebrated Val's upcoming 70th birthday and baking supplied by Bill.
Having cleaned the Hunter room and saying our goodbye's we made our way home.

Next rally: Labour Weekend  21 - 24 October, at Oroua Downs School.