After almost four years of an absence of steam in Auckland, New Zealand, the 30th of June 2022 marked a new era for both rail preservation and the Glenbrook Vintage Railway.

The locomotive hauling this train was ex-New Zealand Railways "Ww" class locomotive no. 644, a small 4-6-4T tank locomotive primarily used on the West Coast of the South Island in their later years. The locomotive has been undergoing an extensive overhaul and boiler replacement in the past 4 years, and is in the testing stage of it. Ww644 has not run on the mainline for 52 years, since when it was delivered to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway.

The test train consisted of Ww644, two 56ft (A and AG) carriages, and DBR1254. The plan was to originally run down to Mercer, head back up to Papakura, and then back to Glenbrook. However, due to logistics and operational issues, the train ran to Whangamarino, and skipped the Papakura leg altogether, instead heading straight back to Glenbrook.

Enjoy!

свернуть