MotSoc visit to Bush Tramway Club – 6th August 2023

We were looking forward to our visit to the Bush Tramway Club again following our last visit there two years ago. It was then and was again this time one of our highlight trips. We were there on a day when the Club had just advertised in the local Waikato news that they were still open after the floods, and they were extremely busy.

A team of a dozen of our members gathered at M2 for an early start and were at Pukemiro Junction by around 11:00am. Some of us queued to get on an early train which was running a shuttle between the two ends of the line. It is currently a little shorter than usual due to flood damage, however the ride is still a great experience. Others of us spent time elsewhere and took a later train.

One of the great benefits of Pukemiro Junction is its small size. This means that you can get around the whole site, stop and talk to the volunteers and spend time in the workshops getting to understand the projects they are working on and the progress they are making.

There was a BBQ running on the station platform and the “tea people” were flat-out serving the

customers. We were there for about four hours and were busy taking photographs for the Squeaky Wheel and another publication. It was an extremely relaxing day and very pleasing to see how well supported the Bush Tramway Club is by their local community.

Words by Alan Curtis

Pictures by Jodie Cawthorne