page_title: Midland Line, New Zealand
section_title: Motive power
hierarchical_section_title: Midland Line, New Zealand / Motive power
caption_attribution_description: For three days last week we were completely isolated here in Greymouth. All the passes in and out were closed, the midland line was buried in snow and the airports were closed. Here’s one of my favourite shots of the snowfall, one of the midland line engines being used as a snow plough. Credit to my friend Colleen and driver Mike Kilsby of Otira for the shot.
context_page_description: The Midland line is a 212km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel. It is the route of the popular TranzAlpine passenger train.
context_section_description: The line was unique in New Zealand for its captive use of many different types of locomotives. These locomotives include the Kᴮ class locomotives between Arthur's Pass and Springfield, once the second most powerful steam locomotives in New Zealand (after the short-lived Garratt G class). The class were made famous by a documentary named "Kᴮ country", a term that has entered into New Zealand railfan jargon. The Garratt G class, by then rebuilt as 'Pacific' type locomotives were also used on this route.
  To house the larger and more numerous locomotives, Elmer Lane shed opened at Greymouth in 1928. Then the largest roundhouse in the country, its 70 ft (21 m) turntable replaced an earlier 50 ft (15 m) turntable.
  The Otira tunnel was electrified 1923–1997, and two classes of electric locomotives were used – the English Electric EO class and then the New Zealand EA class locomotive. Some members of the EW class and ED class electric locomotives were also used.
  Diesel traction was introduced to the line in 1968 with the arrival of the DJ class, which until the transfer of DC class locomotives in the early 1980s from the North Island was the dominant motive power on the line. Increasing volumes of coal traffic led to the introduction of the DX class, a number specially modified for use in the Otira Tunnel.
caption: Two DX class locomotives on the Midland line, being used as a snow plough in 2011.
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