Part 1 of 2. Part 1 follows coal trains from the loading facility at Ngakawau, through to Otira. Lots of GE action here!
High quality version available at:
http://www.michae ladams.org/?HQV&v=_h 7eumhwM1A (640x480, h264/AAC - 95 MB)
Part 2 at:
http://www.youtub e.com/watch?v=PWSrTe 7zEVI
A fully loaded coal train grumbles up the bank out of Otira, towards the tunnel in the distance. Unfortunately a pesky sleeve got in the way of my camera!
A fully loaded coal train arrives at Cass on a scorching hot Saturday afternoon. Mere seconds after arriving an empty coal train traveling in the opposite direction entered the loop. Within 5 minutes both were on their way again.
DXB5477 and DQ6376 battle up the grade towards tunnel 3 on the Main North Line. Engines are in notch 8, a great location, you can hear them approaching all the way from Oaro.
A short montage showing what happens when the TranzAlpine arrives. Baggage is unloaded, the locomotives are uncoupled, a shunter arrives, couples on, and once everything is ready shunts the carriages out of the station to be serviced.
A bunch of families enjoy a day on the ice at Lake Lyndon, July 15th, 2007. Lake Lyndon is an hour from Christchurch, just beyond Porters Pass in the Canterbury High Country.
A general freight train, bound for Greymouth, enters the loop at Craigieburn. While in the loop the TranzAlpine will cross it, exchanging crew in the process. Craigieburn is an unmanned station, so the loco engineers must change the points themselves.
