Miscellaneous and Happenings

In the morning sun at Pukeoware, DE 507 sits at the head of 12 carriages, waiting to form the empty service to Glenbrook for Day Out with Thomas

14 March 2020

Ww 480 pulls out the two first-class carriages for a charter, to be added to the end of the empty service

14 March 2020

With DBR 1295 on the rear at present, the two empty trains pass each other

14 March 2020

Up at Glenbrook, De 507 waits to pull 6 of the 14 carriages on the train into the loop, for Ww 480 to take later

14 March 2020

Now with De 507 out of the way, Ww 480 works hard pushing the rest of the train onto the platform at Glenbrook, with DBR 1295 in the middle

14 March 2020

Ww 480's steam catches the morning sun as it shunts the carriages into Glenbrook

14 March 2020

With just the two first-class carriages in tow, Ww 480 departs Glenbrook with a GPT charter

14 March 2020

With no passengers on board, DFB 7023 leads the Northern Explorer consist through Pukekohe on a repositioning run, although still running as train 201. The Northern Explorer, Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine were suspended from today due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Government's request for reduced domestic travel, and the Northern Explorer is being relocated to Wellington for storage

23 March 2020

At Otahuhu, the new track layout is almost complete, providing access to three platforms at the station

1 June 2020

On the other side of the overbridge, tamping work is still yet to be done

1 June 2020

On the last weekend at full speed before all trains through Auckland are restricted to 40km/h, ADL 802 passes through Paerata at line speed on its way to Papakura

15 August 2020

ADL 802 passes through Paerata en route to Papakura, two days before all trains are limited in speed

15 August 2020

DC 4444 on the last leg of its last journey in New Zealand, with DL 9256 providing the power

22 September 2020

Just south of the old Westfield station, the new track leading to the third platform at Otahuhu station leaves the Down Main

26 September 2020

Crawling past the old Westfield station, AM 659 makes a run from Britomart to Papakura via Panmure. The Southern Line is deviated via Panmure for four weeks while track replacement work is under way

26 September 2020

DFB 7173 leads an empty train 200 out of Papakura, repositioning the train for 201 the following day. This is the first Northern Explorer service since late March, with the service being suspended just prior to Alert Level 4, and re-launch put on hold with Auckland's second lockdown

7 October 2020

On its first revenue service since late March, DFB 7173 leads train 201, the southbound Northern Explorer, across Spartan Road. The train is only able to operate at Alert Level 1, and its relaunch was pushed back during Auckland's second lockdown

8 October 2020

With a short train 228 in tow, DL 9193 and DL 9187 roll into Westfield yard

22 October 2020

AM 321 leads AM 661 out of Otahuhu on a Southern Line run to Britomart. With the Southern Line south of Homai closed at present, these trains are terminating at Manukau instead

22 October 2020

Coming to the end of the 11-day Grand North Island Rail Tour, DBR 1254 pulls into its last stop at Pukekohe to let passengers off before returning to Glenbrook empty

22 October 2020

Passengers disembark at Pukekohe station at the end of the tour. The trip was the first GVR trip to be crewed by a GVR LE (north of Ohakune), the first outing of AG 49 for the GVR, and the first GVR excursion since lockdown began

22 October 2020

DBR 1254 stops at Pukekohe station next to parked ADLs

22 October 2020

DBR 1254 departs Pukekohe empty to head back to Glenbrook and Pukeoware. Behind the DBR, AG 49 leads the carriages on its first outing for the GVR, in fresh yellow paint

22 October 2020

Stabled at Pukekohe for the day, DBR 1254 sits coupled to AG 49, ADL 806 and ADL 807. The unusual train departs early in the morning to bring back two non-functional ADLs back to Pukekohe for storage

7 December 2020

DBR 1254 stabled in Pukekohe, with ADL 806 and ADL 807. These two ADLs are going along for the ride for braking purposes

7 December 2020

A new addition to the GVR fleet, AG 49 shines in its new yellow coat of paint. The van is leased from KiwiRail, and for this train conveys crew

7 December 2020

The unusual visitor to the Pukekohe stabling yard is greeted by ADL 810 in the background

7 December 2020

Standing in for De 507 which in turn stood in for Ww 480, DBR 1254 leads the regular GVR train on the return run underneath Shakespeare Road

2 January 2021

Having escaped from Wairarapa Line passenger services, DFB 7010 leads train 200, the Northern Explorer, out of Pukekohe as a shower passes over

17 January 2021

With a shortened 3-car set in tow, DFB 7077 leads a Te Huia training run into Papakura, unusually running during the morning peak

9 February 2021

With a new Te Huia logo on the nose in place of the usual KiwiRail logo, DFB 7077 rolls into Papakura station with a Te Huia training run. The timing suggests a timing run, although would have been behind schedule due to worn track between here and Pukekohe

9 February 2021

ADL 804 and ADL 803 stored in the yard at Pukekohe, both of which have had parts removed to keep the rest of the fleet operational

14 February 2021

After dropping off a load of sleepers south of here, DL 9613 runs around its empty work train at Pukekohe before returning to Te Rapa

14 February 2021

DL 9613 reverses onto the work train at Pukekohe

14 February 2021

DL 9613 briefly stops before coupling onto the plough van

14 February 2021

Now departing Pukekohe, DL 9613 brings the empty work train home

14 February 2021

Seen from Cape Hill Road, ADL 805 runs a Pukekohe shuttle service towards Pukekohe. The line is the last to be affected by the urgent track replacement programme; all other lines north of Papakura are now running at normal speeds

1 March 2021

DFB 7077 sits at Papakura shortly before departure to Frankton on a test run. The Te Huia services have been doing trial runs close to the actual timetable in recent weeks

24 March 2021

Over Easter weekend at Pukekohe, the old footbridge at the southern end of the station was removed. This bridge provided access to the western side of the station before the current bridge was installed

3 April 2021

A crane prepares to lift the middle section of the bridge onto a truck. The bridge was originally built as a temporary structure, and is being removed to make way for redevelopment of Pukekohe station for electrification

3 April 2021

Workers in cherry pickers attach strops to the bridge

3 April 2021

Later in the day, the centre section of the bridge sits on a truck waiting to be taken away

3 April 2021

As rain sets in for the evening, DFB 7077 leads empty train 103 through Papatoetoe to Papakura, where passengers are picked up

20 April 2021

DFB 7295 leads train 102, the second morning Te Huia service, into Papakura. The service is quite possibly the most punctional rail service in the country, seen here arriving 5 minutes ahead of schedule, a frequent occurence

6 May 2021

DFB 7295 leads the four-car train into Papakura ahead of schedule

6 May 2021

On its first revenue run with Te Huia, DFB 7335 passes through Pukekohe with train 103, on its way back to Hamilton

14 May 2021

A bit more variety in the yard at Pukeoware as ADL 803 and ADL 804 have recently arrived, being moved to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway for storage. (Site accessed with permission)

16 May 2021

With engines missing from their usual location, ADL 804 rests in the sun at Pukeoware. Parts of the engine are now stored in the passenger area of the DMU. (Site accessed with permission)

16 May 2021