Moving the gold

Palmerston might be a small station in the grand scheme of things but it still handles a significant amount of freight for its size. Not just any freight but one that is unique on the Kiwi Rail network. Gold ore.

Mined from the area around Reefton, the gold ore is railed across the Southern Alps to Christchurch and then down the Main South Line to Palmerston.
The ore is unloaded in Palmerston and then hauled by truck to Oceana Gold's mine at Macraes. Here the ore is processed and the gold extracted.

Being at home on holiday, I decided I'd catch the railway side of the gold ore operation here in East Otago by following the morning freight service bringing the full 'goldies' into Palmerston and the service that picks them up for their return to Reefton.

First up was 937 Middleton - Dunedin freight. This freight operates Tuesday to Saturday and almost always stops in Palmerston to drop off the 'goldies'. 

Heading out to one of my 'safe' spots at Bushey I waited for 937 to arrive.... and waited and waited. I don't know the cause of the delay but I was about to call it a day when 937 behind DXB 5080 and a tired looking DC 4784

DXB 5080 and DC 4784 with 937 just north of Bushey loop. 24/10/12.

After getting a quick shot in poor light, I headed into Palmerston to catch the action. By the time I arrived at the south end of the yard, 937 was getting ready for the shunt.

937 on arrival in Palmerston and gets ready for the shunt.

One of the staff from Reefton Hire, the company that unloads the ore and transports it up to Macraes, normally assists the LE with the shunt but on this day it was carried out by one of the Kiwi Rail guys. After uncoupling from the rest of the train, the loco's and three 'goldies' headed to the south end of the yard and the main line points.

And the shunting begins. DXB 5080 and DC 4784 with the 'goldies'.

At the south end of the yard the mainline and catch points were unlocked and aligned for the yard. The loco's and 'goldies' then reversed into the gold siding.

The 'goldies' leave the main and enter the yard.

With a light touch on the air brakes and the assistance of the shunter, the LE positioned the 'goldies' in the yard ready for the gold bins to be unloaded.

Easy does it! The goldies are positioned for unloading.

Once uncoupled, the loco's headed back south through the yard to re-enter the main.

DXB 5080 and DC 4784 ease through the points as they make their way back onto the main.

Back on the main and with the points all securely locked, the loco's crawled north again to couple up with 937. A short time later and with a blast on the horn, 937 was on the move again as it continued its journey south to Dunedin.

DXB 5080 and DC 4784 don't waste any time in getting up to road speed as they depart Palmerston.

Before leaving I got a shot of one of the heavy duty forklifts starting the unloading process. The gold ore is emptied directly into the shed to the right. A front end loader is then used to load the truck and trailer unit for final delivery to Macraes.

It was time for lunch, so I headed home and got a few things done around the house before heading out once again, this time to catch the northbound 'goldie' working, 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight.

922 was late arriving at Merton which wasn't surprising since 922 uses the same loco's off 937. What was surprising  was that when 922 arrived, DC 4784 was the lead loco with DXB 5080 trailing. Normally the larger loco's, DXB, DXC or DFT's lead. Not today.

The terminal staff at Dunedin must have wanted to get 922 away as soon as possible so instead of turning 5080 and repositioning the loco's, they sent them back out as they had arrived.

922 Dunedin - Middleton freight in the loop at Merton after a crew change and crossing with 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight. DC 4784 is the lead locomotive.

Heading back to Palmerston, it didn't take long to get ahead of 922. There seems to be a lot of speed restrictions around at the moment.

Back in Palmerston I got a shot of the waiting, now empty 'goldies' and a close up of one of the gold bins. The gold bins are normally hauled on IAB or IAC container flat wagons.

The three empty 'goldies' ready for their return north.

 Close up shot of gold bin 18 sitting atop IAC 339.

Not long after the headlights of DC 4784 came into view as 922 arrived in Palmerston.

922 on the main at Palmerston.

On arrival the loco's were uncoupled form 922 and proceeded north to the main line points.

The loco's climb the grade out of Palmerston before unlocking the points and entering the yard. 

Once the main line points and the catch points were unlocked and aligned for the yard the loco's proceeded back into the yard and coupled up to the empty 'goldies'.

DC 4784 and DXB 5080 couple up to the empty 'goldies'.

Once coupled up the loco's and 'goldies' proceeded back up the yard and onto the main before reversing and coupling up to 922.

DC 4784 and DXB 5080 haul the empty 'goldies' out of the yard and onto the main

DC 4784 and DXB 5080 with the empty 'goldies' reverse on the main back to 922.

After watching the 'goldie's couple up to the wagons of 922 I hit the road again and headed north to a spot near the Shag river. (I kid you not, thats its name). The LE, keen to make up some time, had 922 humming as it approached my spot and soon I had my final photo of the day.

A rare scene on the MSL in East Otago. DC 4784 leads DXB 5080 and 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight through the old Bushey station site.

And that's about it.

And now for some steam...

Dirty 3/4 shot of Ka 942 at Sawyers Bay. 20/10/12.

The household was pretty busy this weekend with family visiting from the North Island, but even with all the mayhem, we were able to get out to see visiting Ka class steam locomotive 942 as she hauled an afternoon passenger service from Dunedin to Sawyers Bay and return as part of the Dunedin steam festival.

First we headed down to Dunedin station to see the action. After a bit of a wait Ka 942 finally arrived and headed down to the north end of the yard to couple to 15 total passenger train.

Ka 942 shuffling through the yard. 20/10/12.

After watching the action in the station we then headed north to Sawyers Bay to await the arrival. We weren't the only ones. Rail fans were out in force with plenty of creative parking along the route to Sawyers Bay. 

After another short wait, Ka 942 pulled in Sawyers Bay tender first. After uncoupling from its train she headed a short distance north before reversing along the loop and around its train.

Here's some shots of Ka 942 as she ran around her train.

After Ka 942 had disappeared down the loop we made the decision to head south to favourite spot along the causeway south of Roseneath. We weren't the only ones. A long convoy of vehicles headed south to points between Sawyers Bay and Dunedin to get a shot of Ka 942 in full flight.

From experience I stay away from camper vans driven by elder gentlemen. Steam locomotives bring out the worst in these guys and they seem to throw the road code out the window in their quest for the perfect shot. Other than that, everyone else seemed to be on their best behaviour.

Finding a good spot, it wasn't long before Ka 942 and her train came into view. Hats off to the train crew. Ka 942 looked great as she headed south at speed.

Ka 942 and her train emerge from the Roseneath tunnel and out onto one of the numerous causeways between Sawyers Bay and Dunedin. 20/10/12

Another shot of Ka 942 on the causeway. Best shot of the day. 20/10/12.

While I'm not a big fan of steam I do appreciate the fantastic engineering involved in the design, construction and development of these machines especially since they were built right here in New Zealand. 

A big thank you to the staff of Mainline steam, the Taieri Gorge Railway and Kiwi Rail for bringing KA 942 south to Dunedin and giving local rail fans the opportunity to get some shots of this machine in action.

Grey cloud. Different spots.

Got out of the house this afternoon and managed to catch my two regular services 922 and 923 as they travelled through the East Otago countryside.
Being a cloudy day was a blessing and I was able to get some shots that would be out of the question with our springtime sun.

First up was 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight which had DFT 7132 and DXC 5229 at the business end with a train of empty container flats.

922 Dunedin - Middleton freight rounds the curves south of Merton. 8/10/12.

After a quick drive north, we managed to get past 922 and reach Goodwood with plenty of time and just to prove it here's a shot of the former station site...

and the track warrant control (TWC) location board. Just 321.70 km north to Lyttleton and the start of the main south line.

Goodwood's TWC location board.

A blast of the horn signalled the arrival of 922 at Goodwood and a short time later the lights of DFT 7132 came into view.

922 with DFT 7132 in the lead blasts through Goodwood. 8/10/12.

And the going away shot...

DXC 5229 backing up 7132 on 922. Goodwood. 8/10/12.

Once again we headed north. Couldn't get a shot of the crossing at Bushy due to a passing shower so we headed back to Palmerston and waited for 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight to arrive. Today DXC 5520 was doing the honours and had a fairly good load of 20 and 40 foot containers trailing behind.

DXC 5520 leads 923 through Palmerston during a break in showers. 8/10/12.

And the going away shot. This is one I've been trying to get for a while because it includes the former Palmerston locomotive shed.

DXC 5520 passes the south end of the Palmerston yard with 923. Alongside is the tired looking Palmerston loco shed. 8/10/12.

Because we had some time and I liked the look of the loaded decks I made the 'd' to head further south and try a spot on the Tumai bank.

DXC 5520 grinds up the Tumai bank with 923. 8/10/12.

And a close up of DXC 5520 just because I like the weathering.

You won't hear this from rail fans often but the cloud made today's chase. I was able to get some shots that are just not possible when the suns out. 

Until next time...

Almost famous...

While watching the 6 o'clock news tonight, I did a double take when a shot of DXC 5454 appeared behind the presenter as they led into the disappointing story about of the mothballing of the Napier - Gisborne line. That DXC looked really familiar. So when I got home I had a look on the TVNZ website and screen shot these. 

First up is this screen shot from today. 

And this one also from one news on the 14th of April this year.

Now it appears TVNZ record their website stories separately because the background is slightly different from what was on TV but it still shows DXC 5454. 

I then had a look through my shots of DXC 5454 and found this...

The original shot of DXC 5454 cruising into Palmerston with 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight.

And a close up so its similar to the screen shots.

Now they've changed the background but I reckon its a match.

Just to make sure I wasn't losing it I asked my wife to compare shots. After the rolling of the eyes she had a look and agreed it's a match. She actually got a little excited about the whole thing. The lights right, the shadows right, the driver matches, the drivers windows open and I'm sure you can see the tree through the loco's rear windows.

Have I had some railfan luck after a journo at TVNZ googled for a kiwi rail image or am I dreaming? What do you guys think?

Arrival of the Silver Fern

Silver Fern railcar RM 24 beside Taieri Gorge carriages in Dunedin railway stations south dock. 26/9/12.

On the drive into work today I spotted a silver fern railcar in the Dunedin yard. 
The ferns normally work a morning and evening suburban passenger express between Pukekohe and Britomart station in central Auckland. They don't stray to far away from Auckland, so seeing one sitting in Dunedin is a very rare occurrence.

I was thinking the silver fern might have been down here for some work at Hillside, but later in the afternoon I spotted it sitting in the south dock at the railway station. I couldn't help myself and dropped in to have a look and grab a few shots.

Front shot of RM 24. 26/9/12.

And the standard 3/4 shot.

Talking to one of the Taieri Gorge railway staff, it sounds like the TGR has leased the railcar for the next year. Most of its work will be charter runs and maybe the seasider service to Palmerston and return. 

Just before I left the station DXB 5166 and DXC 5431 cruised by light engine on 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight. These loco's will be light engine all the way to Palmerston where they will pick up empty 'goldies'.

DXB 5166 and DXC 5431 at Dunedin railway station. 26/9/12.

The rail scene in Otago is already pretty interesting. Having one of the silver ferns down here over the summer is going to make it even better.

Famine to Feast

Its good being a shift worker. While most of the country is at work, I can get out and enjoy the beautiful spring time sun that is bathing East Otago at the moment. 
Friday's are always a good day to chase. Not only can I snap some shots of my usual targets, 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight and  923 Middleton - Dunedin freight but Taieri Gorge's Seasider return passenger service between Dunedin and Palmerston also makes an appearance. 

We began our trip with the aim of catching 922 at Waitati, but railfan luck was alive and well with a chance sighting of the Seasider in the distance. We had plenty of time to get to Merton and snap DJ 3228 and its five car train as it came to a halt with a red on the main departure signal . A few minutes later the signal flicked to green and with a blast on the horn the Seasider continued on its trip to Palmerston.

Tairei Gorge Railway's northbound Seasider passes through Merton on the main behind DJ 3228. Great to see a DJ on the main south line. Not sure about the square windows though. 21/9/12.

After catching the Seasider, we continued on to Waitati, anxiously hoping we would get there before the arrival of 922. Shouldn't have worried. We had plenty of time. 922 duly arrived behind a grubby DXC 5370 and slightly less grubby DFT 7092.

922 was a long train of empty container flats. Kiwi Rail and Port Otago have just begun operating new container services between Dunedin and Timaru. Hopefully they'll be loaded on their return journey.

DXC 5397 and DFT 7092 lead 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight through Waitati. 21/9/12. 

Anybody who has chased north of Dunedin will know how hard it is to chase between Warrington and Seacliff. The road is windy, hilly and fairly narrow with a few railway crossings thrown in for extra fun. Just when you think you've managed to get ahead of your target you get caught at a crossing. A grin and a wave from the LE just add's salt to the wound. 
Eventually we got ahead of 922 and after skidding to a halt in a cloud of dust, I managed to get a shot I've been hoping to get for a while. Hope to bring you a few more shots of this station as part of a station profile in the future.

922 crawls past Seacliff station. 21/9/12.

I also got a  'dirty' away shot of DFT 7092.

Second loco DFT 7092 assisting DXC 5379 at Seacliff. 21/9/12.

With some shots of 922 on the SD card it was relaxed drive to Merton and a short wait before 922 arrived on the loop and came to a stop.

922 holding the loop at Merton. 21/9/12.

Close up of DXC 5379. Working on the coal route (Christchurch - West Coast) hasn't done these loco's any favours. 21/9/12.

Not long after we found out the reason for 922's delay. DJ 3228, long hood leading, cruised into Merton with the Dunedin bound Seasider.

.

DJ 3228 cruises into Merton with the Seasider. 21/9/12.

After 922's departure we headed to Palmerston. Arriving in plenty of time we grabbed an icecream at McGregors before getting a shot of DXC 5379 and DFT 7092 shunting the gold siding.

DXC 5379 and DFT 7092 on the gold siding at Palmerston. 21/9/12.

With time running out we also managed to get southbound 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight as it headed out of Palmerston. 

DFT 7023 and DC 4421 head southbound on the MSL on 923. 21/9/12.

All in all not a bad days chasing.

One thing that surprised me was that out of the four locomotives I saw working on freight services today, none were painted in the yellow, red and grey Kiwi Rail livery. Maybe the Kiwi Rail liveries arn't as dominant as I thought.

Time for some DSG action

Black and white shot of DSG 3251 cruising through Port Chalmers tunnel. 20/9/12.

I got out for a few hours this afternoon and managed to snap two of Dunedin's DSG shunting locos in action. 
Kiwi Rail keeps these beasts working hard shunting the yards and hauling heavy trains around the greater Dunedin area so expect some more shots of these loco's in the future. 

Enjoy.

DSG 3251 on the siding into Port Otago. 20/9/12.

DSG 3170 pushes a short shunt from the Port Otago siding on Fryatt St into the Dunedin rail yard. 20/9/12

I'm still here.

DXC 5212 leads 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight as it grinds its way out of Oamaru up to the former junction station of Waiareka. 12/10/2011.

Hi team

If you’re a follower of this blog (I think there might be one out there) then you’ll know that this blog has been dormant for well over a year.

I’m hoping to change that and get back into posting on this blog. Wish me luck!

DC Paint Jobs

The DC class diesel-electric locomotives are the most numerious locomotive class in New Zealand and are used and abused by Kiwi Rail on almost all services, passenger and freight.

The DC's arn't actually 'new' locomotives. They are heavily modified General Motors DA class locomotives. Between 1978 and 1983, 80 locomotives were rebuilt by Clyde Engineering in Aussie and 5 in our very own Hutt Workshops. The rebuild included a modified low nose and cab as well as new engines.

While the DC's have given stirling service over the past three decades, not surprisingly they are getting a little tired yet they continue to be seen working hard on both freight and passenger workings.

With the introduction of the new DL class there is some talk that more and more DC's will be written off.

On the bright side Kiwi Rail has spent some hard earned cash tidying up and repainting a growing number of DC's to cope with increased traffic.

Hopefully the well-loved DC's will still be seen travelling across the Kiwi Rail network for many years to come.

DC 4133 seen in surprisingly clean 'Fruit Salad' while awaiting further duties at Timaru.
The 'Fruit Salad' livery was the first colour scheme worn by the DC's. 24/01/09.


DC 4784 wearing a very tired patched NZ Rail livery while waiting its next banking duty out of Oamaru. 14/08/09.

The NZ Rail livery come into service in 1990 after New Zealand Railways became New Zealand Rail Ltd, a state owned enterprise.
When Tranz Rail purchased NZ Rail in 1995, loco's in this livery had their NZ Rail logo covered (patched) with vinyl stickers with the Tranz Rail logo.

DC 4110 wearing its Tranz Rail livery passing by Hamilton station, its job of hauling the southbound Overlander between Auckland and Hamilton complete.

An EF class electric will haul the train across the rugged central North Island before handing over to a diesel in Palmerston North for the sprint to Wellington. 28/06/06.

DC 4317 wearing 'bumble bee' livery rests at Westfield. 18/05/08.

In the later years of Tranz Rail, a new black and yellow livery was introduced. This livery quickly became known as 'bumble bee' by railfans for obvious reasons.

DC 4254 in its MAXX livery hauls a southbound subbie past the site of the old Panmure station. 13/10/05.

A number of DC and DCP loco's are leased to the Auckland Transport Agency to haul suburban passenger trains around the Auckland suburban network. As loco's were leased they received a general tidy up including a repaint in the MAXX blue livery.

DC 4830 wearing its garish (is that a word?!) Toll Rail livery at Westfield. 27/08/08

In 2003 Toll, an Austrailian freight transport company purchased the rapidly crumbling Tranz Rail system. As if to stick to New Zealand, Toll introduced this atrocity.

The less said the better.

DC 4594 in its nasty Toll Rail livery but with a Kiwi Rail Patch. 21/05/09.

Common sense finally preveiled and in 2008, the then Labour government purchased the rail network from Toll for an inflated price. As part of the purchase agreement, the Toll Rail logo had to be either removed or covered. The red and grey Kiwi Rail patch was applied much improving green and gold Toll livery.

DCP 4559 in Kiwi Rail livery heads to Middleton loco for a service after returning to Christchurch with the southbound Tranz Coastal. 27/01/10.

A number of DC's have now been repainted in a red/grey/yellow Kiwi Rail livery that suits the DC class.

It will be interesting to see what colour schemes DC's will wear n the future.

Once you start you can't stop.

Isn't it funny how life gets in the way of things.
After a desperate rush to finish my assignments by December, I thought I would get time to catch up on my neglected blog. Wrong!
Exams rapidly approached and the material to be studied was massive. So with exams finished (I passed) I thought I would get time to catch up on my neglected blog. Wrong!
On the 22nd of February, Christchurch was devastated by a 6.3 magnatude earthquake which laid waste to much of the CBD and Eastern suburbs. The effects of the earthquake were far reaching even down here in Otago.
Immediately after the earthquake, my workplace sent a number of people to Christchurch to assist in the recovery efforts resulting in plenty of overtime to cover our normal workload in Dunedin.
Last week was my turn to head north to assist our neighbours to the north. It was an experience to say the least.
And now I'm back and hoping to get some time to catch up on my neglected blog.... unless something else comes up.