A Meeting Of Steam Whistles At The Aramoho Bridge

PS Waimarie sounds its whistles as a Steam Incorporated railway excursion crosses over the Whanganui River near Aramoho Junction in Whanganui, New Zealand. Steam Incorporated's Ab 608 hauled The RiverCity Express from Paekākāriki To Whanganui and return on Saturday the 6th of June 2026. The excursion was met by PS Waimarie and the little steam boat 'Mary Rose'. The planned meeting of the two modes of steam transport had been advertised in the local newspaper 'RiverCity Press' and online social media. Members of the community had gathered nearby at suitable vantage points to experience the spectacle. It was decided to have 'a bit of fun' and swap out PS Waimarie's normal whistle for some variety and give the vessel an alternative voice. This video begins with the normal whistle being removed from the funnel by enthusiast Hamish. This whistle was formally used at the Gear Meat Company works (1874 - 1981) in Petone. Prior to that, it was probably off an old locomotive like an old J or T class or something like that. In its place we see two whistles being fitted for the day. The first is a 5-chime JA type whistle, most likely off JA 1279 which was scraped at Hutt Reclaim in 1967 (The whistle is now in the care of SteamRail Wanganui). The second whistle (from a private collection) is from locomotive B 303. The base is original, but the bell part has been removed to await repair. In its place is a polished up 105mm M14 shell casing! PS Waimarie is to be laid up for the remainder of 2026. The vessels' superstructure, decks and other woodwork date back to late 1999 and are in need of renewal after 26 years of wear & tear. The normal standard survey work and recertification will also be undertaken during the refit. It is tentatively planned to have the vessel re entering into service just in time for the start of 2027. Steam Incorporated ran the RiverCity Express specifically to catch the riversteamer before her layup began. Saturday June 6th ended up being a bleak day. There was a dark cloud hanging low right above the Aramoho Bridge. Out to the coast, the sky was a dazzeling bright blue, and the river reflected that light, making it hard for this videographer as the train appeared dark and shadowy on a dim through-span bridge. The river was 'in fresh' and running swift which meant that PS Waimarie did not make it into my camera frame until after the locomotive had gone past. But thanks to the kindness and co operation of three contributers, this video was able to have a worthy climax. Acknowledgements; Samantha Mason provided the onboard video, Ethan Calder provided the excellent video from the downstream side of the bridge. Scotty Agnew provided the kayak video from the upstream side. Ethan Calder chased the excursion and uploaded his video to youtube;    • Ab608 'Passchendaele' - Steam Incorporated...   Thankyou to the Captain & Crew of PS Waimarie for letting me wonder around the place with a video camera. Thankyou to Operations Manager Jen for sourcing video of the event and letting me hang-out for a day. 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 re launched in May 1999 and entered into service on January 1st 2000. On the eve of the year 2000, PS Waimarie's first sailing was the centrepiece for Whanganui township's midnight celebrations. 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 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 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