Nice one Charlie. Folks, this is the route of the famous Tranz Alpine across the Southern Alps to Greymouth on West Coast. The Torlesse range towers behind Springfield with the line clinging to the steep slopes of the Waimakariri River for much of the way to Arthur's Pass, passing through 16 tunnels. The main divide is crossed in the 5.5 mile long Otira Tunnel. The DXC class is modified for use in this tunnel on 3% grade against loaded trains (worked by electric locomotives until 1997.)
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