We love trains – so much so that our trip south was carefully planned to coincide with the running of the Weka Pass Railway. Like most of the restored trains these days, it is run by volunteers and only operates on the occasional weekend. The train operates from Glenmark to Waikari, and our group did the trip “back to front”, as we boarded at Waikari, which managed to confuse the staff a little. The vintage carriages and open air observation carriage were pulled by DG 770, Locomotive 2274/D53, built in 1955 at the Vulcan Foundry, Lancashire, England. The rain kept falling as we travelled through Weka Pass, which was constructed in just two years in the 1880s. Tons of clay and limestone were removed by hand to form the cuttings and large embankments. It seemed that we barely room to spare as the train travelled through the cuttings.
Weka Pass Railway
It must have been good luck, we think, for us to be staying in Ashburton the weekend the vintage trains were running at the Plains Railway and Historic Village. It was the turn for this little beauty the day we went; one of three engines in the collection. The steam engine on duty was a K88, built in 1877 by Rogers Locomotive Works, at New Jersey, and looked very smart with a shiny green paint job. This engine was scrapped and spent many years shoring up the banks of the Oreti River as flood protection, before being rescued and restored. Thank goodness for rail enthusiasts who dedicate their spare time to restoration.
Plains Railway, Ashburton
While staying at Mosgiel, Dunedin, we booked an all day excursion “Rail to Gold”, which included two train trips, a meal in a country pub, and a bus tour through McCrae's Gold Mine. The first ride was aboard the Seasider to travel up the main trunk line for a two hour journey from the historic Dunedin Station to Palmerston. This section of the line was completed in 1879, and the carriages were pulled by a DJ diesel electric locomotive. The trip took us past pretty little settlements shrouded in mist along the coastline, then inland and through four tunnels, finally arriving in Palmerston Station. Here we boarded a small mini bus for the next part of our day.
All aboard the Seasider
Coming back from our gold mine tour, the bus driver dropped us at Pukerangi Station in time to board the Taieri Gorge Railway for our return ride back to Dunedin. For this trip we were seated in vintage 1920s heritage carriages with opening sash windows, very handy as they could be raised for taking photos. We travelled slowly through the stunning scenery of the deep sided schist covered Taieri Gorge, through ten tunnels and over a couple of viaducts. The TV series “Great Scenic Railway Journeys” calls this trip one of the world’s great train trips, and we can certainly see why.
Travelling through the Taieri Gorge
It was back to steam again when we boarded the Kingston Flyer. The engine driver made a point of letting off plenty of steam so the photographers could take plenty of photos. The Great Northern Railway from Invercargill to Kingston opened in 1878, and with the first passenger trains travelling at a very speedy 60km per hour, and the train became known as the Kingston Flyer. The engine for our trip was a AB778 Pacific Class locomotive, and was built in Addington Railway Workshops in 1925. It weighed 86 tons, burned 760kg of coal and used 3600 litres of water each return journey. The carriages were restored to represent 1920s travel, constructed of teak, red pine and kauri, with curved roofs of embossed plate. The train chugged along the 14km stretch of rail and we sat back and enjoyed the scenery, stopping at Fairlight Station, the end of the line for our trip.
The Kingston Flyer
Waiting to perform the return trip from Fairlight to Kingston
Our last South Island rail trip was something completely different. The dinky little Nile River Rainforest Train runs on a narrow gauge track 2km up the Paparoa Ranges. The corrugated iron carriages are pulled by a small diesel powered engine, and was originally built to support the company’s caving business, but soon became an attraction in it’s own right.
Nile River Rainforest Train
Our train trips on our South Island holiday were all different, and all great in their own individual way. What better way to spend an afternoon than “all aboard” as we ride the rails?
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