I'm a little fascinated by steam trains even though I don't know a whole lot about them. What I do know is that they're a 'relic' from the past, they puff out a lot of smoke (even the smell of which is somewhat novel), they make a lot of noise and they're fun to travel in.

In the mid-1990s the steam train used to travel from Christchurch up to Arthurs Pass one Sunday a month during the winter. (It may still do today. I hope it does.) At that time of the year there would be a reasonable chance of snow on the ground at some point on the trip. I think there's something special, even 'magical', about a steam train travelling through snow-covered countryside, particularly the rather scenic route into the Southern Alps.

The train would actually stop about three times once it was getting up into the hills to allow people to disembark and take pictures. It would then back up a couple of kilometres (or whatever) before proceeding to 'charge' towards everyone, making for great video footage as well as the still shots seen here - the 6th and 7th photos below. I got to travel on the steam train to Arthurs Pass twice in the mid-90s when I was living in Christchurch.

- Malcolm Sparrow

Above: Early July 1995 after a big snowfall. This locomotive appears to be the Mainline Steam Trust's J1211, nicknamed 'Gloria'. It's a magnificent looking train. I've only just obtained this information (within the past few hours) by 'surfing the net' and coming up with a few New Zealand steam train websites. See lower down this page.

Below: July 1996. This one looks like the Mainline Steam Trust's Ka942. On a sunny winter's day there's nothing quite like a ride on the train (especially the steam variety) through snow-covered South Island countryside!