The Ocean Beach Railway is a heritage railway that operates in Dunedin

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is located between John Wilson Drive in the suburb of Saint Kilda

Saint Kilda, New Zealand

St Kilda is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. A densely populated residential suburb, it lies on the southern part of the city's central plain, to the southwest of the head of the harbour and immediately north of Ocean Beach, parts of which are within the suburb and form its major...

 and sports grounds near Forbury Park Raceway

Forbury Park Raceway

Forbury Park Raceway is a horseracing venue in the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located close to the Pacific Ocean coast in the suburb of Saint Kilda....

, and runs parallel with the city's main beach, Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach, Otago

Ocean Beach is a long sandy beach which runs along the Pacific Ocean coast of south Dunedin, New Zealand. It stretches for some three kilometres from Saint Clair in the southwest along the coast of Saint Kilda to the foot of Lawyer's Head in the east...

. This is near where the Ocean Beach Branch once ran, but not on the same formation.

The OBR can claim three notable distinctions. The first is that it was the first organisation to preserve a steam locomotive in New Zealand with the intention of operating it. The second is that it was the first operating heritage railway in New Zealand, with the first train running in 1963. The third is that it possesses A 67, a member of the 0-4-0

0-4-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...

 A class

NZR A class (1873)

The A class was the second class of steam locomotive ordered to work on New Zealand's national railways. It should not be confused with the more numerous A class 4-6-2 tender locomotives of 1906. Initially ordered by the Public Works Department for use in the construction of lines, the A class...

 of 1873 built by Dübs & Co., and it is currently the oldest operational locomotive

Locomotive

A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...

 in New Zealand.

List of Locomotives

Key:	In Service	In Service, Main Line Certified	Under Overhaul/Restoration	Stored	Static Display	Scrapped

Number	Builder	Builder's Number	Year Built	Acquired by Ocean Beach	Notes
A 67 NZR A class (1873) The A class was the second class of steam locomotive ordered to work on New Zealand's national railways. It should not be confused with the more numerous A class 4-6-2 tender locomotives of 1906. Initially ordered by the Public Works Department for use in the construction of lines, the A class...	Dubs & Co.	647	1873	1967	Acquired from Milburn Cement, 1967. Currently oldest operational locomotive in New Zealand.
A 66 NZR A class (1873) The A class was the second class of steam locomotive ordered to work on New Zealand's national railways. It should not be confused with the more numerous A class 4-6-2 tender locomotives of 1906. Initially ordered by the Public Works Department for use in the construction of lines, the A class...	Dubs & Co.	648	1873	1973	Plinthed next to Josephine NZR E class (1872) The NZR E class of Double Fairlie steam locomotives were two different types of Fairlie locomotive, and were the first classes to take that designation, followed by the E class Mallet compound locomotive of 1906 and then the E class battery electric locomotive of 1922...  at Otago Settlers Museum until 1973. Leased to Caenarvon Restaurant from 1981 until 1988 when loco was damaged by restaurant fire. Moved to Middlemarch for Display until 2000 when leased to Waimea Plains Railway Waimea Plains Railway The Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand... .
F 111 NZR F class The NZR F class was the first important class of steam locomotive built to operate on New Zealand's railway network after the national gauge of 1067 millimetres was adopted. The first locomotives built for the new 1067 mm railways were two E class double Fairlies for the Dunedin and Port Chalmers...	Dubs & Co	1233	1879	?	Obtained from Oamaru Harbour Board. Restored 1975, withdrawn for overhaul 1985. Overhaul commenced 2007, in need of a new boiler.
F 150 NZR F class The NZR F class was the first important class of steam locomotive built to operate on New Zealand's railway network after the national gauge of 1067 millimetres was adopted. The first locomotives built for the new 1067 mm railways were two E class double Fairlies for the Dunedin and Port Chalmers...	Dubs & Co	1371	1880	1974	Displayed in an Invercargill Invercargill Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...  Park until obtained by OBR. Leased to Plains Railway from 1986.
D 6 NZR D class (1874) The NZR D class was a class of tank steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's national railway network. The first members of the class entered service in 1874, and all had left the service of NZR by the end of 1927, which allowed the D classification to be used again in 1929.- Introduction...	Neilson & Co.	2564	1880	1965	Sold by NZR to Taratu Coal. Sold in 1940 to McDonald's Lime, Oamaru until 1965 when acquired by Ocean Beach Railway. Stored awaiting eventual restoration.
PWD 540 Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally.In Australia: -New South Wales -*Office of Public Works and Services, New South Wales...	John Fowler & Co.	15912	1921	1960	First Preserved Steam Locomotive with intent to use in working condition. Obtained from Otago Harbour Board, in whose ownership it had been working at the Aramoana Mole since 1951. Stored awaiting overhaul.
Traills Tractor	A&T Burt.	126	1926	1997	Built for Milburn Cement. Displayed at a Kindergarten until 1997, to Ocean Beach Railway. Stored.
Haig 4815	Kerr Stuart.	4815	1929	?	Built for Kempthorne Prosser. In service.
Tr 81 NZR TR class The NZR TR class is a class of diesel shunting locomotives built by many different manufacturers. Many of these locomotives have been withdrawn, but some are still in service. The first locomotives of this class were built by the Drewry Car Co in 1936, and had 52 kW or 90 kW petrol engines...	Drewry	2097	1939	?	Originally built to NZR "Baby Drewry" type for Ohai Railway Board. Sold to NZR, became their Tr 81 (later TR309). Sold to Ocean Beach Railway, and later restored to Ohai Railway Board appearance. In service.
DSA 252	Hunslet	4530	1954	2005	Owned by Silver Fern Farms ex the former Burnside freezing works and on loan to Ocean Beach Railway, under the proviso that should it be needed it must be returned. In service.
DSA 256	Hunslet	4534	1954	2000	Purchased by Fiordland Vintage Machinery Museum for proposed railway at Te Anau Te Anau Te Anau is a town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island and second only within New Zealand to Lake Taupo. The 2001 census recorded the town's population as 1,857... . Owned privately and stored at Ocean Beach Railway. Now owned by Ocean Beach Railway
DS 203 NZR DS class The NZR DS class is a class of 16 diesel shunting locomotives built by the Vulcan Foundry and supplied by the Drewry Car Co from 1949 - 1955.-Operation:The locomotives were largely allocated to shunting yards, and later industrial service.-Withdrawal:...	Drewry/Vulcan	2527	1955	1982	In service, occasionally used on passenger trains.
Price 185	A&G Price	185	1958	1993	Built for Alliance Freezing Works, Lorneville. To Ocean Beach Railway 1993, stored.

Rolling stock

The OBR possesses numerous historic passenger carriages, an assortment of freight wagons, and a hand crane. They have the only serviceable example of a 43' passenger carriage, along with another 43' carriage, a D Class carriage and a Vice Regal car amongst their stored carriages. Ocean Beach is well renowned for its active restoration of freight rolling stock, some examples of which are very rare and have earnt the railway numerous restoration awards. The railway also has a hand crane, and restoration work on the crane earned the OBR a Rolling Stock Award from the Federation of Rail Organisations NZ. The Ocean Beach Railway is one of very few railways in New Zealand which can produce an accurate late 19th century period train.

Operation

The Ocean Beach Railway has traditionally operated a summer schedule with services every Sunday. In 2006, the OBR commenced operating a reduced winter schedule, featuring services on the last Sunday of every month. The society also runs a popular 'Friends of Thomas' weekend once a year. Faces are placed on engines in the Thomas the Tank engine style. Trains are operated by a mix of steam and diesel locomotives. Currently A67, the Kerr Stuart and DSA 252 are used.
Most restoration work takes place on Saturdays and visitors are welcome to view the workshops and restoration work in progress.

External links

• The Ocean Beach Railway's official website
• Weka Pass Railway's page on A 67
• Location map
• A video of the operation