A New Era - DL Locomotives on the North Auckland Line

On Friday the 27th of January 2023, two of KiwiRail's DL locomotives led a revenue earning train up the North Auckland Line for the first time.
The DL locomotives have been undergoing clearance testing for the past few months, and in this video were brought up on train 120 for driver training in Whangarei. The locomotives were supposed to return the following Tuesday, but did not due to the line being closed from bad flooding.
In this video we chase KiwiRail's train 120 from Sturges Road to Makarau, with 2 DL and 2 DFB locomotives on the head, making for a rare quadruple header train.
Enjoy!

[@tom-cx5vd6lo7j]

It's good to see the DL locomotives come to whangarei before cyclone Gabrielle hit. Regards Tom in onerahi/whangarei.

[@anthony851]

The weather hadn't got any better when we caught it at Mangapai and arriving at Whangarei, where we had the luxury of being on the platform under the canopy.
Anthony

[@alanmcgunnigle4186]

I see they are still stuck in Whangarei along with the two Dfb's

[@aadildokrat3656]

Yesterday the weather is very bad in the North Island

[@mrpachino6014]

God the DLs are boring locomotives. Keep the DFBs thanks....heaps more fun to watch and more personality.

[@a.rentertainment2232]

I wish there was a passenger train on the line too

[@IxtimmiboRT1427]

Same

[@RollestonRails]

DAMIT why do they have to ruin all the lines in the north island that was the age haven for the Dfbs 😢

[@RollestonRails]

@Hamish Channel no they not they are decent and have you not seen videos or photos of the trains they pull in south land or Otago

[@RollestonRails]

@Hamish Channel bro they are not bad and have had a better mechanical life compared to the DLs as the first generation ones still have problems and they are boring in the north as that’s it while here in the south I see Dxc Dxb Dxr Dfb Dft Dc Dcp and don’t forget about the Dfm

[@RollestonRails]

@Hamish Channel I have visited Wellington and they just seem boring also the were fast built

[@RollestonRails]

@Hamish Channel also we’re going to be getting new replacements

[@SpottingWithSam]

@Hamish Channel Yes

[@marcmear8462]

Live up here in Whangarei take those chinese junk locomotives back down South all these Cana8

[@marcmear8462]

Touchy phone meant to say all Canadian and U.S built locomotives are superior in every way DFB are busy learning their keep same thing for DX class just ask the engineers who operate them china is a third world country that only knows how to produce garbage worst part Is these white elephants are purchased by another third world country called New Zealand

[@pebbles3842]

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