Train #2 - Kingston Flyer Steam Train

Today is a long drive from Queenstown to Luxmore or Te Anau. It is a scenic drive past glacial lakes, between mountains, across fertile plains, and through farming areas. As we pass from the Central Otago wine region to the Southland, the density of sheep in paddocks and on hillsides rises dramatically. There are also deer farms and cattle farms.

Those little white specs at the top of the mountain are snow. We also saw them along the highest sections of the Remarkables Range which is on our side of this lake. Incredibly, there are palm trees growing in abundance along the shore of this lake.

The highlight of the day, however, is over an extended lunch hour in the small village of Kingston at the south end of Lake Wakatipu, the same huge lake that is in Queenstown. That is where we catch the Kingston Flyer.

We begin the short 14 kilometer run through farm pastures and paddocks and in between small mountains to Fairlight.

At Fairlight, they disconnect the engine, and combination coal/water car in order to get it on the other side of the train for the return trip. They do not have a turntable here. Instead, they use a 'Y' set of track where the engine continues on until it crosses a spur. It reverses onto the spur until it reaches another spur track. Having reversed onto the new spur track, it moves forward merging with the main line where it then reverses and connects with the other end of the passenger carraiges.

It is still reversing to reach the second spur track.

Now moving forward on the second spur track.

And finally reconnected to the other end of the train for the return trip to Kingston.

Billowing smoke on the return ride.

The workyard with the turntable in center-right in the picture.

More carriages.

Back in Kingston.

Taking on water. 

Loading coal.

Maneuvering the locomotive onto the turntable and changing its direction of travel.

Our last stop of the day is to view an endangered bird, the takahe.