#MakatoteViaduct #KiwiRail #railwaybridge Five trains are observed crossing the Makatote Viaduct on the North Island Main Trunk Line in New Zealand.
Opened in 1908, this Viaduct (Bridge 179) takes the Main Trunk across the Makatote Stream in the heart of the North Island. It is New Zealand's third highest bridge at 79m. The surrounding land with regenerating native bush is known as the Makatote Scenic Reserve.
The first train in this video was hauled by DFB 7282. This was an excursion named 'Taumarunui On The Main Trunk line' and was organised by the Feilding & District Steam Rail Society using the chartered Capital Connection set.
The second train was Train 240. This is an express freight from Wellington to Auckland and was hauled by DL 9400 & DL 9613. Note how the catenary poles wobble as the train passes over at speed. The electrification was opened in 1988. In 2023, only weeknight freight trains are hauled by electric locomotives. The third train was Train 200, the 'Northern Explorer' travelling from Wellington to Auckland and hauled by DFB 7173. The forth train was Train 247, an express freight travelling southwards from Auckland to Wellington behind DL 9635 & DL 9112. Train 200 and Train 247 had crossed at the Makatote crossing loop slightly north of the viaduct. The last train we see is the excursion returning south again.
The KiwiRail DL class was manufactured by CRRC Dalian 中车大连机车车辆有限公司 with engines from MTU (Motoren- und Turbinen-Union). Introduced from 2010 onwards, they are the most powerful diesel-electric locos in service in New Zealand (3,600 hp). The class represents the first order for a Chinese-built locomotive from a western country. The 9000 series allocation was chosen for this class of locomotive as the number 9 represents longevity and good luck in Chinese culture. There are 63 of the class in service in 2023.
The DF locomotives were built by General Motors Diesel of Canada between 1979 and 1981 (Model GL22MC) . The 30 members of the class were powered by an EMD 12-645 engine and were upgraded with a turbo charger in the 1990's to bring their power rating up to 1,800 kW (2,400 hp). In the 2000's most of the fleet was fitted with a BrightStar™ Microprocessor wheelslip control system and were reclassified DFB.
The Capital Connection train is from a batch of British Rail Mark 2 carriages built by British Rail Engineering Limited in the early 1970s. 150 of these cars were sold second hand to New Zealand and this set in the video were put onto the Palmerston North - Wellington run in 1999. Due for replacement in 2023, this video may well have recorded their last run over the mighty Makatote viaduct!
18 фев 2023
