Model steam locomotive and tender

Te Papa's collection of model locomotives and rolling stock is largely the work of craftsman and railway enthusiast Frank Roberts (1882-1963). Born in 1882, Roberts spent seventeen years as a cleaner, fireman, and driver for the Railways Department. He and his brother Jack then became partners in an electrical firm, although much of Roberts' time was spent developing a garden railway at his home in Epsom, Auckland.

This example is of the New Zealand Railways 'Ab' class steam locomotive Ab608, named Passchendaele in memory of Railways employees killed in WWI, with tender.

An accurate record
Roberts built 1:24 scale models of New Zealand steam locomotives. He worked from photographs, close observation, and his own memories, rather than from plans. His model locomotives and his brother George's models of rolling stock provide an accurate record of the equipment of the Railways Department from the 1870s to the 1930s.

Centennial highlight
The high point of Roberts' career as a model maker came when he was commissioned by the Railways Department to operate a large working layout at the Centennial Exhibition (1939-1940) in Wellington. Thousands of visitors saw the model railway, and many considered it the Exhibition's greatest attraction.

Acquisition
In 1950, Roberts sold his models to the Railways Department. They were widely exhibited for many years, and Roberts was employed to maintain them to museum display standard. In 1993, just before it was privatised, New Zealand Rail Ltd gifted its collection of heritage models, including more recent work by other model makers, to Te Papa.

AB class locomotives
Frank Roberts built this model of locomotive Ab 608 in 1939 for the Railway Department's operating model railway at the Centennial Exhibition (1939-1940) in Wellington. The Ab class of 4-6-2 Pacific locomotives was designed by H H Jackson, New Zealand Railways' Chief Mechanical Engineer, and Ab 608, the first of the class, entered service in September 1915. Ab class locomotives have always been regarded as one of the most successful of New Zealand Railways' designs: they were powerful for their size, economical to run, and popular with their crews. Ab 608 was later given the name Passchendaele, as a memorial to the 450 Railways' employees who died in World War I. A total of 141 Ab locomotives were built, and they served during the 1920s and early 1930s on main-line express and long-distance freight services. After the introduction of the larger, more powerful K, KA, and J locomotives, they were relegated to service on secondary and branch lines.

The last Ab locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1969, but seven, including Ab 608, have been preserved.
Ab 608  ('Passchedaele')  is operational and based at Steam Incorporated, Paekakariki.
Ab 663 is operational and based at Mainline Steam, Plimmerton.
Ab 699 is operational and based at Pleasant Point, South Canterbury.
Ab 745 is awaiting possible restoration at Maymorn.
Ab 778 and Ab 795 from the Kingston Flyer tourist train are stored at Kingston.
Ab 832 is stored at Glenbrook, South Auckland