DFM 7226 descends grade into Waitakere working train 126 to Whangarei. The train has just passed through the first of 13 tunnels on the rustic 200 Km long line in rugged terrain. With light traffic the future of the line is uncertain.
Trains on 3' 6" (1.067m) track from Whangarei to Bluff with virtually heritage rebuilt EMD and GE locomotives still the mainstay power. The network was privatized in 1990's and operated by Toll until 2008 when state owned KiwiRail was established.