Kia ora! We just got back from a two week vacation in New Zealand, which included a trip on the TranzAlpine Scenic train. NZ apparently has only 3 passenger trains, the Overland, from Auckland to Wellington; the TranzCoastal, from Picton to Christchurch; and the TranzAlpine, from Christchurch to Graymouth. This latter was the train we took. It is largely a tourist train, as Graymouth is a very small town on the west coast of the South Island. Our bus only just got to the station on time, so there was little time to take picures. The cars are showing their age outside, but were refurbished inside in 2001, and are comfortable. Perhaps someone can help identify motive power. I've also include two pics of the scenery....its well worth the trip! Hope you enjoy them.
The scenery is very nice! Would make it worth while for me. Maybe some day I can get down that way. How long was the train ride? What was the line like? Such as bridges, tunnels, etc? The trucks on those units look similar to styles seen on EMD engines. Boxcab E50
Boxcab, the trip from Christchurch to Greymouth is about 4.5 hours. It has the longest viaduct in NZ, as well as one fairly long tunnel and maybe 14 shorter ones. There are several shorter bridges. There are only a couple of stops along the way (Arthur's Pass being one). The line is smooth and seems well-maintained. Once we left the small yard at Christchurch, it was single track except at stations. The scenery is spectacular. A good number of tourists make a day of it, enjoying the scenery in both directions and having lunch at Greymouth (not much else to do there). The TranzAlpine makes one round trip per day.
Sorry, no I don't...the angle of approach is such that you really can't get a good shot from the train. but here is a pic on the web: http://www.trainweb.org/enzedrail/mainline/midland/01/stair0886.jpg.html and another from some distance away: http://www.trainweb.org/enzedrail/mainline/midland/01/mvc-058f.jpg.html
