849 departs Arthurs Pass station after doing a crew change. Its about to go down the 8.5km long Otira tunnel on its way to the west coast for another load of coal.
Trains on 3' 6" (1.067m) track from Whangarei to Bluff with virtually heritage rebuilt EMD and GE locomotives still the mainstay power. The network was privatized in 1990's and operated by Toll until 2008 when state owned KiwiRail was established.