Over a weeks period in late June/Early July 2023 we cover various KiwiRail Freight and passenger services across the central portion of the North Island Main Trunk Line between Hamilton and Palmerston North. We start at Hamilton and chase Train 225 south to Taihape and from there cover trains between Horopito and Feilding before finishing with a chase of Train 234 up to the Hapuwhenua Viaduct.
This section of line features spectacular tunnels, bridges and viaducts, views of Mt Ruapehu along the central plateau and the famous Raurimu Spiral.
The Trunk between Hamilton and Palmerston North is electrified and various trains are hauled by the EF Class locomotives. These locos have now been in service for 35 years with some having been withdrawn from service. The remaining locos still operate select trains such as 390, 391T, 222 and 229. A few EF's have been sent to the Hutt Workshops in Wellington for overhaul and re paints. More EF's are planned to be overhauled in the future.
DL Class locomotives are currently the predominant power on the Trunk and haul most of the tonnage. DFB class locomotives can also be seen, but are mostly found hauling the Northern Explorer Passenger Train between Wellington and Auckland.
I've also started to include more panning shots in my videos thanks to a new Tripod. And sorry for any wind noise in a few shots. The weather didn't play ball all week!
So sit back, relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of electric and diesel locomotives at work over the steep grades of the central North Island!