Don Selby has been president of the Pahiatua Railcar Society since its inception.
By Leanne Warr
It’s fair to say Don Selby has had a lifelong passion for railcars.
It’s that passion that led to him becoming president of the Pahiatua Railcar Society, but after more than 30 years, he has decided to step down from his role.
His wife, Belinda, who has been secretary/treasurer for almost as long, is also stepping down.
Growing up, his family lived in a house at Mangamutu which overlooked the Pahiatua railway station.
There were about eight railcar services that came through every day between Wellington and Wairarapa and some went through to Palmerston North, Don says.
In 1956, the Remutaka Tunnel opened.
“It changed everything.”
The day after, a new timetable came in and there were up to 16 trains a day.
Back in those days, Don says, there were only three things that didn’t come into Pahiatua by rail - ice cream, biscuits and petrol. Everything else came by rail.
“It was not uncommon for us to have a yard full of wagons,” he says.
When he left school, he got a job working at the station, starting on January 3, 1957.
He was employed as a junior clerk, but it wasn’t long before he was doing everything from unloading to shunting trains in the yard.
But after three years, Don left for another career and it wasn’t until the early 1990s that he became involved once more.
“I’d always been keen on railcars because I’d worked with them.”
In 1990, New Zealand was celebrating 150 years and a lot of events were taking place that year, which made for a very busy year for Don and the team organising those events.
Don says they had a wind-up in early 1991 and he approached Warrick Greaves, commenting on how busy the year had been.
“So what are we going to do now?”
Warrick expressed a desire to restore a railcar, mentioning the Fiat railcars which had run on the line from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Warrick’s interest was through catching the railcar from Mangamaire to go to school in Masterton.
But at the time, they thought all the Fiat ones had been scrapped, so Don suggested instead they look into a Wairarapa railcar which they were able to lease.
Pahiatua Railcar Society held its first meeting in early 1992, attracting rail enthusiasts from all over the country, with Don, Warrick and Paul Gleeson leading the way.
Sometime later, they were able to lease a railcar that had been stored on a property north of Masterton.
Its owner, John Murphy, had thought about trying to operate it, but as the society had an operational licence, he offered to lease it to them instead.
Years later, John would leave the railcar to the society in his will.
That railcar has been fully restored and is used on excursions including through the Manawatu Gorge, trips to New Plymouth, National Park and the occasional “round the block” between Wellington and Palmerston North.
Don says one of the highlights of his time with the society has been acquiring the Silver Fern railcars.
He says the railcars represent an era in railways when they were trying to get back into passenger services.
“They were quite special because they were built in Japan and they were high quality.”
The railcars seat 96 passengers each and with two halves together, there is potential for almost 200 passengers.
The society has had the Silver Ferns in the yard as they were a bit high to be able to go in the shed, but recently they have managed to get one in the big shed where it is about to undergo a bit of an overhaul.
Don says the interior is mostly still in good condition and it’s mainly the exterior and the engines that need the work.
It’s work that Don hopes will attract some younger enthusiasts.
While there are a few highly qualified people to work, he believes it’s a great opportunity to bring in younger people.
“If a few younger ones start coming here, that are interested in mechanical careers, they’ll never get a better place to learn.”
Don says with the number of talented workers who already come to work, they are in a great position to make the railcar society a good training ground for those wanting a career in the field.
Leanne Warr has been editor of the Bush Telegraph since May 2023 and a journalist since 1996. She re-joined NZME in June 2021.
