Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (
More info?)
Lindsay <ratbag2@yahoo.com> wrote:
>That's not all that strange, Gisborne in New Zealand has a railway
>(railroad) track through the middle of the runway, I landed there a few
>years (decades) ago and am sure they made a flypast to get the livestock
> and check there were no trains in the way, anyway, have a look at this.
>
>http://trains.wellington.net.nz/j1234_hawkesbay/j1234_runway.jpg
>
>Lindsay.
I got more details about that picture from a chap who was there:
" This is Gisborne Airport, on New Zealand's North Island east
coast.
The line crosses the runway extention and the the airport advises to
aircraft whether the extension is "open" or "closed.". This is done
with
lights as the airport control tower is normally only staffed for
commercial flights due in around the middle of the day. Not visible
in
the photo are a large light arrays....a vertical coloum of white
lights
on either side, or a horizontal line of red lights for extension
closed.
An aircraft the size of the one in the photo could still use the open
portion of the runway...it is only larger commercial aircraft the need
the extension. Nevertheless, it is normally open, with railway
signals
at stop, unless required for the passage of a train. The Gisborne
line
is a very lightly used branch, and there are only 4 or 5 trains a
week
normally. No passengers services. The photo shows a posed situation
with
a steam special excursion and specially bought out aircraft. Normally
ofcourse such a sight would not happen any other way. For the
record,
the locomotive is a J class 4-8-2, or 2-D-1 depending on your
upbringing. As the last type of steam engines in use in New Zealand
the
are several J class family members in preservation around the country,
This one is numbered 1234, and owned and based at Steam Incorporated,
Paekakariki, near Wellington. I had dinner in Paekakariki about 100m
from the engine shed last night. In my job as a railway conductor in
New
Zealand I have worked on special passengers trains into Gisborne on
several occasions and have crossed the runway. I was infact, on the
train seen in the photo!."
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