Kingston Flyer (train) - Revitalisation

Revitalisation

On 26 October 1971, the final regular revenue service to be hauled by a steam locomotive in New Zealand ran, but around this time, the Railways Department announced that it was going to commence operating a heritage steam service in the coming summer. This service was to be a revitalised Kingston Flyer, running twice daily between Lumsden and Kingston with two AB class steam locomotives. It began on 21 December 1971 and proved to be wildly popular, operating during the peak Christmas and Easter seasons and carrying large numbers of passengers. However, due to damage to track by flooding between Lumsden and Garston in February 1979, the service was diverted to operate to other destinations. This damage led to the closure of the Kingston Branch beyond Lumsden, but in 1982, the Kingston Flyer was returned to its hometown to run on 14 km of preserved track between Kingston and Fairlight. It has now passed into private ownership and is operated for tourists and enthusiasts. (The service temporarily ceased in 2009 due to financial difficulties and the operations put up for sale by the receivers. After a drawn out sale by tender negotiation process, the operations were sold to New Zealand businessman, David Bryce. The Kingston Flyer re-commenced operations in October 2011.)