When Wellington Railway Station opened in June 1937 Thorndon and Lambton stations were closed. This bell was moved here from one of those stations.
The bell was originally fitted to one of two Wellington & Manawatu Railway Company locomotives, No.5 or No.17. Both were built in 1901 by the world’s largest builder of steam locomotive, Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, U.S.A. A bell was a standard fitting on most American locomotives, but were seldom seen in New Zealand. The only Company locomotives so equipped were No.5 and No.17.
In 1886 the Wellington & Manawatu Railway Company completed construction of the 133-kilometre line between Wellington and Longburn, near Palmerston North. The privately-owned company successfully operated the line for twenty two years, but with the Main Trunk Line linking Wellington and Auckland nearing completion the Government exercised an option to purchase the railway in 1908.
The Company’s railway, locomotives, rolling stock, and staff were incorporated into New Zealand Railways. WMR No.5 became NZR Nec-class No.461 and was withdrawn from service in 1931. No.17 became NZR Bc-class No.463 and was withdrawn in 1927.
The bell is only surviving relic of either locomotive, but as it lacks any identifying markings its exact origin remains an unresolved mystery.
The station closes at 1am and reopens around 5am. Please only attempt this cache during the stations open hours. You DO NOT need to purchase a train ticket to do this cache. It is completely open to the public during operating hours.
In order to log this cache you need to email me the following information
(1) At the cache location you will find a sign with the above information. On the sign are two pictures of the No 5 and No 17 locomotives. What was the original Baldwin Colour scheme? Style XXXX and Colour YYYY
(2) How many FULL links are there holding up the bell (don't include the half links on the bell or the half link on the roof)
(3) Just beyond the bell is a "big gate" with a sign saying that something isn't allowed - What is prohibited here ?
(4) Take a photo of you and the bell or your GPS / Caching Name and the Bell and post with your log.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.