Flyer to snuff out fires beside track

The underbelly of the Kingston Flyer locomotive is to be fitted with specially designed water spraying equipment to put out small fires on the railway track during summer.

Several Kingston firefighters tended to several small fires that erupted at the start of the train's track at Kingston yesterday. The fires were easily contained and not serious, but Peter Ottley, of the Kingston brigade, said they were an ongoing problem, especially during the hot summer months.

"It's just the sparks out of the fire box – it's pretty dry at the moment. Fortunately we were close by."

The fires were "just patchy small fires" and the company was addressing the problem.

Managing director David Bryce said yesterday he had purchased the equipment, which entailed a nozzle, similar to those used in vineyards for spraying liquid fertiliser.

The equipment would be adapted and fitted underneath the train. It would spread a fan of water 4 metres to 5m wide along the track as the train travelled along, like those used on road sealing trucks.

"We carry quite a volume of water on the locomotive that we don't use so we've got water to spare."

He was not aware of the system, which would be fitted some time in the next week, being used anywhere else in the country.

The railway line between Kingston and Fairlight had become overgrown with grass and weeds with the train off the track for the past two years.

Mr Bryce said the growth had been burnt off by Rural Fire staff but the dry material left was igniting easily in the heat at even the slightest ember or spark.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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