Final Days of the SAs

DC 4375 waits at Papakura to run a Southern Line service to Britomart

2 June 2015

DC 4375 departs with a roar, a sound that will soon no longer be heard around Auckland

2 June 2015

DC 4260, the last locomotive to enter SA service, arrives at Papakura on a run to Britomart

2 June 2015

A change of drivers as DC 4260 waits to depart

2 June 2015

SD 5811 leads its train into Papakura station. The SA sets were introduced as a stopgap measure in 2004, in response to growing patronage on the rail network. The push-pull concept was new to New Zealand at the time

2 June 2015

DC 4254 departs Puhinui past new shelter works

2 June 2015

DC 4254 roars off towards Papatoetoe

2 June 2015

DCP 4818 picks up passengers at Puhinui on its way south

2 June 2015

As a thunderstorm rolls in over Auckland, DCP 4945 pushes a load of passengers to Pukekohe. The locomotive is one of five DC class rebuilt from the DA class at Hutt Workshops, all of which are now in SA service

2 June 2015

Facing backwards, DC 4035 leads a service to Britomart, stopping at Puhinui en route. DC 4035 was one of the first locomotives to enter SA service in 2004, alongside DC 4415

9 June 2015

DC 4951 at Britomart waiting to run a southbound service

18 June 2015

DC 4536 stops at Papakura on its way to Britomart

18 June 2015

Three SA sets have been stored at Taumarunui owing to a lack of space in Auckland. SD 3197's set is one of the sets in storage here

18 June 2015

SA 3212 and SD 5883 stored at Taumarunui

18 June 2015

SA 3185 and SD 5761 coupled at Taumarunui

18 June 2015

SA 3195 at the end of the rake of stored SAs

18 June 2015

Stored SA sets under the cover of darkness at Taumarunui

21 June 2015

DC 4536 stands next to the Pukekohe station building before running the final service out of Pukekohe for the night

22 June 2015

Prototype SD 3197 leading the set, before being wrapped

Photo by Aaron Wong

29 June 2015

DFB 7158 passes Taumarunui at speed with the Northbound Northern Explorer

Photo by Aaron Wong

30 June 2015

Shrink wrapping in progress

Photo by Aaron Wong

30 June 2015

This is the same shrink wrap process used for buildings under construction. It uses an LPG powered heat gun to shrink the wrap around the vehicles.

Photo by Aaron Wong

30 June 2015

DC 4916 runs the last SA service on the Southern Line of the day, stopping beside motorway traffic at Ellerslie

1 July 2015

SD 5626 arriving at Homai in the counterpeak direction

3 July 2015

SD 5626 in the morning sun arriving at Homai

3 July 2015

SD 6166 arrives at Homai just after peak

3 July 2015

DC 4260 pushing its train away from Homai. The locomotive is the only one of its class in the original KiwiRail livery, and one of four KiwiRail liveried locomotives in SA service

3 July 2015

SD 5811 arriving at Homai

3 July 2015

DCP 4663, one of three DCP class locomotives in SA service, stopping at Puhinui on a citybound service

3 July 2015

DCP 4663 gets under way with a sound soon not to be heard across Auckland

3 July 2015

DC 4104 stops at Papakura in the rain after dark on its way to Pukekohe

3 July 2015

DC 4415 slows down to stop at Penrose on a trip south

13 July 2015

DC 4248 departs Grafton on an early morning run to Swanson

15 July 2015

SD 5993 stops at Grafton on its way west

15 July 2015

SD 5675 climbs from Grafton past Mt Eden Prison

15 July 2015

DC 4104 powers the set out of Grafton

15 July 2015

SD 5624 arrives on another westbound service

15 July 2015

DCP 4818 provides the power as the set enters Grafton

15 July 2015

DCP 4945 descends out of Grafton with a six-car SA

15 July 2015

The lengthy train descends the grade from Grafton

15 July 2015

On the last day of SA service in the electrified area, DC 4035 waits at Britomart to run to Papakura

17 July 2015

DC 4035 just prior to departure, on the last day of diesel suburban services in Britomart

17 July 2015

DCP 4818 propels a set down the grade into Britomart

17 July 2015

DC 4375 enters the Britomart tunnel

17 July 2015

DC 4093 stops to let a new AM class EMU past

17 July 2015

The old and the new meet as DC 4093 waits for an unidentified AM

17 July 2015

DC 4104 waits to run a service to Waitakere, on the last day of rail services to that station

17 July 2015

DC 4444, the most well known loco in the AT fleet, waits at Britomart to run south

17 July 2015