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A long wait for train 725
yields...
light locos! Grumble. At least the first DX is one of the last
remaining fruit
salad ones. |
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The northbound Coastal Pacific on
Dashwood Pass headed by DCP 4945 |
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A
rather dull shot of the Coastal rolling off Dashwood |
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Ev shoots from the car
as 4945 races along near Koromiko |
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After
a quick turnaround, the southbound Coastal climbs out of Picton
and approaches
Elevation. |
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And
he zooms out at the top for a lazy second
shot. Makes mental note to get more height next time |
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Crossing
the Wairau river north of Spring
Creek. Watch for hoons on the dusty road here... |
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Heading for Dashwood.
This wedgie is shot with 16mm focal length |
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On the far side of the horseshoe,
the Coastal lifts out of the vineyards and heads up the sunburnt
Dashwood Pass |
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Back at
the
Wairau river, a following
freight, 735 storms south, with us in hot pursuit... |
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Climbing up
through Dashwood's reverse curves |
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Passing the saltpans at Lake
Grassmere |
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I
really don't remember where this was, but I do recall Evan
filming a David Bellamy style 'Railfans in their Natural
Habitat' documentary |
|
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On the coast...
somewhere |
|
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Still on the coast,
but somewhere else. I think |
|
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Irongate
stream north of Kaikoura |
|
 |
Same
shot zoomed in a bit. Less scenery, less traffic! |
|
 |
The next morning...a short, amply powered Saltworks
shunt crests Dashwood Pass behind a pair of DFTs just before the
sun does. |
|
 |
237 runs across
the Paremata bridge. |
|
 |
Crossing the
Ngauranga Gorge between tunnels 1 and 2, near the end of its
journey. Apologies for you having to tilt your head. I'll fix
that crazy downhill slope one day,,, |
|
 |
Train 242 smokes
it up North of Ohau with a DC+DX-DX-DFT combo up front |
|
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Near
Shannon,
215 chases the Overlander after crossing 242 |
|
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The next day...
the Overlander departs Wellington |
|
 |
Stonking through Paraparaumu |
|
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4754?
and 4450 wheeling down the Cass bank with 827 goods in tow.
Bring back the Fruit Salad scheme! |
|
 |
Three
DX bankers are attached to the two DX train engines and the
combined horsepower lifts a 24 wagon 842 up the 1 in 33 out of
Otira with little drama just as the sun begins to enter the
valley. |
|
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Back
on the Cass Bank, the westbound passenger takes me by surprise,
with 4559, 4801 and 4513 catching me short of a few more metres of elevation. |
|
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At
Cass crossing 842 |
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842
wheeling its way over the bank in my fave shot of the day |
|
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842
approaching Springfield |
|
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Train
X07 comprising containers and empty log wagons is a healthy 575
metres long and headed by DX 5293 and DBR 1213 near Kowhai Bush |
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