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| TranzAlpine, New Zealand train trip, 1 of 3 (1286985) | |||
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TranzAlpine, New Zealand train trip, 1 of 3 |
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Posted by Dave on Tue Apr 22 22:09:20 2014 The TranzAlpine is a passenger train operated by KiwiRail Scenic Journeys in the South Island of New Zealand, often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes. We took a bus ride up the Southern Alps to board the train at Arthur's Pass and rode it down to Rollerston, were we boarded the bus to head back to the cruise ship.Sailing into Akaroa harbor at sunup is magnificent:   The bus ride up to Arthur's pass takes about four hours and we pass through towns we'll see again on the train ride back down the mountain. Guess what small town we passed through?  And guess what the fine folk of Springfield erected in the center of town? Didn't see a Lard Lad, though. After a stop for lunch at a farm we continued up the mountains to Arthur's Pass. We drive through breathtaking scenery, which we'll see again on the train ride back down the mountain:  The sky really is that blue. There is no air pollution here and it's some of the purest air on the planet.  Typical crossing sign:  And typical signals along the route:  Does this look familiar to you? Some of the scenes in the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey were filmed here:  And after about another hour of driving we arrive at Arthur's Pass, where we board the train. I rode in the open viewing platform, which became crowded with passengers:  Motive power is New Zealand DC class locomotives, the most common class of diesel-electric main-line locomotive on the New Zealand rail network, operated by KiwiRail primarily on freight trains, but also on long-distance KiwiRail Scenic passenger trains. On to Part 2! |
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