October 1915, a brand new engine, ready for service
*war sounds
1917. Ex-NZR troops, ready for service
From July the thirty- first to November the tenth, a dreadful battle took place at Passchendaele, in Belguim
After the loss of 447 fellow railwaymen it was deemed only appropriate to name a living memorial
In 1925 the Minister of Railways Hon. J.G. Coates decided that the memorial was to be named Passchendaele
She remains not only as a memorial, but as a living reminder of by-gone days
The real significance of this very fitting commemorative event today is the fact that Ab608 was built in the Addington workshops in Christchurch in 1915,
during the war,
and was later named Passchendeale in 1925
The Minister of Railways at the time, Gordon Coates, agreed to the naming in memory of those members of the New Zealand Railway Services who died in The Great War
With regulators open and train sprung out behind,
 
the 1 in 80 stiffens as they climb the old branch line.
the fires burning nicely, and the Sellars have been primed
The guard has punched the tickets as the two steam whistles whine
Passing noble rows of poplars
and strings of power lines
The steam engines roll along, with a legacy of grime
With grades of 1 in 50,
and curves of 7 chain
The Pacifics keep on hauling
their monumental train
The Weka Pass Railway retains it's quintessential branch line charm
Home engine A 428 makes use of Waikari's overgrown turntable
An asset typical of many rural branch lines in the steam days
It's operated by hand
A reflection of... simpler times prehaps
Times when the passing of a branch line train was an important timepiece of the farmers, housewives and the children of our heartland
the men and women look on
gazing forth with glee
staring at the motion
clenching cups of railway tea
Hear the Pyle scream contently
Smell a balmy waft of steam
Feel the blaze of burning bitumen from the fireman and his team
See the joy on childrens faces
See the railway veterans beam
see the brass-work shimmer
With quite a breathtaking sheam
That's the quintessential essence
of doubleheaded steam
The quintessential essence
of doubleheaded steam
