Exhibition lifts lid on Durie Hill Elevator
Published on 16 July 2019
To celebrate this year’s centenary of Durie Hill Elevator, a unique part of Whanganui’s history – a mercury arc rectifier – has just gone on display at the Whanganui i-SITE at 31 Taupō Quay.
“The rectifier on display is a spare to the one driving the 100-year-old elevator,” Whanganui District Council’s Facilities Management Officer, Peter Tantrum, says. “It is normally hidden away behind closed doors but comes alive when the elevator is in use.”
The rectifier is a vacuumed glass bulb which contains liquid mercury and converts alternating (AC) current to direct current (DC). It is one of only a few in the world to be used for public transport.
The elevator was originally supplied by the same powerhouse that generated electricity for Whanganui’s tramway network, with the elevator running on 500-volt direct current electricity.
“When Whanganui’s tramway closed in 1950, the Hewittic 150/6 mercury rectifier was installed in the elevator tower to convert the new AC grid supply to DC electricity so the elevator could remain operational,” Peter Tantrum says.
“Also on display is a motor and gearbox similar to the one used in the Durie Hill elevator. They are smaller versions of the Durie Hill ones and were built by the same company – Smith, Major & Stevens. They were originally installed in the Sample Room building at 72 Victoria Avenue, which later became the site of Hannah’s shoe factory. They were put into storage before the building was demolished in 1999.”
The Durie Hill elevator centenary community celebration event on Saturday, 3 August 2019 kicks off the inaugural Whanganui Heritage Month. The community event will run from 9.00am to 1.00pm by the Durie Hill War Memorial Tower and include market stalls, food trucks, vintage games and the opportunity to see the elevator’s own arc rectifier in operation. Ride up on the elevator and receive a souvenir “golden ticket”, or ride up to the top of the hill in a vintage vehicle. The Durie Hill School Ball Drop will close the elevator celebrations.
Limited edition commemorative golden tickets for the elevator go on sale later this week at the i-SITE and elevator at the same price as a regular one-way ticket ($2).
Whanganui Regional Heritage Trustee, Councillor Helen Craig, says Heritage Month finally recognises the importance, quality and quantity of Whanganui’s built heritage. “With over 40 events in the programme, we are thrilled with this level of support for the very first Whanganui Heritage Month,” she says.
The mercury arc rectifier and the Smith, Major & Stevens motor and gearbox will be on display at the i-SITE until the end of August 2019.