The 'New Plymouth Express' & Milk Trains Threading Through Aramoho

We see four trains weaving their way through Aramoho Junction on the Marton - New Plymouth Line in New Zealand.
The first movement is Train EO2 hauled by DFB 7010 and is an excursion train named "The New Plymouth Express". The excursion was organised by the Fielding & District SteamRail Society and required the chartering of KiwiRail's Capital Connection set. The excursion had just departed East Town after loading some passengers there.
The second movement is Train 545 which consists of eight empty milk wagons being conveyed by DL 9665 from Whareroa to Palmerston North.
The third movement is Train 544 which is a loaded milk train being hauled by DL's 9538 & 9043. Just ahead of the train is the climb up the 1/35 (2.86) Westmere Bank, where the eight 70 tonne milk wagons are near the limit for a single 3600Hp DL class loco.
The forth movement is the excursion train returning as Train EO3. When we first saw this excursion, it was raining and it was breezy; but at dusk, the weather had had become pleasant.
Dominating the background is the derelect 1926 Kempthorne Prosser & Co Aramoho Chemical Works which was mostly closed in the late 1980's. In the distant we can see the Whanganui River Railway Bridge which is Bridge Number 25 on the Marton - New Plymouth Line. Aramoho (opened 1877) is the Junction with the Whanganui Town Branch and was once a busy railway location with a large passenger station supported by signal boxes and goods handling facilities. In 2022 the yard still has two sidings in situ; one that leads to the local KiwiRail Network maintenance depot and another that leads to the Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-operative depot: But this private siding no longer receives wagons from KiwiRail. (A further pair of abandoned sidings still lead through to the old Fertiliser Works)
The KiwiRail DL class was manufactured by CRRC Dalian 中车大连机车车辆有限公司 with engines from MTU (Motoren- und Turbinen-Union). Introduced from 2010 onwards, they are the most powerful diesel-electric locos in service in New Zealand (3,600 hp). The class represents the first order for a Chinese-built locomotive from a western country. The 9000 series allocation was chosen for this class of locomotive as the number 9 represents longevity and good luck in Chinese culture. There are 63 of the class in service in 2022.
DFB 7010 is from a class of 30 diesel-electric locomotives built by General Motors Diesel of Canada between 1979 and 1981. The Capital Connection train is from a batch of British Rail Mark 2 carriages built by British Rail Engineering Limited in the early 1970s. 150 of these cars were sold second hand to New Zealand and this set in the video were put onto the Palmerston North - Wellington run in 1999.

[@peterscandlyn]

Nice work there, thank you.

[@LyfovRyan51]

A great day out. Thank you Feilding Steam Railway.

[@MarkSeconi]

You were quick!

[@tonymckeage1028]

Great Video, thanks for sharing