Pahīatua Railcar Society to return to 2025 Art Deco celebrations with 1939 railcar

Art Deco festival goers will once again have a chance to travel on an authentic Art Deco railcar with the return of the Pahīatua Railcar Society in 2025.

It adds to an exciting list of rail transport opportunities at the festival, with the first steam train excursions in a decade also on offer after a decision by Kāpiti Coast enthusiasts Steam Incorporated.

The RM 31 Tokomaru railcar was poised to partake in the 2023 festivities and had arrived before Cyclone Gabrielle struck, which left it stranded and ultimately having to be transported by road to Pahīatua.

Next year the railcar will return on its own accord from Pahīatua to Hawke’s Bay to offer passengers a trip back in time during the festival that runs from February 13 to 16 in locations across Napier and Hastings.

Train manager and worker Ken Mercer said the railcar could hold up to 52 passengers and still had its original interior of red leather seats.

The RM 31 Tokomaru Railcar will take passengers through Hastings and on to Waipukurau and Takapau.

According to the Railcar Society, the RM 31 Tokomaru is currently the only heritage ex-New Zealand Railways railcar certified to run the national rail network having regained its registration in December 2011.

It will shuttle passengers from Napier through to Waipukuraru and even as far as Takapau on February 15.

Mercer said the RM 31 Tokomaru is one of six standard railcars built at the Hutt railway workshops for the New Zealand Railways from 1938 to 1939.

In its early life, the railcar would travel from Wellington to Napier and Gisborne, and in 1955 travelled from New Plymouth to Wellington until its retirement in 1972.

Mercer said the railcar had been treated to a fresh paint job and the society was close to finishing a major engine and suspension overhaul.

He said the authentic Art Deco railcar was powered by two six-cylinder 110-horsepower diesel engines at each end.

“It makes it very fast for its age and very comfortable.”

The Tokomaru is expensive to run, costing $10,000 a day for it to be on the tracks, so Mercer said the society hoped to sell as many tickets as they could to cover the costs.

“You have got driver’s wages, access fees to the track, insurance, and a myriad of things KiwiRail charges for running the railcar on the day.”

A tour of passengers will return with the railcar to Pahīatua after the Art Deco festival.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.