WN16 - Peter Jenkinson - by Kerry Young

6th November 2006

You are all familiar with Peter Jenkinson I'm sure. He's the bloke who puts in all the graft with our trackwork. The guy who put the extension on the Valley Line and hopes to do even more in the near future.

Like most of us Peter is an avid railfan and travels often, taking pictures to record the event. Earlier in the year, Peter recorded some of the workings of the coal trains between Greymouth on the West Coast, over and through the Southern Alps and on.

Peter made up a Flugel style presentation to share with Flugel readers and passed it on to me, to send out to you. This makes the work of the news letter very rewarding. I thank Peter very much indeed for his trouble and take much pleasure in forwarding his work on to everyone. 'K'.

MIDLAND LINE TRAINS

A small selection of trains over the railway line from Christchurch to Greymouth.

Hello everybody out there. This is for the benefit of all the Flugel recipients who reside outside of New Zealand and the ones outside Canterbury as well. Occasionally Kerry grabs a pic of Big Daddy trains passing the back of Ferrymead. So I thought some photos from further inland would be of interest. Most of the trains are unit coal trains from the West Coast.

I only have a small selection of railway photos in digital format at the moment. So there are a number of photos taken at Arthur's Pass. Which is roughly half way between Christchurch and Greymouth. By car and train. So if these are of interest to others out there, Kerry might be able to bribe me to do some more!!

The photos aren't in any particular order, except they start in the summer months and finish at the beginning of our winter.

Dx's 5264 5500. After arrival at Arthur's Pass with an east bound coal train. In the distance
the three Dx bankers are pulling away into the east back shunt. 14/11/2005.

Those of you not familiar with the operation here. East bound loaded trains are banked from Otira to Arthur's Pass through the 8.5 km, 1 in 33 grade Otira Tunnel. Three Dx locos are stabled at Otira for this purpose. The route was electrified until 1997. Examples of both the first and second-generation electric locos are at Ferrymead.

Dxs' 5258 & unknown. Westbound empty coal train crossing Rough Creek Bridge.
This is at the east end of Arthur's Pass station. 14/11/2005.

Dcs' 4421 & unknown crossing the now demolished Cobden Bridge in Greymouth.
This is part of the branch line heading to the coal bins at Rapahoe. Just one of many coal mines on the West Coast. As you can see in the background of the first pic, there is a new concrete bridge being built. 11/12/2005.

A good view of Arthur's Pass yard. Occasionally you can get two passenger trains at the Pass.
On this occasion, the Tranzalpine had terminated here due to track maintenance in the tunnel and further west. The shorter train, which Dc 4726 is running around, is an excursion for cruise ship passengers from Lyttleton. The Otira tunnel starts just off the bridge in the mid right background.

Banker Dx 5264 sitting at Arthur's Pass station.
You only qualify to be a true rail fan if you take photos at any time of the day or night.
18/02/2006

Dxs' 5172 & 5304 passing Cass station with a west bound train. 14/04/2006.

Dxs' 5270 & 5258. Two thirds of the way up the 1 in 50 Cass Bank with an eastbound train.
Made famous in the 50's and 60's by Kb 4-8-4 steam engines battling the grade.
14/04/2006

The same train crossing the Bealey river and about to head into the Otira tunnel.

An hour later the southerly storm had made its self felt as Dxs' 5287 & 5304 arrive with the east bound Tranzalpine express.14/05/2006

And departing ten minutes later. Again, you can only call your self a true rail fan if you take photos in all sorts of weather!

The conditions on top of Arthur's Pass were a bit worse.
Looking towards the monument erected for Arthur Dudley Dobson who was the first European to traverse the pass in 1863.
14/05/2006

Heading back to Christchurch you have to drive over Porters Pass, which is about an hour from Chch. The conditions here were a bit worse than Arthur's Pass. Four hours ago it was just brown tussock and scrub. 14/05/2006.

I hope some of those pictures where of interest to those out side of New Zealand. That's just a small look at the Midland Line from Chch to Greymouth. Peter Jenkinson. 16/05/2006