Canterbury Railway Society Inc

News

RM 51 Due For Major Engine Repairs

25/4/00

One of the Ferrymead Railway's three Vulcan Railcars, RM 51, had a big end bearing failure in March whilst operating a regular passenger service in the Park. After checking the engine, other bearings have been found to be in poor condition and investigations are continuing to determine the extent of repair / replacement required. Work has also been carried out on the cylnder heads. In the interim the Westinghouse compressors will be removed from 51 to be placed on RM 56 which will have to bear the load while 51 is out of service. It is planned to overhaul two spare compressors for RM 51.

RM 51 and 56 have been the mainstay of the Ferrymead Railway's passenger operations for more than 20 years and run most trains within the Park. RM 51 returned to service only last October after more than a year inactive for gearbox repairs. RM 56 is currently the only Vulcan operational but also requires radiator repairs. RM 57 continues to have engine repairs done as time permits. Carl Pumpa has now joined the railcar team and we are fortunate to have the benefit of his professional experience with Vulcans when they were in NZR service. At the present the two wagons storing Vulcan parts are being tidied and other bits gathered from around the site.