All aboard the QE Park express

Weekend visitors to Masterton’s Queen Elizabeth Park will be familiar with a distant high-pitch whistle, often followed by a sudden patter of little feet.

By Walt Dickson. Photos by Mike Heydon.

It’s as if the last train for the day is leaving the station and a bunch of anxious children have missed their ride. But calm is soon restored, Doug, as he is affectionately known, can be spotted through the trees, chugging around the island circuit in the Lake of Remembrance.

Station Manager Barry Stroud says there is always enough time in the day for another ride. It’s been that way for nearly 50 years.  “To be honest, I don’t know way kids love it so much . . . they just do,” Barry says.

There’s an appeal for adults too. With your most treasured wrapped in your arms, and the wind on your face, how can you not revel in the moment? Barry reckons when the carriages are pulled through the 38-metre long tunnel it is the grown-ups who are yahooing the most.

“There’s lots of squealing and yelling from the kids, but the mums and dads make plenty of noise too.”

Last year engine DG757 took over 30,000 passengers around the track, with many coming from far and wide. “We get families who come up from Wellington just to take their kids for a ride on the train.”

There is much for families to enjoy in Queen Elizabeth Park; the Kids Own Playground is one of the best in the country, paddle boats and mini-golf are nearby. The park itself, in the middle of town, is perfect for picnicking. Across the road is the Art’s Quarter, aquatic centre and plenty of places to eat.

But for many, it is for the miniature train that they come. With a top speed of 15km/hour Doug will leave most, if not all other miniature trains in the country for dust. What gives his engine the edge is that the track’s wide gauge, allowing for speed without compromising on safety.

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 At $1 a ride it is cheaper than a McDonald’s slushy. Unlike fast food though, the cost of a ticket hasn’t kept up with inflation - it’s been just a buck since 1984.

Barry says the Masterton Miniature Train Society has no intention of putting the price up, “we’re here to provide a service, not make a profit”

Lucky the society has Barry; his dozen or so hours a week - largely spent tinkering with the engine and tracks - are all voluntary.

“There’s about half a dozen of us on the committee, plus another five or six floaters, but we could probably do with a few more.” 

History

The miniature train track opened on 26 August 1972, with the Minister of Railways, Peter Gordon, doing the honours. Among the first passengers was long time rail employee and Leader of the Opposition, Norman Kirk.

The Masterton Jaycees, who built the track, handed the running of it over to the Masterton Lions Club in the mid 1980s, and later it was picked up by the newly formed Masterton Miniature Train Society.

The Miniature Train is open most weekends, public holidays, and special events.