Ormondville Rail Preservation Group Inc.

The "Grass-grub"

For a few years in the early 1980s, the carriages used for the Hawkes Bay passenger service were in fact old railcars that had been stripped of their engines. Due to the green colour of these carriages, the service became widely known by the nickname Grass-grub. 

These photos were taken at Ormondville, by Paul Andersen, some time following the removal of the true Endeavour train set in late 1981 and before the establishment of the Bay Express' actual predecessor, which had refurbished blue carriages, in August 1984.

Ormondville Station's yard seems very bare in contrast to its early days - and also when compared with the present day.

Passing over the Norsewood-Ormondville Road. The ladder on the left is to one of the station's signals, which unfortunately was removed in error sometime after the establishment of ORPG. These have since been returned and will in due course be restored also.

The cover of the March 1987 issue of 'Rails' showed the Endeavour as it was at that time: "Emphasising rail's ability to offer services from city centre to city centre, the Wellington-Gisborne express slows as it nears Hastings Railway Station. By way of contrast the region's only airport is north of Napier, 25 or more kilometres away." (Photo: Norm Daniel)