Flyer Up for Sale

The 12-year-old steam locomotive Kingston Flyer is being offered for sale on auction site Trade Me. With the locomotive come two beautifully wood-panelled passenger carriages, a kitchen van, several goods wagons, almost nine miles of track, a pub, and a railway station. The Flyer began life in the 189s as a standard passenger train running between Kingston, which nestles at the foot of the Southern Alps, and the town of Gore, then on to Invercargill. Hauled by a New Zealand-built AB Pacific Class locomotive, the train completed its last scheduled service in 1957, and the line was later closed. Thanks to steam preservation enthusiasts, in 1971 the Flyer was reborn as a vintage tourist attraction on the short stretch of branch line that had survived between Kingston and Fairlight. Bob Muir, who is handling the sale for Christchurch-based estate agents Ray White said: “The Flyer is a much-loved part of New Zealand’s railway history, and the locals are just willing someone to come along and get it going again.”