Final run farewells Ulysses club rider

LAST RIDE: Funeral for former train driver and motorcycle club member Peter Elsey, with his casket placed on Gary McPhee's Harley Davidson motorcycle hearse.PHOTO / LYNDA FERINGA

It's never too late for one last ride.

Peter Charles Elsey (1939-2015), train driver and Ulysses Motorcycle Club member, was farewelled at Gary Pickering Funeral home with a recording of steam trains and a ride to Clareville courtesy of Gary McPhee's motorcycle hearse.

His eco-friendly coffin was placed on the motorcycle's sideframe, with mourners gathering to sign it.

Mr Elsey, a train engineer for much of his life, moved from Naenae to Masterton in 1994 to drive the passenger services between Masterton and Wellington.

His wife, Dot, said she and her son had thought up the idea of giving him "his last ride".

"We wanted to do something different," she said.

"He would have loved the idea."

Gary McPhee did not know Mr Elsey but knew of the Ulysses Motorcycle Club, whose motto is "Grow Old Disgracefully".

His motorcycle hearse, when carrying out its duties, gets a few curious looks from motorists, he said.