User:Axver

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Axver, known to some as André (b. January 1987), is a Wikipedian who thinks it is mildly humorous or at least somewhat amusing on a personal level to write his user page as if it were a proper Wikipedia article.

Axver is currently attempting to take a break from Wikipedia. He has quite a few university assignments to do. However, he tends to prefer writing about trains, so he will likely continue to procrastinate and waste time on Wikipedia.

Contents 1 Brief history 2 Interests 3 Articles 3.1 Railway lines by region 3.1.1 Northland 3.1.2 Manawatu and Central North Island 3.1.3 Wellington/Wairarapa 3.1.4 General South Island 3.1.5 Westland 3.1.6 Canterbury 3.1.7 Otago 3.1.8 Southland 3.1.9 Significant proposals 3.2 Locomotive classes of New Zealand 3.2.1 Battery-electric engines 3.2.2 Diesel-electric engines 3.2.3 Railcars 3.2.4 Steam engines 3.3 Preservation societies 3.4 Express trains 3.5 Other articles 3.5.1 Music related 3.5.2 Transport related 3.5.3 Towns and geographic features in New Zealand 3.6 Significant expansions 3.7 Templates 3.8 Prior work 4 Axver's To-Do List 4.1 Railway lines 4.1.1 General North Island 4.1.2 Auckland/Waikato 4.1.3 Bay Of Plenty 4.1.4 Taranaki/Wanganui/King Country 4.1.5 Hawkes Bay/Gisborne 4.1.6 Wellington/Wairarapa 4.1.7 General South Island 4.1.8 Nelson 4.1.9 Westland 4.1.10 Canterbury 4.1.11 Otago 4.2 Locomotive classes 4.3 Long distance passenger trains 5 Finally, a complaint

[edit] Brief history

Not much is known of Axver's personal history as he is not in the public spotlight. He grew up in Raumati Beach, New Zealand, and spent much of his youth "playing trains" at Raumati Marine Gardens because he was cool like that. He presently resides in Brisbane, Australia, a city he better knows by the name "Hell". His passionate support of the All Blacks, Black Caps, Wellington Hurricanes, and other New Zealand sporting teams is well-known to family and friends.

[edit] Interests

Axver grew up a keen railfan, especially of the New Zealand national rail network. Appalled by the poor coverage of New Zealand's railways, Axver has taken it upon himself to greatly expand Wikipedia's coverage. His ultimate goal is to write articles on every single railway line and locomotive class to have existed in New Zealand that does not yet have an article. He firmly believes in the importance of this as a historical record, as the railways were critical to the initial development of New Zealand and remain an important part of the nation's infrastructure.

Axver also enjoys model railways and when time, money, and space permit, he aims to build one in HO scale. His current ambition is to build a layout on a New Zealand prototype, based in the Wairarapa and including fictitious branches to enhance the operation potential.

Axver is quite fond of music, especially the rock band U2, progressive rock bands such as Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, and Pure Reason Revolution, and death metal bands like Opeth and Orphaned Land. He possesses an encyclopaedic memory of U2's setlists and may one day seek to enhance Wikipedia's depth of information about individual U2 songs.

Axver has coined the term "generork" (geek - nerd - dork) to refer to himself. He is easily fascinated by just about anything academic, especially historical, political, and theological topics. He enjoys debating, devours any book he can find, and loves British comedy, especially Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, and Blackadder. He believes that the scene in the Fawlty Towers episode Gourmet Night where Basil Fawlty bashes his car with a tree branch is the best comedic scene ever made for television or film.

[edit] Articles

Axver's Wikipedia contributions mainly relate to coverage of New Zealand's railway heritage. Below is a list of the articles he has created, followed by articles to which he has made a significant contribution.

[edit] Railway lines by region

[edit] Northland

Dargaville Branch, Donnelly's Crossing Section, Kumeu-Riverhead Section, North Auckland Line, Okaihau Branch, Onerahi Branch, Opua Branch

[edit] Manawatu and Central North Island

Foxton Branch, Sanson Tramway, Raetihi Branch, Taonui Branch

[edit] Wellington/Wairarapa

Te Aro Extension

[edit] General South Island

Main North Line, Main South Line, Stillwater - Westport Line

[edit] Westland

Blackball Branch, Rapahoe Branch, Ross Branch

[edit] Canterbury

Eyreton Branch, Fairlie Branch, Little River Branch, Methven Branch, Oxford Branch, Mount Somers Branch, Southbridge Branch, Waiau Branch, Waimate Branch, Whitecliffs Branch

[edit] Otago

Catlins River Branch, Dunback and Makareao Branches Fernhill Branch, Kaitangata Line, Kurow Branch, Moeraki Branch, Ngapara and Tokarahi Branches, Outram Branch, Port Chalmers Branch, Roxburgh Branch, Shag Point Branch, Tapanui Branch, Walton Park Branch

[edit] Southland

Bluff Branch, Hedgehope Branch, Kingston Branch, Mossburn Branch, Tokanui Branch, Tuatapere Branch, Waikaia Branch, Waikaka Branch, Waimea Plains Railway, Wairio Branch, Wyndham Branch

[edit] Significant proposals

Canterbury Interior Main Line

[edit] Locomotive classes of New Zealand

[edit] Battery-electric engines

NZR E class (1922), NZR EB class

[edit] Diesel-electric engines

NZR DA class, NZR DB class, NZR DF class (1954), NZR DF class (1979)

[edit] Railcars

NZR RM class, NZR RM class (Clayton), NZR RM class (Edison battery-electric), NZR RM class (Leyland diesel), NZR RM class (Leyland petrol), NZR RM class (MacEwan-Pratt), NZR RM class (Model T Ford), NZR RM class (Sentinel-Cammell), NZR RM class (Standard), NZR RM class (Vulcan), significantly expanded NZR RM class (Wairarapa)

[edit] Steam engines

NZR A class (1873), NZR A class (1906), NZR Aa class NZR Ab class, NZR B class (1874), NZR B class (1899), NZR Ba class, NZR Bb class, NZR Bc class, NZR C class (1873), NZR C class (1930), NZR D class (1874), NZR E class (1872), NZR E class (1906), NZR F class, NZR J class (1874), NZR K class (1877), NZR K class (1932), NZR N class, NZR Na class, NZR Nc class, NZR O class, NZR Oa class, NZR Ob class, NZR Oc class, NZR P class (1876), NZR P class (1885), NZR Q class (1901), NZR T class, NZR Wb class, NZR Wd class, NZR X class

[edit] Preservation societies

Feilding and District Steam Rail Society, Ocean Beach Railway, Pahiatua Railcar Society, Plains Vintage Railway, Pleasant Point Museum and Railway, Silver Stream Railway, Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust

[edit] Express trains

Bay Express, Culverden Express, Daylight Limited, Geyserland Express, Kaimai Express, Kingston Flyer (train), Napier Express, Night Limited, Northland Express, Picton Express, Rotorua Express, Scenic Daylight, Silver Star (train), Southerner (train), South Island Limited, Taneatua Express, Rotorua Express, Waikato Connection

[edit] Other articles

[edit] Music related

Wolverine (band)

[edit] Transport related

A. L. Beattie, Clayton Equipment Company, Little River Rail Trail, Paraparaumu Airport

[edit] Towns and geographic features in New Zealand

Abut Head, Akatarawa Valley, Albury, New Zealand, Aotea Lagoon, Balfour, New Zealand, Cass, New Zealand, Charwell River Clarksville, New Zealand, Cloustonville, Coalgate, New Zealand, Crooked River, New Zealand, Culverden, Duntroon, New Zealand, Eyreton, Frankton, Waikato, Glentunnel, Greendale, New Zealand, Hakataramea, Harihari, Harper River, Hawarden, New Zealand, Hinatua River, Hundalee, Inchbonnie, Kirwee, Lake Ianthe, Lake Lyndon, Lake Mahinapua, Lake Poerua, Leader River, Maerewhenua River, Maungakotukutuku, Maungakotukutuku Stream, Medbury, Mokau, Mossburn, Mount Adams, New Zealand, Mount Lyndon, Mount Somers, Ngahere, Ngapara, Ngatiawa River, Okaihau, Oparara River, Otaihanga, Parnassus, New Zealand, Paroa, Pauatahanui, Peka Peka, Perth River, Pleasant Point, Poerua River, Porters Pass, New Zealand, Moeraki, Pukekura, Pukeuri, Rangiahua, Raumati Marine Gardens, Reikorangi, Reikorangi Stream, Riverhead, New Zealand, Rotherham, New Zealand, Ruatapu, New Zealand, Saltwater Lagoon, Sanson, New Zealand, Sheffield and Waddington, New Zealand, Stillwater, New Zealand, Tahora, Te Horo, Te Kuha, Tokarahi, Tophouse, Waikari, Waitahuna, Weka Park, Weka Pass, West Eyreton, Wharanui, Whataroa, Whataroa River, Wharemauku Stream, Whitecliffs, Wilberforce River, Winscombe, New Zealand

[edit] Significant expansions

Branch line, Desire (song), Endeavour (train), Kingston Flyer, Locomotives of New Zealand, South Island Main Trunk Railway

Axver would also consider his contributions to 4-6-2 and 4-8-2 to be significant, especially the latter, as it previously claimed the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement was invented in the United States when it really originated in New Zealand some three years earlier.

[edit] Templates

Axver created the {{NZR Lines}} and {{NZR Passenger}} templates and greatly expanded {{NZR Locomotives}}.

[edit] Prior work

As 59.167.96.90, Axver performed a significant number of edits on pages about U2 songs, mainly adding setlist data. At an even earlier date, Axver made his first Wikipedia contribution as 59.167.120.11 when he added the "U-2 in popular culture" section to the Lockheed U-2 article.

[edit] Axver's To-Do List

Axver seeks to accomplish a lot on Wikipedia and to help guide his work and establish a clear direction, he has created a to-do list of articles he wishes to write, or in a few cases, significantly expand.

[edit] Railway lines

[edit] General North Island

Significantly expand North Island Main Trunk Railway and Wellington and Manawatu Railway

[edit] Auckland/Waikato

Cambridge Branch, Glen Afton Branch, Glen Massey Branch, Waiuku and Mission Bush Branches, significantly expand Onehunga Branch

[edit] Bay Of Plenty

East Coast Main Trunk, Kinleith Branch, Mount Maunganui Branch, Murupara Branch, Rotorua Branch, Taneatua Branch, Thames Branch

[edit] Taranaki/Wanganui/King Country

Castlecliff and Wanganui Branches, Marton - New Plymouth Line, Mount Egmont Branch, Opunake Branch, Stratford - Okahukura Line, Waitara Branch

[edit] Hawkes Bay/Gisborne

Ahuriri Branch, Moutohora Branch, Ngatapa Branch, Palmerston North - Gisborne Line

[edit] Wellington/Wairarapa

Greytown Branch, Hutt Park Railway, Hutt Valley Railway, Johnsonville Branch, Melling Branch, significantly expand Wairarapa Line

[edit] General South Island

Significantly expand Midland Line.

[edit] Nelson

Dun Mountain Railway, Nelson Section

[edit] Westland

Cape Foulwind Railway, Conns Creek Branch, Rewanui Branch, Seddonville Branch

[edit] Canterbury

Lyttelton Branch

[edit] Otago

Ocean Beach Branch, significantly expand Otago Central Railway

[edit] Locomotive classes

Every class without an article on this list.

[edit] Long distance passenger trains

I would ultimately like to have articles on all the express/limited passenger trains that operated in New Zealand, and the NZR Passenger template is currently incomplete. I don't have a full list of long distance passenger services, but this is my list of ones I do know that don't have articles.

• Fairlie Flyer (Sufficiently notable? Need a better source.)
• Gisborne Express
• New Plymouth Express (Wellington - New Plymouth)
• New Plymouth Night Express (Auckland - New Plymouth)
• Otago Central passenger train (Although there was no specific express, I believe the passenger service is sufficiently notable for an article.)
• South Express
• Taranaki Flyer
• Wairarapa Mail
• West Coast Express (train)
• Perhaps also an article on the NIMT expresses pre-Daylight and Night Limited? Or an overview of all NIMT passenger trains? Might be better suited to the NIMT article itself.

This list used to be much longer, and I feel rather satisfied that I have managed to dig up enough information to make articles on many of the historic trains. And yes, I know this section should be in third person, but I find writing in third person about myself to be so unnatural and I was only doing it as a bit of a joke for this page, so it isn't a shock that I slipped back into first person at some point and I can't be bothered to change the wording of this section.

[edit] Finally, a complaint

Axver has only one real complaint about Wikipedia, and it is that the name is not "Wikipaedia"!