Northern Explorer from Wellington passes a mural near Puhinui depicting a tank engine and old Papatoetoe station. The subject station has been restored and is 2 Km ahead. DC class was rebuilt from Da class introduced from 1955.
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.