Mr. Fell and his Engines

Or – What Railway Geeks do on their Weekends Off.

John Barraclough Fell was an English engineer. One of his designs was for a mountain railway system and one of the few examples built connected Wellington to the Wairarapa. The Incline was discontinued in 1955 after the completion of a tunnel between Upper Hutt and Featherston. One surviving Fell engine has been preserved in its own museum.

 

A close up of the Walschaerts valve gear.

Helpful labels so the driver doesn't forget what the controls do!

As well as the preserved locomotive and brake vehicle there is a vast array of associated paraphernalia and a couple of models of the lower and upper ends of the incline. This is Cross Creek on the lower (Wairarapa) side.

The incline, with the centre rail, starts at the bottom here.

the imaginatively named Summit on the Upper Hutt end.

After visiting the museum we repaired to Greytown for coffee, followed by walking the track that I reported on nearly a year ago. We took lunch at the Woodside end

then explored the current station

and disused freight depot (which started life as the Greytown Railway Station). I wonder who has bought it?