Phew this really brings back lovely memories of my former footplate days. Especially at about 12.35 where the LE makes a small brake application then bleeds off the Independent to release the loco brakes and keep her nicely stretched out. Gives the passengers behind a good ride too. Noisy VD but one gets to live with that. Thanks a mill for memories and the posting.
I was in Ashburton when a train carrying six Champion Road Graders that were manufactured In Goderich Ontario Canada! Rather exciting at the time, as I grew up in Goderich!
That is one creepy scary tunnel! Ha! It would make a great location for a horror film and it seems as if it's never going to end! Loved watching this great video! Thanks for posting.
Little remembered historical tidbit. In the early 1990’s (someone can research the exact date) the down, early morning, commuter train (1603?) derailed in the tunnel! 7.5km in from the Featherston end, with a kilometre still to run, an unusual noise from a leading carriage bogie cause a passenger to operate the “emergency stop” lever. As the train came to rest, the bogie collapsed! Had the passenger not reacted, and given that it was the leading bogie of the second car, railways might have been looking at NZ’s greatest rail disaster.
@SAinAucklandNZ Thanks for the reply, I did my penance at the old Auckland yard and Westfield, then transferred to Napier where I did most of my service, got my ticket in Wellington and gave it away in 84, to be an owner driver. Bad move lol! Thanks for the excellent vid. Keep up the good work. cheers!
Great vid thanks for sharing with us who won't get a chance to cab ride . yeah do the Kaimai it would be awsome . . . take some uploading tho . cheers Andy from Hamilton
Nice video. Like to watch tunnel rides like this. If you can try looking up hoosac tunnel cab view. Its in the U.S. AND ITS KIND OF EERIE. Supposed tonbe haunted but thats secondary to the view riding thru it. Hvery long also. Thanks for the post and happy training to y'all
@deamze08 Hi deamze08 thanks for looking at my video! To answer your question, Technically yes, any person riding in the cab should have a 'pass'. Even if one has the relevant qualification, they still need permission to be in the cab, this is usually done through a manager! However we all kind of know each other around the country and, such requirements are quite often overlooked!
@AngelicPhantom Those are small arch ways, built for people (generally workers) to hide inside incase a train were to come through the tunnel. I guess that they have been painted white for people to easily see them. Thanks for watching and sorry for the late response.
Hi I'm from the state of New Hampshire in the USA, first of all great video, and second that's one long friggen tunnel, how long is it? and lastly has any train ever broken down while in the tunnel?
The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 November 1955, is 8.798 kilometres (5.467 mi) long. It was the longest tunnel in New Zealand, superseding the Otira Tunnel in the South Island until the completion of the Kaimai Tunnel (8.88 km, 5.55 miles) near Tauranga in 1978. Rimutaka remains the longest tunnel in New Zealand with scheduled passenger trains.
@johnparkimp3. Thanks for looking and for commenting, glad that you got some enjoyment out of my video! Too right about that VD, all the VD lights were broken too, except for that little one on the B side door so the whistle kept sounding. (Where's some bubble gum for the whistle when you need it hey?) Which lines were you riding? Thanks again for looking Cheers
I am so glad they didnt show this in Masterton when I was a kid. I hated that train ride to Wellington. Why they cant just build a cantilevered road at the bottom of the gorge, I will never know.
went on this ride up front with the driver in 1957 when i was at massey college what a ride one i will never forget i was 20 years old left my wallet in the cab and the driver brought it out to the college for me great times this was in a railcar
Michael Gilchrist Is this in the Norh island? And what locomotive did u go in? Ow and that railcar u rode back when u were young was it one of those cool old ref coloured railcars with the white strips even the Da's were painted the same.
@Adam Heavey Yeah... they tell you to shut the windows. But then all the smokers complain.. back in the 60,s lol. I still got a NZR rail mug. Traditional
@Adam Heavey I will be frank... given the choice, I would rather hike the entire range than take any of the other options... including flying into Wellington... in the late 60,s. Drum brakes. lol !!. I dont know about the nutcase you mentioned... but that kinda person figured large in my imagination. Its close to Greytown. That sez it all
The tunnel ‘self vents’ quite readily. Being an ‘apex’ tunnel the loco is only working up to the middle then idles its way out. At the apex there’s a vertical vent shaft up to the surface. Turning the morning and afternoon peaks, trains follow on reasonably short intervals with no problams.
3ft 6" means it should be a standard guage. In India we dont have this type of Guage as trains had to be wide to accommodate a large section of population.
Technically, NZ has a ‘standard’ loading gauge (4’8.5”) which is run on a narrow gauge track. (3’6”) The tight rail gauge better suits our topographical landscape.
