Below are a few shots from the shoe box taken around the port in the early 90's, most taken while I was living in NP at boarding school.
Overview of the port yard, early 90's.
Former UC tank wagon converted into a bitumen container to ride on IA type wagons.
More converted old UC tank wagons.
TBB and TCC containers, and VRB's full of butter and cheese from Whareroa getting unloaded on the wharf.
More of the former UC tank wagons in the siding where they were loaded.
A UBC cement wagon stored at the port. The blue paint around its number means its written off and waiting for scrapping.
Straight from Whareroa this train ran directly to the port, seen here passing Moturoa coolstores. April 1993
Down in the port yard about to run around its train.
and then push the wagons onto the wharf!
Then brand new the DXR was specially arranged to be part of a shuttle train to convey passengers from New Plymouth to the port for their open day. 1993 or 1994.
The Westgate port open day train seen just west of the site of the old station platform down town.
DC4133 was on the other end of the train operating push pull type. DC 4853 was there at the start of the day, but was incorrectly set up and dragged all the way down to the port, and had to be towed back to Smart Road with extreme wheel flats. Oops! Seen here near Belt Road.
The port open day was a grand affair with many displays and demonstrations. New Zealand Rail sent several of the latest and greatest of their wagons for display, including VRB, VS, and this ZBV.