Ormondville Rail Preservation Group Inc.

Railway Enthusiasts Society's 'Hubs & Spokes' Excursion

Saturday, 21 October 2000 - Labour Weekend

(Part Two)

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After enjoying the sun at the Settler's Arms, the erstwhile 'Ormondville Cafe' cooks and kitchen hands made their way back to the station to start cooking dinner. We'd already heard that the train would be delayed an hour (by the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony??), meaning that we now expected them back just before 6:00 pm. 

Mashed potatoes for 100 people (plus ourselves) requires a great deal of peeling, so when the Bay Express pulled in shortly before 4:00 pm, all available hands were seated in a slightly embarrassed little huddle on the platform - with peelers in full flight performing 'KP duty,' which has nothing whatsoever to do with 'KP wagons.' 

We wondered what its passengers thought of our strange ways as they passed through the station - without stopping (thank goodness!).

Thereafter followed the preparation on the evening's menu - that staple from Railways history: 'Pea, pie & (s)pud,' with the addition of other veges and gravy. This was to be followed by tea and coffee, with cake.

The 'Hubs & Spokes' excursion train pulls into Ormondville for the second time on its return journey bound for Palmerston North, just before 6:00 pm.

Out on the platform, the excursionists, having learned how meals were served up at 'Cafe Ormondville' during their morning visit, queue up at the door at one end of the platform, before duly re-emerging at the other with their meals, to collect their tea/coffee etc. 

Evidently, all this order is not a true representation of a real 'historic' Railways restaurant however. I am assured that to be historically accurate, having received one's food - and drinks - one should in fact fight one's way back out the original door - despite the others in the queue who are trying to fight their way into it. 

In addition, instead of the peas being cooked to perfection, they should instead be from a large can and sufficiently overcooked and mushy as to spray their individual contents all over whoever is trying to eat them. 

And of course, then there is the legendary tradition of the stereotypical Railways pie...

And so this is the view of 'Cafe Ormondville' from that wonderful vantage point otherwise known as the roof of the outside toilet (yes, there is also an indoor toilet). Soon after this, our President, Paul Mahoney, spoke to our guests (but not from the toilet roof), telling them a little of the station's history and how our restoration group came to exist. 

A special feature, though, was the presentation to the Railway Enthusiasts Society of the tablet key to Glenbrook Station, a station that forms part of that society's Glenbrook Vintage Railway. Although we do not even have Ormondville's tablet key, it seemed highly appropriate to hand this one over to return to its own home on this very special occasion. The gift, which had been given to us at some point with other railway momentos, was received with considerable pleasure.

Our 100+ guests seemed delighted (at least that's what we were repeated told) with our efforts, just as we were delighted to have the pleasure of their company - and to test our large-scale catering skills. After 'cleaning up the scraps', we headed home to enjoy the remainder of the holiday weekend. It had been a long and yet extremely enjoyable day.