Night Passage - WW480 Steam

Built in 1910, steam locomotive WW480 was put into service hauling huge loads of coal and timber from the West Coast of the South Island across the... more

by Patricia Howitt

Title

Night Passage - WW480 Steam

Artist

Patricia Howitt

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Board

Description

Built in 1910, steam locomotive WW480 was put into service hauling huge loads of coal and timber from the West Coast of the South Island across the Southern Alps to Christchurch. But by the mid 1960s, steam was being phased out and WW480 lay abandoned in the yards at Greymouth.

In 1969 the locomotive was purchased in 'as is where is' condition by the Glenview Vintage Railway in Auckland and a group of enthusiasts travelled to Greymouth to bring the locomotive into working order. There followed an epic journey of more than 800 miles in total: across the Southern Alps to Christchurch and on to Picton, a strip-down for the ferry crossing over Cook Strait, then back onto the rails and up across the volcanic plateau to Auckland.

This painting shows WW480 crossing the rail bridge over the braided Waimakariri River en route to Christchurch by night - not inappropriately, because much of the freight traffic on the single line linking the two coasts through this mountainous country was transported at night-time.
Small sizes recommended until I get a scan of this.

Uploaded

January 27th, 2013