Funny you should mention the Hanmer springs gasometer, Roderick. I have just
had my Xmas holidays in Hanmer Springs and inspected it every day - it is
within the hot pools complex which is the town's major attraction, and where
I took the waters. It is nicely painted up and, yes, according to the
information notice the last recorded use of it was in 1933. It supplied
natural gas to the hospital for cooking and lighting. Although in the past
(not on this visit) I have taken photos of it and the information about it I
simply can't find them right now.

In any case we are severely OT - the nearest tram line would have been 140
km away!

To bring us back on topic - after my 2 weeks of Xmas soaking I attended the
40th anniversary celebrations of the opening of the Ferrymead Tramway, on 6
January. One feature of the celebrations was the reopening of the track in
the Reserve, disused for many years. Here is the Kitson steam tram No 7
re-coupling to trailers 10 and 74 in the reserve.

There is a gasworks connection here - the Kitson is still burning coke
obtained from long-closed NZ gasworks (Nelson and Dunedin, I think). When
those stocks are exhausted either Australian coke will have to be obtained
or another smokeless fuel - perhaps LPG or wood pellets - substituted.

Brent Efford

On 24/1/08 12:19 AM, "Roderick Smith" rodsmith@...> wrote:

> That was a very interesting reply from Brent re gasometers in NZ, and a very

> interesting site (Dunedin gasometer museum). This is now a must for my next

> visit. I have to laugh: largest in the southern hemisphere always hints

> that there are larger in the northern; largest of its type: what other types

> of gasometer museum could there be?

> I have had a reply from a USA source via a South African group that a small

> gasometer at Hanmer (South Island) survives, supposedly disused since the

> 1930s. Presumably Auckland was in the league of the cities mentioned so

> far, and then the next rank of NZ city.

>

> I loved Mal's photo of Gasometer Hotel. Is there one of the depot on the

> diagonally-opposite former gasometer site to accompany it?

>

> Of course, googling on gasometer brings up a wealth of information, and the

> Flickr site for International Gasometer Society: 184 stunning photos, highly

> artistic. There is also gasometer city in Wien (Austria), a brilliant

> example of modern town planning (recycling four huge brick gasometer bases

> for a mix of residential, office and retail uses). I didn't have the time

> to view the remaining 9 pages of references.

>

> Gasometers and cable-tram engine sheds were roughly contemporary, and share

> many architectural features. It was an era of urban expansion before

> nimbyism; an era of confidence 'we can do it; we will do it'. The NZ site

> has a wonderful paragraph on the benefits of reticulated gas, which came

> before reticulated electricity.

>

> Roderick B Smith

> Rail News Victoria Editor

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> Yahoo! Groups Links

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