Re: Fw: A bit of a grind

----- Original Message -----

From: Graeme Bennett

To: [email protected]

Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 4:51 PM

Subject: A bit of a grind

Soon after midnight in early 1958, a friend and I arrived at Wellington's Newtown tram depot on the last run in tram of the day.

We were dressed in our old gear and carried several half gallon flagons of brown amber fluid ,

These being normal Kiwi payment for services about to be rendered.

 

Soon we met our two companions for the night's activities.

In a previous life these blokes had been regular tram drivers, but now were the crew on grinder tram 301, and we had arranged to go out for a RIDE with them.

We located the car over on the short road on the Western side of the depot where it lived in company of Decker 47.

 

After the mandatory checks, and promises to bring it back before sunup, we set out.

 

The little car swayed and rocked throught the depot trackage and out onto the dark streets.

We rattled through Newtown , past the hospital and down past the Basin Reserve to Courtenay Place.

 

The center of Wellington was totaly dead at that time of night in those days .

It was still 6 pm closing, and very few clubs or cafes stayed open.

301 was in a world of her own ....and so were we !!

 

On through Manners Street,  Willis Street and Lambton Quay,  to the Railway Station.

Here we ventured onto Thorndon Quay and the line to Thorndon depot....... route 11 and 4

 

This was to be our "Job"  for the night.

Grinding the "Down " track

 

Our crew set up the car by screwing down the carborundum scrubbing blocks down onto the tracks.

(These were fitted between the axles of the 21e truck .)

A supply of water was directed onto the blocks to keep them cool .

The THREE headlights at each end were turned on.

 

With one of the crew in each cab we set out toward Thorndon, not exceeding full series speed.

The line here paralleling the NZ Railway main Wellington sidings and Multiple unit depots

 

At a point approximately 1 mile from our starting point and just short of Thorndon depot we stopped and reversed direction.

 

The second man merely pushed his contoller key to forward at his end , after  his mate pulled his key into neutral.

This was achieved by voice commands......not a drama in such a small car.

The trolley pole was speared back the way we had come without any problem.

 

And so the stage was set  for the evening., running "Bang Road" in one direction.

 

Ater perhaps an hour of this we were offered a DRIVE,

Which of course we rejected  for at least several seconds...............

 

We very soon got into the swing of it , and performed like veterans.

 

The crew ended up in the centre of the car with the big sliding doors open........ boiling the billy and having a smoke.

The night concluded somewhat prematurely with the failure of one of the carborundum blocks.

This was to result in the car having to return to Newtown early.

 

We left the little car outside the main Wellington station building around 3am and caught a nocturnal electric train to Lower Hutt.

My lasting memory is of her sitting in the centre of the road with all lights blazing , doors open , and with smoke from the Primus rising into the still night air.

And not another road vehicle or person to be seen.

 

WGB

 

 

 

 

 

 

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