Waikato Railscene

Many coal mines once operated in the Waikato hills. Few remain. Near the end of the former Glen Afton branch line, north-west of Hamilton, the Bush Tramway Club was established at Pukemiro Junction. Peckett 1630 arrives at Pukemiro Junction. [May 2018].
Peckett 1630 has arrived with a train at Pukemiro Junction, the passenger station of the Bush Tramway Club. Volunteers and visitors mill around to admire a real working steam locomotive. The steam locomotive was built in 1923 for this line and after nearly 100 years is still here. [May 2018].
Cb 117 stands outside the shed, quietly hissing steam. It was built in 1927 by A&G Price in Thames, New Zealand. It is a geared locomotive, not normally used on passenger trains. [May 2017].
Between Pukemiro Junction and Hangapipi Road the train is normally hauled by the steam locomotive, but for the journey between Pukemiro Junction and Glen Afton diesel engines are normally used, one at the back and one at the front. Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 401 departs Pukemiro Junction. [May 2018].
A train returns from Glen Afton. The two locomotives 401 and 402 were built in England and 1957 and worked at the Meremere Power Station until 1997, before starting work at the Bush Tramway Club. [May 2018].
Two bush jiggers also operate on the line of the Bush Tramway Club. These were built in 1948 in Mamaku near Rotorua by converting American trucks. Jigger 2 departs from Pukemiro Junction. [May 2018].
Jigger 1 sat at the station that day and was not used to carry passengers. When these jiggers still operated in Mamaku they were used to carry workmen. [May 2018].

This is the view from the cab of a DCP locomotive in Hamilton. At this point the railway line still has the catenary of the electrified Main Trunk, but it is all diesel territory on the line to Auckland. [Aug 2003].

In the north of Hamilton the new railway station Rotokauri was built in 2019 to 2021 adjacent to a major shopping centre and a new bus hub. In 2021 a new train serviced between Hamilton and Auckland was introduced with the brand Te Huia. DFB 7295 has arrived with a service from Auckland in Rotokauri. [Nov 2023].
The carriages for the Te Huia service were rebuilt from carriages that were previously used on the Auckland suburban network. Originally these were British Rail Mark 2 carriages built in the 1970s. Equipped with a driving cab the service from to Auckland approaches Rotokauri Station from the south. This service has been contentious politically, mainly because it is subsidised and some politicians hate any expansion of passenger rail services. [Nov 2023].
The Waikato has quite frequent movements of railfreight. There are the trains from Auckland to Tauranga, other through trains, as well as the dairy and coal traffic from and to the Waikato. DL 9383 travels through Rotokauri, probably to pick up wagons from one of the industrial sites in the northern Waikato. [Nov 2023].
At Frankton the East Coast Main Trunk leaves the North Island Main Trunk. A class DL locomotive hauls its container train from the North Island Main Trunk and swings onto the East Coast Main Trunk. [Jul 2018].
A container train from Tauranga crosses the Waikato River in Hamilton. The old railway bridge is now used as a road bridge and a new bridge has been built for the railway line. [Apr 2019].
The railway line now runs underneath the Hamilton City Centre in a tunnel. This is the view of the bridge from the eastern riverside. The DL locomotive leads her train across the Waikato River bridge and is about to enter the tunnel. [Nov 2018].
At Ruakura, in the east of Hamilton, where the Waikato Expressway is the new urban border, the Cambridge Branch joins the East Coast Main Trunk. The branch line now only serves shunts to the dairy factory in Hautapu. A train from Hautapu to Hamilton travels through the Newstead countryside, not far from the junction with the East Coast Main Trunk. [Dec 2018].
The branch line passes through a countryside of life-style blocks, horse farms, dairy farms and gardens. A train travels past a meadow with hay bales in this rural area. [Mar 2018].
The train trundles past this scene of three dwarves in their boat at Newstead. DC locomotives were long used for this shunt. [Mar 2018].
The section between Hautapu and Cambridge was closed in 1999. On the remainder of the branch trains are limited to a maximum speed of 40 km/h. DC4467 hauls the train from Hautapu through the small village of Matangi. [Mar 2018].
The shunt comes from Morrinsville with a few loaded wagons for Hamilton already in tow. The DC hauls the short train towards Hautapu with the long hood leading. At Bruntwood a horse eyes the train cautiously. After all. the country around Cambridge is horse country, not train country. [Dec 2018].
After picking up wagons at the Hautapu dairy factory, the DC hauls the train through Bruntwood again, this time with the short hood leading. DC4260 was the first locomotive to receive the KiwiRail livery. The standard KiwiRail livery has since been changed slightly. [Dec 2018].
A DC in standard KiwiRail colours, DC 4323, hauls the shunt from Hautapu through Bruntwood. [Feb 2019].
DC 4260 leads the shunt from Hautapu to Hamilton with the long hood leading through Bruntwood. On this day just after Christmas, the shunt ran in the morning. [Dec 2019].
On some days the locomotives arrives without any carriages from other east Waikato dairy factories. Here, DC 4323 eases into Hautapu as a solo locomotive to pick up some wagons. [Feb 2019].
DC 4260 shunts at Hautapu dairy factory. The dairy factory is now on both sides of the railway line. The railway line is now part of the Fonterra dairy factory site, so that any future use of the line for other purposes is difficult. [Dec 2018].
The locomotive hauls the wagons out of the dairy factory loading area. On the right are the wagons from Morrinsville, which were left to one side before shunting. These wagons will be attached to the rear of the train, before it departs for Hamilton. [Dec 2018].
The Fonterra dairy factory in Hautapu has a shunting tractor to move wagons around. TR 839 still has the New Zealand Rail logo on its side. [Dec 2018].
A few months later KiwiRail has changed the shunting tractor at the Hautapu site. Now TR 845 in Toll livery was based at the dairy factory. [Mar 2019].
The section from Hautapu into Cambridge has been converted to a walk -and cycleway and planted with trees. A large gap has been left under the Waikato Expressway, so that it is possible to reactivate the section to Cambridge, and bring trains - preferably passenger trains - into Cambridge again. [Mar 2018].
The East Coast Main Trunk connects Hamilton with Tauranga and Kawerau. A DL locomotive hauls a train from Tauranga to Metroport in Auckland near Puketaha, east of Hamilton. [Mar 2018].
DL 9183 hauls a freight train near Puketaha in the opposite direction towards Tauranga. [Mar 2017].
This DL locomotive was hauling a train of bagged milk powder in containers. It was waiting in a siding near Morrinsville to let the coal train pass. [Jun 2013].
The first locomotives of the new DL class were delivered in 2010 and entered service in 2011. They were the first new locomotives delivered in New Zealand for over 20 years. Here, the class leader, DL 9008, arrives in Morrinsville with a coal train from the port of Tauranga to the Huntly power station. [Jun 2013].
Another view of the train in the Morrinsville yards. From 2010 to 2015 Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock delivered 48 DL locomotives in three batches. [Jun 2013].
In contrast to most other New Zealand diesel locomotives, the DL class has two cabs, one on each end of the locomotive. This makes the engines more versatile. [Jun 2013].
DL class locomotives also haul Metroport trains through the Waikato. Metroport trains shuttle between the Port of Tauranga and the MetroPort terminal in South Auckland so that the Port of Tauranga can provide an alternative to the Ports of Auckland. DL 9538 pulls a Metroport train through Morrinsville. [May 2019].
The class DL locomotives were introduced in 4 batches, with a total of 63 locomotives. The latest batch of 15 engines was introduced in late 2018 to early 2019. The relatively new DL 9636 hauls an empty coal train on a misty morning near Morrinsville. [May 2019].
The first generation DL locomotives were not that reliable, but continued to perform well enough after some upgrades. First-generation DL 9106 with a coal train near Morrinsville. [May 2019].
First generation DL, DL 9187, hauls train 390 west of Morrinsville. Train 390 generally is hauled from Palmerston North to Hamilton by two electric locomotives. From Hamilton to Tauranga a single diesel is sufficient to get the train across the relatively flat line. [Feb 2019].
It has been a dry summer in the Waikato. A DL hauls a MetroPort train through the landscape near Kiwitahi. [Feb 2019].
Between Morrinsville and Waharoa the railway line curves through hilly country. A DL locomotive hauls a train from Hamilton to Tauranga near Kereone. [Nov 2018].
In Walton several grain silos stand directly beside the track. These days they are no longer served by rail; rather the grain is brought in by truck and then distributed as stock feed. A train to Tauranga heads through Walton. [Dec 2019].
A view of the same train from the side, as it rushes under the Walton road overbridge. [Dec 2019].
A train of empty steel coil waggons passes the Walton Domain. It is double-headed by DL class locomotives. In the background are the Kaimai Ranges, which the trains pass under through the Kaimai Tunnel. [Dec 2019].
In 2003 DFT locomotives still hauled many trains through the Waikato, such as this freight train seen near Waharoa. [Apr 2003].
A steam train excursion with diesel support makes its way from Auckland to Tauranga. I waited for it at Waharoa. Here the lines from Hamilton, Tauranga and Kinleith meet, forming a triangle. For the steam excursion this triangle was used to turn Ja1275, the engine heading the train. The steam engine did not run through the 8.9km long Kaimai tunnel because of exhaust problems. [Apr 2003].
The line to Kinleith branches from the East Coast Main Trunk in Waharoa. This train from Kinleith, loaded with logs and pulp, approaches Waharoa from the south. It is shown on the straight between Matamata and Waharoa. [Feb 2019].
On 26 May 2018, the Railway Enthusiasts Society ran an excursion train from Auckland to Kinleith, using one of the Silver Fern railcars. Here the train is seen south of Tirau. [May 2018].
The line to Kinleith runs through the South Waikato countryside and passes several towns on its way. Here the Silver Fern Railcar passes through the rural area along Parapara Road between Putaruru and Tirau. [May 2018].
It is late in the afternoon as the Silver Fern Railcar returns from Kinleith and heads through the Waikato countryside back towards Auckland. [May 2018].
The main traffic on the Kinleith line is pulp and paper products from the mill at Kinleith, logs that are also loaded in Kinleith, and loads from the dairy factory in Lichfield (between Putaruru and Tokoroa). A DL class loco hauls a log train out of Putaruru. [May 2018].
In Putaruru the passengers got off the train and enjoyed lunch in the Putaruru Hotel, which sits conveniently close to the former railway station. [May 2018].
The Silver Fern Railcar travels further south from Putaruru and passes the New Zealand Timber Museum. [May 2018].
A train of empty waggons from Mt Maunganui travels through Lichfield towards Kinleith. DL 9521 slowly hauls the train past the Lichfield siding. [Oct 2019].
Near the end of the line, the Silver Fern Railcar passes through the former station area of Tokoroa. This forestry town now has high unemployment and the associated problems. [May 2018].
The railway line from Putaruru to Rotorua was closed in 2001. But near the summit in Mamaku there is still an active railway station. From here rail carts run for several kilometres along scenic stretches of line eastwards to Tarukenga, about half-way to Rotorua. [June 2019].
Along the way passengers in rail carts go through some fairly steep cuttings. The speed of the rail carts is computer controlled. Passengers have a break to stop the rail cart in an emergency and access to radio communication. [June 2019].
The rail carts can transport up to 4 passengers. They are gas and electric hybrid vehicles. A rail cart arrives in Tarukenga. [June 2019].
Back to the East Coast Main Trunk. A DL class locomotive approaches Waharoa on the East Coast Main Trunk with an empty MetroPort train. To the right a track connects trains to and from the east to the Kinleith line. But this train runs on towards Auckland. The outline of the Kaimai Ranges is prominent in the background. [Feb 2019].
From Waharoa the East Coast Main Trunk continues through the Kaimai Ranges to Tauranga. A container train from the Port of Tauranga to Metroport in Auckland has exited the Kaimai Tunnel and runs through the countryside near Wardville, west of the Kaimai Ranges. [Nov 2018].
A concrete bridge crosses the Waihou River not far from the entrance to the Kaimai Tunnel. A nearly empty MetroPort train has left the Kaimai Tunnel behind and now travels across the Waihou River towards Auckland. [Dec 2019].
A container train from Tauranga to Auckland is only a few hundred metres away from entering the eastern portal of the Kaimai Tunnel in the Bay of Plenty. This DL locomotive is still new and clean. It only entered service a few months earlier. [May 2019].
When the Kaimai Tunnel was opened for traffic in 1978, the old line through the Karangahake Gorge was closed. A short section of that line between Waihi und Waikino is operated by the Goldfields Railway as a short tourist line. Regualr trains run on the line, also bringing cyclists to the Karangahake Gorge, where the old railway line is now used as a cycleway. The train near Waikino Station. [Jul 2018].
The train stands at Waikino Station. This railway operates regularly, even during the week. The locomotive, Baguley-Drewry 3652, was built in England in 1968, worked on a hydro tunnel project, and then in meat works, before coming to this museum line. [Jul 2018].
Sister locomotive Baguley-Drewry 3560 in green livery hauls a train from Waikino back towards Waihi. [Apr 2017].
In the hills above the coastal town The Coromandel there is a famous narrow gauge railway through native bush. The Driving Creek Railway was originally built from the 1970s to bring clay and firewood to a pottery. It is now about 2.5 km long and ascends a ridge through various spirals and switch-backs. [May 2019].
Today the narrow-gauge railway is mainly a tourist attraction. Next to the pottery is a small railway station with a plexi-glass curved roof. The railway runs several railcars, such as this articulated, diesel-hydraulic railcar called Snake, built in 1992. [May 2019].
The railway was surveyed and mostly built by potter Barry Brickell. He also built the rolling stock in his workshop. Possum is a 14-seater single-unit railcar built in 1999. [May 2019].
One of the impressive structures on the line is a double decker bridge. The trains climb from one level to the next on a spiral. [May 2019].
One of the switch-backs juts out from the ridge on a reversing trestle. The land drops off steeply from the ridge and there are great views to the sea and islands. [May 2019].
The terminus of the Driving Creek Railway is the Eyefull Tower on the top of the ridge. There are expansive views over the surrounding landscape. The diesel-hydraulic railcar Linx, built in 2004, sits at the terminus station, while passengers enjoy the view. [May 2019].