The anticipated Nelson Host Lions Club train 2.0 won’t be installed at Tāhunanui Beach by Christmas.
The new 8.5-metre-long wooden train is the replacement of the original concrete version which was installed by the Lions Club in the early 1960s. It was removed by Nelson City Council (NCC) in 2023 due to damage which posed a health and safety risk to children.
Club president Paul Milne says the train’s progress had been chugging, and the club had hoped it would be back on track by early summer, but delays in its construction by Waimea MenzShed, supported by NCC and Mitre 10 Mega Helping Hands, and installment preparation were nothing to raise alarm bells.
“We thought [the installation site] would have all been cleaned up by Christmas, but things have worked against us,” he says. “Two of our members had health issues, and it’s just a snowball effect with other factors. Construction has been on and off for six months… it’s had one coat of paint, and we’ll get the second coat and some decorations done in January.”
NCC group manager community services Andrew White says, amid the contaminated sawdust removal at Tāhunanui Beach in October and November it wasn’t the best time to prepare the site for the train’s installment.
“We’ve been looking at potential locations for the train at the Tāhunanui Beach playground with an eye on ensuring it’s installed in a way that adds the most benefit to users over the long term,” he says.
“We have decided to expand the playground’s bark-covered area so we can include the train in and amongst the other play equipment, which will provide a more encompassing play space and flexibility around nearby fall zones.
“This position will also improve access due to an extension of the asphalt path. This will be a bit more disruptive and take slightly longer to complete, but offers a better long-term solution.”
He says the council has set February for the train’s installment.
