Mountain Thunder

At Longburn, DA 1431 leads DA 1410 with 13 Steam Inc carriages in tow. The train is presently conveying passengers who boarded between Paekakariki and Palmerston North

6 August 2022

As the day begins, the pair of DAs roar into Palmerston North

6 August 2022

At Palmerston North, DBR 1254 and the GVR mainline carriages were added, to make a massive train with 19 carriages and an AG van. Seen here through Bunnythorpe, DBR 1254, DA 1431 and DA 1410 make easy work of the massive passenger train

6 August 2022

DBR 1254, with KiwiRail crew at the helm, leads the pair of DAs through Bunnythorpe

6 August 2022

At Feilding, the train stopped for passengers and for a crew change. From here to Raurimu and back, the train is crewed by GVR personnel

6 August 2022

DBR 1254, DA 1431 and DA 1410 make plenty of noise as the train gets under way from Feilding

6 August 2022

On the climb to Greatford, the locomotives work hard to get their long and heavy train up the hill

6 August 2022

The locomotive trio climb towards Greatford and Marton, briefly turning south before heading north again

6 August 2022

After passing through Marton, the train heads across Porewa Road before crossing train 391T

6 August 2022

The length of the train is apparent here as DBR 1254 and the two DAs lead the train out of Marton

6 August 2022

Heading along straight track at Silverhope, the train heads north on its way to Raurimu

6 August 2022

In this view, the relation between the DBR and DA classes is clear, with similar long hood shapes. Behind the locomotives, the 20-total train stretches out along the straight track

6 August 2022

A close up view of DBR 1254 as it passes through Silverhope

6 August 2022

Heading onto the Makohine viaduct, the train slows down to give the passengers a better view. Crew on all locomotives sounded the locomotive horns across the viaduct, as railfans at ground level watched on

6 August 2022

DBR 1254, DA 1431 and DA 1410 stand high above the ground as the train crosses the Makohine viaduct

6 August 2022

Steam Inc's carriages roll across the bridge one by one, behind the three locomotives

6 August 2022

Taking up the rear of the train, the yellow GVR mainline fleet stands out against the sky, with AG 49 taking up the rear of the train

6 August 2022

At Makatote, the train crosses State Highway 1, the only location on the NIMT where the road does so at a level crossing

6 August 2022

DBR 1254 leads DA 1431 and DA 1410, all in power as the train passes around the curves at Makatote

6 August 2022

Running as train B04, DBR 1254 leads the lengthy train underneath a road overpass at Makatote

6 August 2022

At Taihape, the train was put into the loop to wait for train 234S to overtake

6 August 2022

At the head of train 234S, DL 9607 and DL 9164 rest at the platform while the LE chats to the crew of train B04 and grabs a coffee

6 August 2022

DL 9607 and DL 9164 get under way with train 234S from Taihape, while train B04 sits in the yard

6 August 2022

The tail end of train 234S passes the three locomotives waiting to depart

6 August 2022

Ahead of Mountain Thunder, train 234S breaks the silence in its own way, as DL 9607 and DL 9164 cross the Hautapu River

6 August 2022

After a photo run on the Turangarere horseshoe, DBR 1254 leads the train north again through Hihitahi

6 August 2022

The three locomotives pass over a short road overpass just off State Highway 1 as the train nears Waiouru

6 August 2022

DBR 1254 and the pair of DAs roar into the distance as the long train heads north

6 August 2022

Train B04 crests the grade approaching Waiouru, the highest station on the New Zealand rail network

6 August 2022

With snow-covered Mt Ruapehu in the background, DBR 1254 approaches Waiouru for a passenger stop

6 August 2022

The train heads towards Mt Ruapehu just before stopping at Waiouru

6 August 2022

AG 19 brings up the rear of the train as it heads towards Mt Ruapehu and Waiouru

6 August 2022

After the last passenger stop, DBR 1254 leads the train up the grade towards the State Highway 49 level crossing at Tangiwai

6 August 2022

Pulling the train up the grade, DBR 1254 gleams as it leads the train through Tangiwai. DBR 1254's headstock got a fresh coat of paint for the excursion

6 August 2022

After passing through National Park, train B04 approaches the top of the Raurimu Spiral

6 August 2022

At the bottom of the Raurimu Spiral, train B04 takes the loop at Raurimu station. Here, the locomotives will run around the train and DA 1410 will lead all the way back to Paekakariki

6 August 2022

The trio pull into the loop at Raurimu, before running around the train

6 August 2022

Now at their final destination, DBR 1254, DA 1431 and DA 1410 enter the loop

6 August 2022

After running around and departing Raurimu, DA 1410 leads the train as it heads out of the lower runnel of the Raurimu Spiral

6 August 2022

DA 1410 and DA 1431 exit the lower tunnel of the Raurimu Spiral and into the upper tunnel. The NIMT was once the domain of the DA class, before the introduction of the DX and later the EF classes

6 August 2022

DA 1410, DA 1431 and DBR 1254 work hard to lift their train up the 1 in 50 grade of the Raurimu Spiral, with the DAs now heading back home to Paekakariki and DBR 1254 heading to Palmerston North

6 August 2022