After being holed up for a week at my mother's house due to a "50 year snowstorm" which dumped snow right down to sea level, I took a chance on the first fine day to go train chasing. Here DXs... (more)

The two South Island KiwiRail phase 1 painted locos bring train 846 (coal plus 6 cement tanks) around the wye that takes them through the mountains to the east coast.

As the last traces of dusk slip over the Southern Alps, five DXs lift a short 18 wagon coal train away from Otira's top yard with less drama than usual. Sitting in a deep valley, the megatropilopo... (more)

KiwiRail attired DX 5460 and DC 4513 bring a short off-season TranzAlpine train toward Moana, with the swampy edge of Lake Brunner and the foothills of the Southern Alps in the background.

Nestled in a mountain valley in the middle of the South Island, Otira is lucky to see an hour of sunshine in the middle of winter, that’s if you can see the sky at all as this is an area often a... (more)

KiwiRail driver Mike Kilsby gets loaded coal train 832 on the move after crossing Reefton-bound 829 at the Mawheraiti loop/siding. Most freight trains in New Zealand are single manned, so in addit... (more)

A DX+DC combo head up the Cass Bank in the Tranz Rail blue days

DXs 5385 and 5454 head 842 eastward with the Southern Alps providing a suitable backdrop.

KiwiRail attired DX 5460 and DC 4513 bring a short off-season TranzAlpine train up the Kaimata bank, less than an hour from its westbound destination of Greymouth.

The sole pair of South Island based KiwiRail painted DXs (at the time - there are now more but with the vertical colour separation) were paired up for a few days in March 2009 after we arranged to... (more)

The sole pair of South Island based KiwiRail painted DXs at the time were paired up for a few days in March 2009 after we arranged to have them on a passenger train for some aerial photography and... (more)

Into the Rabbit Hole. I've always been the guy on the outside taking the pictures, but over recent years I've had more chances to enjoy the view from the 'inside' and appreciate the profession of ... (more)

DX 5391 has since been repainted in the red/yellow/gray KiwiRail paint, but back in 2006, it was bringing an empty coaltrain down the Cass bank. Within a few minutes the train will notch up for th... (more)

With a precious few days holiday in NZ, I got up hours before sunrise and drove back into the hills in the hope of getting a shot of the weekly swap-out of Otira-based banker locos - catching them... (more)

Bottoming out. A pair of DXs in the nasty "Toll Rail" livery bring empty coalie 849 off the grade and into the Otira yard. All very well for descending empties, but loaded trains travelin... (more)