Mark Seconi

PS Waimarie Greets 'The RiverCity Express' 2026

Steam Incorporated's Ab 608 hauled The RiverCity Express from Paekākāriki To Whanganui and return on Sunday the 1st of February 2026. The excursion, which had 270 passengers aboard, was met by PS Waimarie at the Aramoho Railway Bridge which spans the Whanganui River It was planned to have PS Waimarie wait near the railway bridge in anticipation of the excursion's arrival at about 12.30pm. After the train had arrived at Whanganui's little three-road yard, passengers disembarked and transfired to busses for the short journey to PS Waimarie's Wharf. Some passengers walked up the river pathway to the town's central business district. The locomotive was turned and serviced. After passengers had reboarded, the excursion departed for Paekākāriki at 4.40pm. The Ab class was a 1915 class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. They were are versatile go-anywhere 'maid of all work' type of locomotive. 141 were built, making them the largest class of Steam Locomotives in New Zealand. Ab 608 gained the distinction of being named 'Passchendaele' in 1925 to commemorate the railway staff who had served and been killed in the First World War. Locomotives in New Zealand have very rarely carried name plates, so it is noteable for 608 to do so. 608 was withdrawn in 1967 and as the class leader, it was a worthy candidate for preservation. 608 is based with 'Steam Incorporated Paekākāriki' Built in Poplar London as a kit-set by Yarrow & Company, PS Waimarie entered into service in 1900. The vessel worked the lower reaches of the Whanganui River as far as Pipiriki, a distance of 55M / 88Km. The vessel lost the bulk of its passenger and goods work when the River Road was opened in 1935. The vessel was laid up in 1949 and sank at its moorings in 1952 through neglect & vandalism. The sinking was a blessing in disguise, as the vessel may have been scrapped. The vessel was salvaged in 1993 and underwent a 'frame up' restoration through the 1990's. PS Waimarie was launched in May 1999 and entered into service on January 1st 2000. On the eve of the year 2000, PS Waimarie's first passenger sailing was the centrepiece for Whanganui township's midnight celebrations. The Aramoho Railway Bridge was opened in May 1877. It was originally a timber truss structure. The piers were completed in 1876 and turn 150 in 2026. In 1962, the timber trusses were replaced with the steel truss spans in this video. Today, this bridge is Number 25 on the Marton - New PLymouth Line