Recent travels

Double DC's leading 922 Palmerston - Middleton freight along the East Otago coastline at Katiki. 10/7/15.

Hi everyone

After my last past I took a break from railfanning and put the camera away. Heading out the door the other week I saw the camera sitting there on the shelf and on a whim thought I'd take it along with me. 

Heading through town I saw 922 Palmerston - Middleton freight getting ready to depart the Palmerston yard with a rack of empty 'goldies'. I had some spare time so I decided to follow 922 for a little while. 

I grabbed my first shot at my tried and true spot near Katiki. With only a light load, the DC's at the front had 922 flying. I managed to make the south end of the Hillgrove loop and grab a second shot just as 922 arrived to cross 923. 

922 Palmerston - Middleton freight slows as it approaches the Hillgrove loop to cross 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight. 10/7/15.

Once again I was heading through Palmerston and spotted 922 sitting in the yard. The weather was nice and I had the camera in the car so I grabbed a shot. 

DC4755 and DXB 5137 sitt in the yard at Palmerston with empty 'goldies'. 12/8/2015.

Not much effort for this one but I might not get many more chances. Oceania Gold has announced the closure of their Reefton operations in October which will result in the 'goldies' being no more. So if you can get trackside between Reefton, Christchurch and Palmerston get out there and get your 'goldie' photos while you can.

Heading through Oamaru the other day I decided to pass by Oamaru station to see what was up in this neck of the woods. In the yard I found a blast from the past. A bitumen tanker on the back of a container flat. Now these tankers used to roam throughout the country during the 1990's. For whatever reason this didn't continue into the 2000's. Seeing this in the yard is a good sign. It means Kiwirail is winning back some the traffic it lost in the past.

The tankers are actually ex UC tar tankers that have had their bogies removed. Like I said earlier good to see these on the network again.

Its good to be back.

And thats about it.

Disillusioned

I’ve been a rail fan as long as I can remember. 

When I was a young boy I used to stay at my nana’s house that backed onto the railway yard in Marton. Back in the 1980’s Marton station was a very busy place. As it was a junction, there was always something going on.

Holidays spent in the Hawkes Bay would have me swimming in the Esk River, reading my grandfathers New Zealand Railway Observers cover to cover, over and over and watching trains working their way through the Esk Valley.

As I got older I would cover hundreds of kilometres on my trusty Morrison Sidewinder push bike following the North Island Main Trunk and the Marton – New Plymouth Line. When I got my first car, hundreds of kilometres became thousands as I chased trains across the North Island.

Study, work, family. All these things put rail fanning on the back burner but when I got the chance I would still head out the door to chase New Zealand’s aging GE and EMD locomotives across the countryside. I loved it.

I had some great times and being a rail fan was good fun. But something’s changed...

I don’t know if it’s an age thing but chasing trains just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I would spend hours following local lines looking for a train but now, I don’t even bother looking. Even if I see a train on my daily travels, its ‘oh look’, but the fun has gone.

I’ve thought about how I’ve reached this point. I can tell you now, it’s not because I’m bored of the locomotives, the wagons or carriages. I’m not sick of looking at stations, yards, loops, sidings, bridges, tunnels or crossings. Nor is it the railway staff. I can’t remember ever having a bad experience with the men and women that run our railway.

The answer is politics. Politics have ruined it for me.

Two recent news stories were what did it for me. The first was Kiwirail announcing that they are seriously looking at retiring the EF class electric locomotives and removing the overhead between Palmerston North and Hamilton. Being a North Island lad I’ve grown up with the EF’s and seeing them retire would be like losing a little bit of my childhood.

The Minister of Transport gave the same cop out answer that all government ministers seem to use today - “It’s an operational matter for the organisation” and “No final decision has been made”. What a load of crap!

It’s obvious that the Government is telling the Kiwirail board which is made up of National Party appointees what they want and the board in turn gives the orders to Kiwirail.

As a state owned enterprise, it is in the Governments best interests to support Kiwirail but instead they work against New Zealand’s rail transport provider. As an example look at the introduction of High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMV’s) to our roading network. This is a direct attack on the main selling point for rail – the ability to haul a large amount of freight long distances cheaply. Also, I’m no accountant but I’m pretty sure that the road user charges the owners of these vehicles pay wouldn’t cover the additional damage they do to our roads.

The National government responds that they support rail and have invested $4.6 billion in the rail network. I’m sorry; who flogged it off to their mates in the early 1990’s who then stripped it to the bare bones and left a broken system. Yes the New Zealand taxpayer has had to pay $4.6 billion to fix a rail network your mates deliberately wrecked to get rich off.

At the end of the day, the current government has given Kiwirail unrealistic goals to achieve, actively works to help the competition and then expresses its ‘disappointment’ when Kiwirail doesn’t get there. At least give them a chance.

The second news story was of the Chinese workers brought to New Zealand to remove asbestos from the DL locomotives that shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

Turns out these poor guys are working for $3 an hour. Kiwirail staff are even bringing them food. Now the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has investigated and found no issues. Even the Minister of Employment Relations has come out and said he was “very happy with the circumstances” and that the “allegations had been disproved”. He was happy to say this even though MBIE has admitted that the Chinese locomotive company CNR and the Chinese workers would not provide wage information to them. Remember also that it was this government that introduced legislation that allowed zero hour contracts and the removal of tea breaks.

And that’s why I’m disillusioned. Politics have wrecked rail fanning for me. 

961 at Merton

DXB 5293 and DC 4755 with 961 Middleton - Dunedin freight at Merton. 15/3/2014.

Posts have been a little light at the moment so I've dived into the archives to bring out this little gem of 961 at Merton. Hopefully I'll be able to bring you some more posts shortly.

Steam Special

Ja 1240 with its excursion train cresting Tumai Bank. One of my best shots of the day! 24/1/15.

A few days ago I found out about a special steam excursion being run by the Taieri Gorge Railway. The excursion was to be a return trip from Dunedin to Oamaru behind steam locomotive Ja 1240. 

Ja 1240 was one of a group of 51 4-8-2 'mountain' type steam locomotives built by the New Zealand Railways Hillside workshops in Dunedin and the North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow, Scotland. Entering service in March 1947, Hillside built 1240 worked throughout Otago, Southland, Canterbury and the West Coast before being withdrawn from service in November 1971. Luckily 1240 was preserved and is now owned by Ian Welch and cared for by his team at Mainline Steam.

Scheduled for an 8:00am departure from Dunedin, we headed down to Waitati to pick up the action. After a bit of a wait the excursion arrived with two of the Taieri Gorge Railway's very tidy DJ diesel locomotives on point. The DJ's lead the train from Dunedin to Waitati due to government imposed health and safety regulations around steam locomotives operating in tunnels.

DJ 1209 with another unidentified DJ wait in the loop as the excusion proceeds down the hill and into Waitati. 24/1/15. 

Uncoupling from the train the DJ's and 1240's service wagon entered the Waitati loop to allow the excursion through on the main.

Side by side DJ 1209 with Ja 1240 at Waitati. 24/1/15.

After getting my shots at Waitati it was time to head north. Stopping near Warrington, I joined a number of other foamers.... sorry I mean railway enthusiasts waiting for the excursion.

 Waiting for the train spoting the train spotters.

After a bit of a wait, Ja 1240 and the excursion arrived and began its climb up towards Seacliff. Both DJ's had now coupled to the rear of the train and were acting as bankers for the climbs ahead.

 Ja 1240 and the excursion approaching Warrington. 24/1/15.

And crossing the Coast Road overbridge. 

Heading north along Coast Rd, it didn't take long to get caught in the inevitable convoy of "railway enthusiasts" that follow a steam locomotive. Now it seems like everytime there's a steam locomotive, any driver nearby totally forgets the road rules. Theres nothing like an SUV screaming away from you only to slam on the brakes and dive to the left or right without indicating because they've spyed a good spot. There was also plenty of near misses seen as drivers spent more time looking for the train rather than on the road and other road users who were most likely looking for the train as well!

Anyway, just before Seacliff the convoy ground to a halt at a railway crossing with bells, flashing lights and barriers where we waited and waited some more.

The convoy stuck at a railway crossing just south of Seacliff. The excursion can be seen at the upper right of the photo. 

Now I'm not sure why the excursion had ground to a halt south of us but seeing 1240 get the train moving again on the grade (with the assistance of the DJ's) was good to watch. I managed to get a few shots as the excursion passed us gathering speed.

Ja 1240 climbs the grades near Seacliff. 24/1/15. 

And another shot. 

With the barriers up it was time to head north once again. North of Seacliff I decided to use a spot I'd used once or twice in the past. I knew the shot I'd get probably wouldn't be that flash but I knew the convoy was heading for Merton and I didn't want to be fighting for room there.

The excursion cruising along the Otago coastline with Otago Peninsular and the Pacific Ocean in the background. 24/1/15.

On the road once again we got through Karitane and headed towards state highway 1. To get there we had to cross the Main South Line at Merton. Merton was packed. One of my favourite railfanning spots was now inundated with railfans most of which were setting up for that classic shot of a train crossing the Merton bridge. 

Successfully dodging some more ducking and diving SUV's we headed to one of my all time favourite spots the Tumai bank. While there were a few railfans waiting, there was plenty of room for everybody and soon the excursion could be heard working hard up the bank.

 The excursion cresting the bank and starting the downgrade to Goodwood. 24/1/15.

Both 1240 and the train looked great as they crested the Tumai bank and I knew I had some good shots on the SD card. It was time to head north again towards my next spot. 

Being a local certainly helped today because while plenty of people go from one well known spot to another theres plenty of places I've discovered that offer great photos too.

One of those spots is the Goodwood railway crossing in Palmerston. I was really surprised to arrive there and find we were all alone. Theres something quite satisfying about having a train all to yourself especially when there's a whole heap of people chasing the same train. It was at Goodwood Road where I got one of my favourite shots of the day.

The excursion at Goodwood Rd. 24/1/15.

By now the kids were getting a little restless so were bribed with an icecream at Palmerston. The excursion had stopped as well and as we passed the crew was finishing up filling the tender with water. Heading north we came across 961 Middleton - Dunedin freight at Bushey behind two DC diesel locomotives. 961 was holding the loop while waiting for the excusion to pass.

 961 Middleton - Dunedin freight at Bushy. DC 4277 doing its best steam locomotive impersonation. 24/1/15.

Grabbing a quick shot of 961 from the wrong side we continued our travels north to another favourite spot of mine just north of the Shag River bridge. Yes that really is the name of the river. 

This spot has been very kind to me in the past due to the large piles of metal chip that is stored here for roading projects. I've been told the key to good train photo's is height, height and more height. I'm sure that weather, the sun and the locomotive on the front not being a DL locomotive also play a part too, but those metal piles were great for getting some elevation. Not this time though. Must of been some road works completed recently because those big piles of metal were now merely small mounds.

It didn't matter though as I was still able to get a good shot with Puketapu in the background to boot. 

The excursion with Puketapu in the background. 24/1/15. 

Back on the road we once again headed north on state highway one to another spot I enjoy just south of Katiki. Ja 1240 was again looking pretty in the viewfinder as it approached the former Katiki station.

Ja 1240 looking good as it approaches Katiki. 24/1/15.

Crossing the overbridge at Katiki I could see the train had come to a halt at Katiki and plenty of people were hopping off. I'm guessing it must of been a photo stop for the passengers.

Shortly after we arrived at our final spot for the day at Hampden. There was a bit of a wait but it was worth it as Ja 1240 put on a show as it climbed up the grade to the site of the former Hampden station.

Ja 1420 climbing the grade to the former Hampden station site. 24/1/15.

Turning around I managed to grab a going away shot as the excursion headed deeper into North Otago.

And the going away shot.

While the excursion and the convoy continued their trips north it was time to call it a day and head back home.

Big thanks to the good people of the Taieri Gorge Railway, Mainline Steam and Kiwi Rail for putting on a great morning of entertainment. I feel guilty getting my photo's without contributing to the running of this train. Might have to pop into the Dunedin Railway Station to drop off a donation to the TGR.

Also a big thanks to the Otago Rural Fire Authority. Otago is in a total fire ban at the moment due to the 'big dry'. Throughout the morning I saw rural fire vehicles following the train checking for any fires. If it wasn't for these guys this trip would not have gone ahead. Cheers lads.

And thats about it.

A little on the light side

 DC 4421 light engine through Merton. 22/01/15.

Another early start to catch 920D this morning. Hoping to get a better shot than the last two I started heading up the hill towards Seacliff. Catching a glimpse of 4421 up through some trees I had no choice to back through Karitane to get to the level crossing at Merton. 920D was very light this morning, so light it was made up of just DC 4421. Still a light engine is better than no train at all.

And across the Waikouaiti river. 22/1/15.

With the DC high tailing it north it was time to get back on the road and head into work.

And thats about it.

Another train at Merton

DXB5137 and DC 4421 with 920D northbound Dunedin - Middleton freight on the main at Merton. 20/01/15.

Second photo of the year and a little bit better than the last post. Merton seems to be my spot at the moment mainly because I can check the signals to see if 920D is coming down the hill or if I've already missed it. 

It used to be that the only trains I chased were 922 and 923 which got old after a while but now that I'm only seeing 920D and its going in the opposite direction to me I would love to catch those two trains again. May have to throw a sickie on Friday for a day of chasing! 

And that's about it.

Helloooooo 2015

DXC 5379 with a DC helper cruise downgrade towards Merton with 920D Dunedin - Middleton freight. 14/01/2015.

Welcome to Southern Rails 2015. I hope everybody had a great festive season. 

The image you see above is my first train photo of 2015. Pretty average but much better than the one I orignally set up for. I really need to get out more and practice! 
The plan for this year is to do exactly that. To get out amongst it and get more photos of Kiwi Rails finest at work. 
After looking through a lot of photos from 1970's and 1980's era NZR I'll also be getting photos of the mundane. The yards, loops, signals, bridges and lineside buildings as well. We take them for granted now but we'll miss them when they're gone. 
I'll also be bringing you some of my NZ120 models.... well my attempts at NZ120 modelling.

Thanks for visiting the blog and hope the new year treats you well.

And thats about it!

Steam in Palmerston

JA 1240 at Palmerston with the movie train. 18/10/14

A few weeks ago Palmerston was visited by a steam hauled passenger train for the filming of  scenes for The Light Between Oceans. While I wasn't able to meet Rachel Weisz I did manage to grab this quick shoot of JA class  4-8-2 steam locomotive 1240 with its train at Palmerston station. Shame I only had my point and shot camera with me rather than my better one.  

On holiday in Aussie

A Queensland Rail electric multiple unit at Airport (Domestic) Station on the Airport Line. 14/10/14.

Recently I was lucky enough to spend some valuable rest and relaxation time with my family on the Sunshine Coast. Good quality family time was the priority so I wasn't able to sneak away for any train spotting Queensland Rail style. But I did manage to sneak a photo of the fantastic Airport Line linking Brisbane Airport with downtown Brisie (see above). It wasn't a great shot but I didn't get caught by my levely wife so it was a win.

While in Australia I was also able to visit the Workshops Muesum in Ipswich with my son and dad. This muesum is a joint venture between Queensland Muesum and Queensland Rail. The muesum covers the past, present and future of railways in Queensland. 

Queensland Rail signage wall. 15/10/14.

While I might be a little biased this is one of the best muesums I have been to. Lots of interactive displays and plenty of hands on stuff for the kids. Highlight for me would be the train simulator where you actually operate the locomotive from a real cab. This received top marks from my son who I had to prise out of it.

Train Simulator using the cab from QR 1700 class diesel locomotive 1710D. 15/10/14.

Next to 1710D was 1262, one of 17 1250 class diesel electric locomotives. This loco is now a static display with parts of its longhood removed to show its engine and other components. The engine also has cut away segments to show its internal workings as well. Very interesting stuff.

1250 Class locomotive 1262. 15/10/14.

The 1250 class diesels have been a favourite of mine ever since I saw on while surfing the net and it was great to see one for real. These would have been great to photograph when they operated on the North Coast Line.

My boy had a ball at the muesum and thats why theres not many photos. I was so busy chasing him around. Many thanks to the very kind and helpful staff at the muesum who made this a great day out. If you are heading to Queensland and you're thinking about something to do I would highly recommend you pay the Workshops Muesum a visit. 

Check out their website at http://www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au/

And that was about it for my Australian adventure.

Three towns, three different locos

The great thing about my job is that I get the chance to travel through the lower South Island every now and again and last Friday was one of those days I got to hit the road. After finishing up my work in Invercargill I headed down to the local yard. This was my first visit to the yard at Invercargill and I was surprised at how full it was. Even though there were plenty of wagons around, loco's were light on the ground. A DSG was pottering around the yard and one of my favourites DFT 7023 was parked up in loco... well I think it was loco. Anyway before I could get any shots the rain, hail and sleet came in. With the weather getting worse it was time to head north.

My first stop was Edendale, home of one of Fonterra's largest milk processing sites. This area creates some serious tonnage for Kiwirail. So much so they've based a DSG and a loco compound in the Edendale yard.  

DSG 3033 resting at Edendale. Part of the Fonterra factory is seen in the background. 3/10/14.

With the rain settling in it was once again time to move on. As I headed north the weather started in improve. By Balclutha the rain had stopped and I was able to take a short detour to check out the yard. The yard was empty apart from DSC 2325 which was holding the fort. A DSC is based in Balclutha to work the Finegand freezing works which is just south of town. While I didn't check out Finegand I'm sure there were plenty of container flats ready for load out.

DSC 2325 all alone in Balclutha. 3/10/14.

By now the weather was packing in again so I cut my exploring short and headed home.

After sorting out some loose ends at work on Sunday I decided to shot down to the Dunedin Railway Station to have a quick look around. Being a Sunday it was pretty quiet but I did get a shot of one of Taieri Gorge Railways well maintained DJ locomotives. These beasts built by Mitsubishi and introduced to the New Zealand railways in the late 1960's dieselised the South Island.

DJ 1209 resting between runs on the Taieri Gorge. 5/10/14.

Being a born and bred North Islander I always enjoy seeing and hearing the DJ's working out of Dunedin to Pukerangi and Middlemarch on the former Otago Central Branch and Palmerston on the Main South Line. 

And thats about it.

Auckland Travels

An ADC / ADL diesel multiple unit under the wires at Westfield. 17/05/14.

Earlier this year I was lucky (or unlucky depending on your view point) to visit Auckland for a weekend. Somehow I managed to get away for a few hours and was able to go to that bastion of rail fanning in Auckland, the Westfield over bridge. 

Its been a long time since I've visited Auckland and I couldn't believe the changes that have happened to rail in the city of sails. Wires, wires everywhere but the rattling ADL / ADC's DMU's and the push pull DC, SA and SD combos still rule the roost. Not for much longer though as the new EMU's are slowly introduced. I even managed to catch a few of the EMU's but more of the Spanish intruders later.  

I was there to see the diesel subbies, the DH's and the soon be gone (if not already) DBR's so I'll stop rambling and get on with some shots of Auckland's best.

DH 2845 brings a rake of containers into Westfield yard from the Southdown Freight Terminal. 17/05/14.

The DH heavy shunters have always been a favorite of mine. These loco's mainly stick around Auckland but they have been known to skip town and head up north to Whangarei and down to Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty. These things are good honest workers and the NZR, NZ Rail, Tranz Rail, Toll and Kiwi Rail have all got there moneys worth out of them.

 A Manukau bound ADC / ADL DMU accelerates out of Westfield station. 17/05/14.

The ADC / ADL diesel multiple units were for a long time the back bone of the Auckland suburban rail network. Old and rattly they still get flogged moving JAFA's around the city. These units are on borrowed time with the new EMU's slowly entering service but you never know, depending on the upcoming election you might see these thrashing across Canterbury in the not to distant future. Dreams are free.

DC4444 and DL 9377 sit in the sun at Westfield. 17/5/14.

While at Westfield I was even able to see one of those North Island DL's, the future of train haulage in New Zealand. While it was nice to get one on pixels (even if it was a poor shot) I still prefer the aging GE's we have in the south. 

Just by chance I was able to get DC4444. Now 4444 is something of a legend amongst locomotives in NZ so it was nice to get this loco as well.

DBR 1282 at rest between port shunts. 17/5/14.

DBR 1282 was also in the yard sitting quietly near the yard office. It was a bit sad seeing 1282 as this would probably be the last time I'd see a DBR in the flesh. The writing is on the wall for this class of locomotive and I wouldn't be surprised if this one is already sitting on 'rotten row' at Hutt or it may even already be a victim of the scrapers torch.

Before leaving Auckland I wanted to see the new electric multiple units in action on the Onehunga branch. Luckily I managed to catch a few.

A new AMA / AMT / AMP EMU approaches the junction between the Onehunga Branch and the North Auckland Line at Penrose. 17/5/14.

An AMP / AMT / AMA EMU approaches Onehunga. 17/5/14.

After a short stop at Onehunga the unit started its journey back to Britomart. 17/5/14.

After getting my shots of the new face of Auckland rail it was time to get to the airport. While I didn't cover much territory it was good to see some of the Auckland rail scene and the changes its undergone since I was last north of the Bombays. 

And that's about it. 

Training in the far south.

DXB 5016 waits in the loop at Clinton with 937D Dunedin - Invercargill freight. 14/02/14.

Its been a long time between posts but I just haven't had the chance to get out and about this summer. Luckily on my travels around the lower South Island I managed to catch a freight holding the loop at Clinton. 

My new job doesn't give me much chance to get out chasing but I do get further afield. So you might not get the same amount of posts but you will get some shots away from my normal haunts and trains other than 922 and 923.

And that's about it.