On the weekend of 24-25 September 2005 the steam train JA1271 headed up to Wanganui from its base at Paekakariki (25 minutes north of Tawa), leaving 8am Saturday and returning later the following afternoon. Being slightly more enthusiastic about steam trains than our wives are, Dave (of Waikanae) and I rode the train on the four hours-plus trip, whist Karen and Maree drove the distance in under two hours.

It was good fun but the only disadvantage of being on the train itself is that you don't get to see it passing by (because you're actually on it!). There is one other disadvantage, which is that you can get covered in soot if you stand on the outside platform when it's going through a tunnel. But that's another story!

Later on the Saturday afternoon we drove west out of Wanganui for the specific purpose of finding a spot to get a photo or two of the train passing by, because we knew it was making a special trip in that direction at that time. The train took somewhat longer than we had anticipated to get to where we were, but after a wait which was as long as 50 minutes for some of us, the onlookers (who at that stage numbered about 35, mostly male) were rewarded with the sight and sound of that magnificent old steam train heading around the bend and on past our viewpoint.

After seeing a few of the sights of Wanganui on the Sunday, Dave and I returned home on the train later that day whilst the others drove. It was close to 9pm before I finally walked in my door.

- Malcolm Sparrow