Whangarei Trip
On the 7th and 8th of October I went trainspotting around the Whangarei area.
We left home around 11:30ish and to start off we headed off to Kawakawa. So I could get the vintage railway on film. Unfortunately it was raining so hard the train didn’t even end up running. So we decided to go straight to Whangarei. We got into Whangarei just after 14:00. When we got to Whangarei the rain had pretty much stopped. So I decided to go and film Train L1D (Kauri to Whangarei) with DC4790 on the head. I filmed it in Mair. DC4790 was running longhood with 6 container wagons. After that we checked in at the motel we were staying in. But suddenly out of nowhere DC4790 started heading north towards the Kauri Dairy Factory again. I got out of the motel immediately and crossed the road to get to the railway tracks at Kamo Road. If we weren’t staying at a motel right next to the railway tracks I would have missed the train! So along came DC4790 with Train L1E (Whangarei to Kauri) which barely ever runs. We decided to chase it up the line to the Kauri Dairy Factory. There is pretty much only one spot to film at there and that is at Saleyards Road Level Crossing with Western Cullan Hayes E-Bells and Western Cullan Hayes LED Lights. We always beat the train to Kauri as the line speed for the NAL which stands for North Auckland Line (Auckland to Moerewa) is 25 - 40 kilometres an hour. The line is so slow as it is well over 100 years old. So we usually get to Kauri about 5 - 8 minutes before the train does. And eventually the train showed up at the dairy factory within about 8 minutes. The train had to stop halfway over the Level Crossing because at the front of the train the shunter had to switch the points. After a minute or two the train got going again and off it went into the dairy factory siding. As I finished filming that train we headed all the way south past Whangarei to Mangapai to catch DFB7322, DFB7282 on Train 129 (Whangarei to Auckland). By now the rain was going so hard it nearly blew the umbrella away. I was quite happy with my shot of the DFB’s. So I decided to chase it a little further south to Waiotira (also known as where the old Dargaville Line branched off). We were waiting for Train 129 in the car for a good 25 minutes. Eventually as it got closer I got out of the car and setup my position for my camera and tripod. Train 129 passed us at a speed of probably 25 kmph and it slowly started to notch down until it started appling the brakes. And then it stopped… I soon realised that the train had stopped so the shunter could vape out the window. After about 5 minutes the train departed Waiotira at about 17:05 for Auckland. And that was the end of trainspotting for Thursday.
On Friday morning at about 8:30 we got out of the hotel to film Train L1A (Whangarei to Kauri) with DC4790 in the lead. I filmed it on the other side of the road of the Kamo Golf Course. Train L1A was just Light Loco as I expected it to be. I also chased it up to the Kauri Dairy Factory at Saleyards Road Level Crossing. After that I headed out to Otangarei, Whangarei to film to DC4790 on Train L1B (Kauri to Whangarei). And also as expected it was a loaded container train. After that we decided to get burger king for lunch while we waited for the next train. The next train due was Train L1C with the same locomotive which is DC4790. So I stood ready for the train to come through. Usually I don’t get out of the car till the train is only 3 minutes away. However the train caught me by surprise as I heard it’s horn tooting at the crossing about a km away. I shot out of the car, setup my tripod, setup my camera, and got my phone ready to take photos. Train L1C was just Light Loco which I kinda expected. I also chased the train out to Kauri but this time I filmed at a different spot. I filmed right beside the road just before going under the railway bridge so I could get a good zooming and panning shot. After that I waited at Saleyards Road Level Crossing until it came out of the dairy factory with more container wagons. Which it did within 10 minutes. As I was waiting for the train I saw some headlight and ditch lights through the trees. That was when I pressed the record button on my camera as the train came rolling around the corner with container wagons. The train stopped just beyond the points. So the shunter which was at the back of the train could switch the points. Then the train reversed onto the mainline so the shunter could get into the locomotive. The train then departed Kauri for Whangarei with Train L1D. After that I chased the train out to the Kamo Golf Course and took photos of it there. After that I headed out to Oakleigh which is south of Whangarei. The reason I went out that way was so I could film DFB7282, DFB7322, and DCP4663 on Train 120 (Auckland to Whangarei). DCP4663 is the last North Island MAXX Blue DC. The other MAXX Blue DC is in the South Island and that is DC4951 which I have also seen on Kauri, Hautapu, and Waitoa Shunts. So after I filmed Train 120 at Oakleigh I decided to chase Train 120 up to Whangarei at Kioreroa Road. Train 120 was running well over 2 hours late. It was meant to arrive in Whangarei at 12:42 however it arrived just after 15:00. However 120’s locomotives did not stay long in Whangarei at all. DFB7322, DCP4663 departed Whangarei with Train 129 (Whangarei to Auckland) at about 15:55. I also filmed Train 129 at Kioreroa Road as it left. I also chased it down the line to Oakeigh to get another shot of the DCP on Train 129. After I saw Train 129 again at Oakleigh we started to head north back home. However on the way back we stopped in at Port Whangarei to film Train L1F after that I chased it back to Whangarei Yards and got another shot of it. I then headed home. This trip was very succesful.
