Heathcote Valley Online

A sharp eyed Heathcote Valley resident was on hand recently to photograph Ferrymead Heritage Park's latest arrival. A 21.3 metre, 26 tonne railway turntable has been delivered and will eventually form part of the new National Railway Museum. This coincides with the Christchurch City Council recently voting $50,000 towards the cost of its establishment.

Construction of the museum is expected to begin at the end of next year and is due for completion by 2013. When installed in the museum's central display area, the turntable will play a major role in showing off the collection of rolling stock due to its ability to turn the largest locomotives.

The turntable was donated by KiwiRail and took five days to be transported by rail from Auckland to Christchurch, via the Cook Strait ferry. It was then off loaded from a rail wagon onto a road transporter for the short journey round to the planned site of the new museum. It is now in storage at Ferrymead and we look forward to seeing it in operation in time for the upcoming 150th anniversary of New Zealand railways, due in 2013.