Model locomotive

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.

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.

Frank's final work
This model of one of New Zealand Railways' tiny A class 0-4-0T tank locomotives is the last one that Frank Roberts worked on before his death. He was 79 when he made the cab fittings. The chassis was made by Harold Joynt, and the completed model was presented to the Railways Department in 1961, thus completing its collection of heritage models.

A class locomotives
A class locomotives were the smallest ever used by New Zealand Railways. They first appeared in New Zealand in 1873, fourteen having been ordered by the Public Works Department for use on various construction projects. They continued to serve with Railways until 1906, and some continued working as industrial locomotives for freezing works, timber mills, and the Otago Harbour Board well into the twentieth century.

Four examples survive, including the original A 66, which is part of the Waimea Plains Railway at Mandeville in Southland.