A few shots from my travels

Hi all.

Here are some shots from my recent travels through the South Island. I even managed to get my first shot of a train on the Midland Line. Even if it was light engines and within a kilometre or two of the Midland Lines junction with the Main South Line it still counts. Enjoy!

DXC 5483 and a DC helper accelerate past Rolleston's Westland Diary sidings on the Midland Line. 13/10/13.

One of my favourite locomotives DFT 7023 soaks up the sun in Timaru. 13/10/13.

KiwiRail's exhibition express train at Dunedin Railway Station. This train traveled thoughout New Zealand as part of the 150th annerversary of railways in New Zealand. Each container housed a different display. The train also had two passenger carriages and an observation carriage from its KiwiRail Scenic passenger fleet. 19/10/13.

Its been a while but this is a goody

At the end of September I headed up to Wellington for a short course for work. Trips to Wellington a few and far between for me so I made time to catch up with a few people. One of those of people was Evan who just happens to work for Kiwirail. So between learning about how adult learners take in and retain information I was able to get some shots of Wellington's electric multiple units. I also had the great fortune to get a cab pass on the Capital Connection up to Palmerston North on Friday evening. That night I was offered a ticket on a steam excursion heading back to Wellington. Wab 794 from the Feilding and districts steam rail society was towing Ab 663 back to its base at the Mainline Steam depot at Plimmerton. How could I refuse. 
So over three days I rode up to Johnsonville on a Matangi unit, visited A box, visited train control, had a look around the communications hub of Kiwirail (Ev's lab), visited the home of a modelling master by the name of Cabbage, had a cab ride on a rattly old DFT up to Palmerston North, stayed at the home of another modelling master by the name of Rhys (of motorised dandruff fame) and got a ride back to Wellington on a steam excursion. What a way to spend a few days in the capital!

Of course I had my camera with me and here are some the shots I managed to grab on my travels.

Matangi EMU's wait at Wellington for their next commuter service. The Matangi units are relatively new to the Wellington commuter network and have replaced the old English Electric EMU's and many of the Ganz Mavag EMU's. 27/09/13.

 DC 4058 waits at Wellington railway stations platform 8 with a northbound Wairarapa service. 27/09/13.

 Still soldiering on. Three sets of Ganz Mavag units sit ready for rush hour. 27/09/13.

DSC 2665 pushes the Capital Connection Wellington - Palmerston North commuter passenger train into Wellington station in preparation for its 1715 departure. Working on the passenger shunt, DSC 2665 is kept busy shunting Wairarapa commuter trains, the Capital Connection and the Overlander passenger trains. 27/09/13. 

 Another set of Matangi units ready for the rush hour. 27/09/13.

Wab 794 gets some TLC from the great team of volunteer's from the Feilding and districts steam rail society at Otaki. This excursion was a delivery trip to return Ab 663 back to Mainline steams Plimmerton depot. 28/09/13.

DC 4692 and an unidentified DC lead a northbound freight through the Otaki loop as it crosses the excursion on the main. 28/09/13.

The old and the new. Wab 794 takes a break after arriving at platform 9 while a Matangi unit waits for its next trip out of Wellington. 28/09/13.

Another shot of a Matangi EMU. FP 4420 and FT 4420. I had to get plenty of shots of these good looking units because who knows when I will be back in Wellington for another visit. 28/09/13.

 Matangi EMU FP 4155 and FT 4155 depart Wellington. 28/09/13.

Wab 794 pushes its train back towards Wellington yard. Here it will get turned for its return trip to Feilding and pack up Feilding and districts steam rail societie's 'new' passenger carriage.

A big thanks to Evan for acting as tour guide. He said he might be heading down Otago way later in the year. Plenty of time to come up with a plan for some chasing South Island style. I hope he likes DXC's. 

Two for the price of one.

Thursday 25th August 2013.

After finishing the night shift I had some time to kill before the family got to town so I thought I'd head out and see what I could find. Thursday morning was beautiful and I was lucky to catch one of Holcim's cement ships making its way up Otago harbour. Its not a train but I couldn't resist.

The Milburn Carrier II passes close to shore as it makes its way up the Otago harbour channel after departing the Dunedin wharves. 

From my posse I could see a headlight in the distance and after a fairly long wait the DSG with its port train finally passed by. Not being able to cross the track I had to do the best I could with what I had and grabbed a shot from the wrong side. Luckily the clouds had rolled which helped with the sun.

DSG 3170 with a Port Chalmers shunt crosses a causeway just south of Sawyers Bay as it returns to Dunedin. 

With the clock ticking I had to put the camera away and head back to town.

Friday 26th August 2013.

With a day off and some time to kill I decided to head out and chase the usual suspects, 922 and 923. I managed to catch up with 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight just outside Waikouaiti. 922 wasn't messing around. The double DXC's made light work of its train of containers.

DXC's 5039 and 5293 approach Waikouaiti with 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight. 

With a few sunday drivers and 50 km speed limit through Waikouaiti to contend with, 923 was approaching Merton by the time we caught up with it. Slowing to a stop on the main for a crew change I was able to grab a shot of 5039 and 5293 before heading to my next spot. Most of the locomotives in Kiwirail livery have a vertical separation between the red and grey. The early repaints had a horizontal separation. To get two loco's in this early version of the Kiwirail livery was a good catch. I still think Kiwirail should have kept going with this version.

DXC's 5039 and 5293 hold the main at Merton.

Before long DFT's 7049 and 7023 could be seen heading down the grade into Merton. Using a safe spot that normally nets good results I was able to grab a shot of 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight. I was pretty happy to catch the DFT's in action. The word going around railfan circles is that a number of DFT loco's will be written off as more and more of the Chinese built DL locomotives come on line in the North Island and DXB locomotives transfer south.

DFT's 7049 and DFT 7023 round the curve into Merton with 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight.

Once the LE's had changed over, 922 continued its trip north. I quick shot at the northern end of the Merton loop and it was time to head north.

922 makes its way slowly up the loop at Merton.

The work carried out around the area by the track gangs must be paying off because I had trouble keeping up with 922 as it made its way north through East Otago. I wanted a shot of 922 cresting the Tumai grade but the two DFT's were making light work of their train and I had to settle for a shot from the wrong side. Shot taken it was time to head north again.

922 crests the Tumai bank.

Playing it safe was the order of the day and I choose a tried and true spot for my next shot.

With horn blasting and ditch lights flashing 922 approaches Palmerston.

With 922 picking up empty 'goldies' at Palmerston I had chance to fuel up the car. Chasing trains isn't a cheap hobby anymore! With time to spare I headed to my final spot of the day just north of the Shag river bridge. With the sun stuck behind cloud I was able to get a nice shot of the DFT's with Mt Pukutapu in the background.

Now with empty 'goldies' 922 continues its trip north in the shadows.

On Monday I begin my new role at work. I'm looking forward to working Monday to Friday with no more night shifts. While it will be nice to spend my nights at home, the opportunities to get out and chase trains will be fairly limited. Hopefully I will still be able to bring you the sights of Kiwirail in action as they continue to haul freight through Otago.

Just when I thought I'd seen it all.

With some spare time and nice weather I decided to get out and try and catch my normal targets 922 and / or 923. The fuel gauge wasn't looking to good so I headed down to the local garage to fill up. Getting out of the car I could hear a loud idling noise and it definitely coming from the garage. WIth gas in the tank I headed over to the Palmerston yard and found DFT 7199 and 7049 idling on the middle siding. The middle siding doesn't get much use apart from Taieri Gorge Railway DJ's running around the 'seasider' passenger trains and as a staging point for the tamper gang when they are working in the area. Seeing two mainline loco's on the middle siding is pretty rare.

With the loco's looking pretty in the sun I snapped a few shots.

Roster shot of DFT 7199 at Palmerston. 10/07/2013.

After the DFT's had coupled up to the empty 'goldies' I headed north to try and catch 923 as it made its way south to Dunedin. I set myself up at one of my favourite spots just to the north of Bushey TWC loop and grabbed a nice shot of DXC 5500 with a good sized 923.

DXC 5500 leads 923 Middleton - Dunedin freight into Bushey. With a decent load on the drawgear DXC 5500 has a good workout ahead of it as it grinds its way over the grades into Dunedin.

I was expecting 922 and 923 to cross at Bushey but the DXC just kept on going. Heading back into town I quickly caught up with a slowing 923. Parking up I was able to catch the Dunedin and Timaru LE's swap services so they could head back home. On this part of the Main South Line, the locomotive crews normally change over at Merton or sometimes a Bushey. In over five years of following the action on this part of the MSL I have never seen a crew change in Palmerston. Luckily I was able to grab a few shots of this very rare event.

The locomotive engineers from 922 and 923 change over at Palmerston. This is the first time in over five years of living here that I've seen this happen.

I headed north again to a spot just north of the Stour St crossing to grab a shot of 922 departing Palmerston.

DFT 7199 and 7049 with a train of empty 'goldies' cross the recently upgraded Stour St railway crossing.

Up close and personal shot of DFT 7199.

I expected a fairly normal chase today but it was anything but normal. Not sure why the DFT's were in town so early or why the crew change was carried out in Palmerston. My best guess was that with a lot of work being carried out on the MSL between Waitati and Sawyers Bay, the morning service 937 dropped off its 'goldies' at Palmerston and then the loco's parked up at Palmerston for a few hours before coupling up to the now empty 'goldies' and then heading north as 922. With 937 being cancelled south of Palmerston and 922 starting at Palmerston, the gangers had a good chunk of daylight to work on the slips and areas of subsidence that are still causing trouble on the MSL.

Until next time stay safe and keep chasing.

Weathering the storm

Over the last few weeks New Zealand has been hammered by winter storms that have caused flooding and significant snow falls across the country. The East Otago area didn't miss out on its share of the bad weather. Significant damage to the Opihi bridge south of Temuka and several slips between Dunedin and Waitati caused the closure of the main south line between Dunedin and Christchurch. Kiwi Rail had to rely on road bridging to get priority traffic through.
I didn't get the chance to get out and foam too much due to the weather. Wouldn't have mattered anyway, nothing was running around here. 
I did grab a few shots of a Taieri Gorge Railway passenger service at Waitati. I have no idea what it was doing here but it was there for a few days. If you know why it was stuck at Waitati please let me know.

DJ 1240 holding the loop at Waitati with a TGR train. On the siding is ETM 513 with its support wagon. 26/06/13.

Another shot of DJ 1240 with its train.

On the tailend was DJ 3107. This DJ has retained the orginal front and side windows.

On Thursday as I headed down to the local school to pick up my son I saw a massive 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight picking some empty 'golidies' that had been stuck in Palmerston for the last week. To my amazement it was still holding on the main when were heading home. I had the camera in the car so it would have been rude not to grab a shot or two. A quick trip to Bushey and a short wait was all it took before 922 showed up. 

DFT 7295 leads a huge 922 Dunedin - Middleton freight through Bushey.

A going away shot of the five loco's on the point of 922. Normal practice in other parts of the country but anymore than two loco's on the front of a train is pretty exciting down here. A sad looking DFT 7023 is the last of the loco's.

Travelling through East Otago, 922 is normally made up of two loco's and maybe a few wagons plus the 'goldies' it picks up in Palmerston. To see a long 922 with five loco's on point was pretty exciting. A personal favourite DFT 7023 was included up front. From what I hear it was damaged earlier in the week after hitting a slip. With the recent news that the DC and DFT locomotive fleet is likely to be reduced due to the introduction of the DL's I'm hoping the damage to 7023 isn't too bad and they repair it.

I have some leave from work coming up so I'm hoping to get out a bit more - weather dependant - and bring you some more posts.

And thats about it.

Flood of 2013

Hello from a very wet East Otago.
After 48 hours of continuous rain many of the streams and rivers around East and North Otago couldn't handle any more water which caused flooding across the region. About 3pm we decided to head out and have a look around the area. The following are some rail related photos from our trip.

The Shag river in flood. 17/06/13.

Fleming Rd railway crossing looking back towards Palmerston. The Shag river has spilled over its banks and has flooded the surrounding farmland. 17/06/13. 

Fleming Rd railway crossing again looking down what was Fleming Rd. Water from the Shag river is making its way into Muddy creek.

The normally sedate Muddy creek fill to the brim. There is (was) a farm track on the far side of the creek that had 3.5 metre clearance. The creek bed was about two metres below the track. Just shows how much water was coming down the creek.

Water backed up against the railway embankment at Shrewsbury St in Hampden.

And what we built to kill the time stuck inside. One old board and a few bits and pieces from the bottom drawer.  Took an hour or two to put together but kept the kids occupied for hours.

Today the sun is shining but a cold southerly is due through over the next few days bringing snow to low levels. Should be interesting.

Till next time.

A day out in Oamaru

Tr 35 stands ready at Harbourside station for the first run of the day. 09/06/13.

Today the kids and I were able to visit Oamaru Steam and Rail, a small preservation railway that runs between the historic precinct and the harbour. What an awesome little railway!
Arriving with 15 minutes before the first departure, we purchased our tickets ($11 for me, a five year old and a toddler return), took some photo's and climbed aboard ready for our trip. 

Harbourside station.

Ready for departure.

Not long after taking our seats the LE invited us into the cab for the outward trip to the harbour. When a LE asks if you want a cab ride you can't say no. With my son in control of the horn we departed Harbourside and headed towards Quarry Siding. The train made its way around the historic precinct made up of former wool and grain stores before passing the former goods shed. We then made our way along the harbour to the terminus at Quarry Siding. The trip out only took around 10 minutes but was great fun (I need to get out more).

Quarry Siding.

The train sitting at Quarry Siding.

We had a 15 minute wait at Quarry Siding before returning to Harbourside station. After checking out some of the local wildlife - yellow eyed penguins nesting in a shed - we grabbed some shots of the train. 

Tr 35

Tr 35 is a 0-4-0 shunting tractor built in 1939 by the Drewry Car Company. These locomotives were designed to be used to shunt wagons at small to medium sized stations. Withdrawals from service began in the 1970's but this model of Tr has proven popular with preservation groups with over half of the original 23 locos still in existence.

NB 1716

NB 1716 is a 4 wheel open observation carriage that has been converted from a flat top freight wagon. Passenger seating is provided by bench seats long ways in the middle of the carriage.

While working out how to get a clear shot of the passenger carriage and the guards van with all the four wheel drives and boat trailers around it was time to head back to Harbourside station. With no run round loop at Quarry Siding the train returned in 'push me' style with the guards van leading. On the return trip we rode on NB 1716 and took in the sights of Oamaru harbour. All to soon we were back at Harbourside station and I was able to grab some shots of A 1514 and F 668.

A 1514

A 1514 is a 47' 6" wooden clad bogie passenger carriage built at Dunedin's Hillside workshops in 1923.

 F 668

F 668 is a steel clad 30' bogie guards van built at the NZR's Addington workshops (Christchurch) in 1941.

By now the kids were getting hungry so we decided to try one of the small cafes in the historic precinct. The cafe we chose was the Star and Garter which was just across the road from Harbourside station. What can I say. Great food and service and the best cheese and pineapple toasted sandwich I have ever had. If you're in Oamaru and want to score some browny points to off set the ones you lose by stopping to look at trains bring the other half here.

Restored footbridge.

With lunch complete we headed down to the harbour to check out the restored footbridge and have a play in the playground. The footbridge built in 1906 has recently undergone a $42,000 restoration and the community groups and local businesses involved have done a great job. It was interesting to watch most of the people walking down the harbour use the footbridge instead of the railway crossing and I can see why. The view of the harbour from the footbridge was pretty good.

Oamaru Harbour.

As the kids worked off their lunch I managed to grab a few more shots of the Oamaru Steam and Rail train out and about on its home tracks.

Tr 35 with its passenger train passes beneath the restored footbridge.

The passenger train across the harbour at Quarry Siding.

With a cold breeze starting to pick up it was time to start thinking about heading home as we made our way to the car we heard Tr 35's horn. Making a mad dash up the footbridge I managed to grab a few shots of the train as it passed by on its return trip to Harbourside station.

The guard controlling the reversing move.

And the going away shot.

As we left the harbour and historic precinct for home I couldn't resist stopping to grab a shot of SPHQ 001 outside Steam Punk HQ, the Steam Punk capital of New Zealand. 

Steam Punk is described by wikipedia as a 'sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam powered machinery  especially in a setting inspired by industrialised western civilization during the 19th century.Therefore, steam punk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era in a post apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.' All I can say is that it takes some creativity to convert a retired Ds shunting locomotive into this fire breathing beast. 

Steam Punk at its finest.

A big thanks to the staff of Oamaru Steam and Rail and the Star and Garter for a great day out. Oamaru has to be congratulated for its efforts in preserving not only the original railway line in Oamaru but also the historically significant limestone buildings that make up the historic precinct.

The Oamaru Steam and Rail website can be found at http://www.oamaru-steam.org.nz/

And that's about it...