South Island Railscene

A turbo-charged diesel of the DFT class leads its container train along the Pacific Ocean towards Picton. Here at Parikawa the railway line hugs the coast closely.

All engines of the DF class have been upgraded to the more powerful DFT class during the 1990s and are now the most efficient mainline diesel engine in New Zealand.

A few months later and a few hundred kilometres further south, the same engine climbs up the bank near Karitane in Otago. While the road takes a route further inland, the railway line runs along the coast to reach Dunedin from the North. It snakes along cliffs, bluffs and bays. While this may make it a very scenic line, it makes it also very slow. And today mainly container trains run here, with the odd excursion train.
Another DFT slowly hauls its rake of coal wagons from the loading facility in Ohai, Southland. Ohai is the terminus of the only remaining branch line in Southland. The line is 86km long and has a speed limit of 40km/h. In comparison to other lines that mainly carry coal the volumes on this line are not great and the coal is mainly destined for the domestic market.
Just south of Dunedin, the railway line runs along Lake Waihola. The Dx locomotive heading the train sports the light blue livery from the 1990s, while the Dc running as second locomotive is still in the "fruit-salad" livery used in the 1980s, with the engine's number displayed prominently on the long hood.

Eva-Maria Frank took this picture in Southland, with myself standing next to a rest-room for railway staff. The DXR loco hauling the train, is the only representative of its class. It was rebuilt in 1993 from a DX locomotive with the aim of improving performance. A new trendy cab was also added. But to save costs none of the other DX engines were ever rebuilt, continuing in service with only minor modifications.

The unrebuilt DX engines still feature the characteristic General Electric export cab. Here a threesome head a container train along the Otago Harbour at Maia. The Otago Peninsula is in the background.
Just north of Palmerston the railway line runs close to the beach with the main road sandwiched between them. A Dx locomotive leads a container trun south on a winter evening. The Dc class engine in second position gives the necessary grunt to lift the train over the many gradients on the way to Dunedin.
While mainline container trains are hauled by powerful engines like the DX between the main centres, smaller shunts bring the containers from the sidings to the container transfer sites. Dsg shunting locomotives can be found throughout the country. This engine pulls a rake of loaded container wagons from the port in Timaru to the railway yards. On the sidings and in the yard shunting locomotives are generally remotely controlled. Here the operator stands on the front steps of the engine as it negotiates the tracks around the wharf.
Dsc locomotives are another common shunting engine. The first models were built from 1958 in England. Subsequent batches were built by New Zealand Rail from 1962 onwards. Nowadays only New Zealand built locomotives remain in service with Toll Rail. One of these engines propells container wagons from the Timaru yards to the port siding. The engine is remotely controlled with the controller riding on one of the wagons in the middle of the train. Another shunter guides the train at the front using a four-wheel motorbike.
In the far South, near the tourist resort Queenstown is one of the main heritage railways in the South Island: the Kingston Flyer. Formerly operated by New Zealand Rail, a local group now is in charge of this tourist venture. From the southern end of Lake Wakatipu this train runs several kilometres along the otherwise closed Kingston Branch. In this overview of Kingston the wharf and station area is clearly visible. In the past, trains connected with the steamships on Lake Wakatipu. The Kingston Flyer stands waiting on the station tracks. The turntable and service area are east of the station. The other Ab engine not used on the train that day also stands there.
While the tourist still look through the train and snap some photos, Ab 795 stands in the morning sunlight, ready to haul the train out of Kingston, once the signal has been given.

Along a track lined by gorse the Ab steam engine slowly chugs down the line returning to Kingston from Fairlight. On my visit the dry gorse along the line caught fire caused by the sparks of the passing locomotive.

But not all heritage operations must use steam engines. The Pleasant Point Railway in South Canterbury uses a small Model T railcar to transport visitors. For special occasions when more guests are expected an Ab steam engine does the honours. The Model T railcar is turned on the turntable at the depot ready to return to the Pleasant Point railway station. The driver takes a short rest in the sun, while passengers are invited to explore the display.
Steam engines are also sometimes found on the mainline, where excursions are run, mainly by groups of steam enthusiasts. Here an Ab, once common throughout the whole of the railway network and described as "maid for all work" hauls a train along the beach south of Timaru.
When the Otago Central Line was closed in 1990, the Otago Excursion Train Trust together with the Dunedin City Council set up the Taieri Gorge Railway to run excursion trains through the scenic Taieri Gorge along the line to Middlemarch. These trains now run daily, leaving the historic Dunedin Railway station and making their way inland. They have both modern air-conditioned carriages as well as vintage rolling stock. Most of the trains only run through to Pukerangi covering the most scenic portion of the line.

Here the a DJ hauls the Taieri Gorge Limited out of the tunnel towards Wingatui with the long hood leading.

Most of the branch lines were closed from the 1960s onward. One line that did not survive is the Roxburgh Branch which left the South Island Main Trunk near Milton. Signs of the railway can still be seen. The railway station and goods shed can still be seen clearly in Waitahuna, slowly deterioating through neglect.