A giant of the New Zealand rail industry has been lost.
Russell Glendinning, the man who made the Kingston Flyer a world-renowned attraction, died today, aged 80.
Mr Glendinning lost his battle with cancer, and with him, New Zealand lost an icon.
His 49-year career with railways had the unceremonious beginning as a toilet-scrubber and general dogsbody at the age of 14, but he worked his way up the ladder. Mr Glendinning was in the permanent railway system and running the Balclutha depot by the time he was 16.
Mr Glendinning passed his driver’s ticket at the age of 22 launching him into a career that would be forged in Otago and Southland.
“I always liked the small towns. You got to know folk and they were unfailingly kind,” he once said.
The Kingston Flyer became Mr Glendinning’s baby in 1971 when it became a tourist attraction, and in 1975 he was awarded an MBE for services to tourism and railways.
With him at the helm, the Flyer brought 39,000 passengers to the district each year in the early 1990s.
KiwiRail’s predecessor, Tranz Rail, said Mr Glendinning owned a public profile so rare he was above reprimand.
Before the days of the stranglehold of health and safety, Mr Glendinning would do trackwork in the morning, before driving the train in the afternoon. While it was never common practice in railway days, or even now, it was not unusual for Mr Glendinning to drive and fire the engine along the line – doing the jobs of two people in the cab, on top of the many more it took to look after the line.
“I loved my time with the Flyer here. What made it so special was the people I met, the staff I was privileged to work with and I suppose a certain satisfaction in being involved with an icon like the Flyer,” he recalled.
His dedication to the Flyer was unending.
“As time went on and the popularity of the train grew, it did in a way take over my life.”
Mr Glendinning retired from the Flyer on April 29, 2002, an event celebrated with a special run of the train.
Some 300 invited guests, many colleagues from Mr Glendinning’s half-century involvement with railways saw him off. The run to Fairlight was marked by the constant whistling of both engines and a hold-up by masked locals, who whisked Mr Glendinning off the train and placed him in stocks.
His work with the Queenstown St John ambulance saw him helping people in need at every hour of the day or night. When he wasn’t doing that, he would be helping a new generation of railway men and women learn the ropes to get their steam tickets, just like he had many decades before.
Representing the Heritage and Tourist Rail Industry of New Zealand The New Zealand rail industry has lost a true friend today. Those of us who knew Russell will never forget him; a man who saw the good in everybody, and who was respected by all who had the privilege of working with him.
Russell dedicated his life to being kind, and to helping people.
We have all lost a friend today.
Grant Craig,
President,
Federation of Rail Organisations of New Zealand.