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Experts and web conferences
Meet Ian
Ian is a locomotive engineer for KiwiRail. He drives trains, and has done for over 40 years!
Web conferences
The following questions from schools were answered by Ian in web conference 1:
- How did you learn to be a train driver?
- What is the best thing about your job?
- Who keeps the track safe?
- Who checks the train is safe?
- Does the snow affect the train?
- Could you explain the difference between a viaduct and a bridge?
- How many deaths were there while the Otira tunnel was under construction? The cause of most deaths?
- What is the steepest gradient within the Otira tunnel and the highest point?
- Using today's technology, how much quicker do you think the Otira tunnel might have been completed in?
- Have any earthquakes damaged the internal structure of the Otira tunnel?
The following questions from schools were answered by Ian in web conference 2:
- How do you build and test a New Zealand diesel train and what materials are involved?
- How do you get trains onto a track after they are built and how do you get them off if they need a repair?
- What is the speed of a train at a crossing and is there any way to tell it is coming other than the lights or barrier arms?
- What is the weight of an average train and how strong does a bridge need to be to handle a train?
- How does wild weather like earthquakes, lightning, and floods affect trains and tracks?
- How does a train balance on a train track and how do they stay and move along on them?
- Is there a gear system and how does it and the brakes work?
Other TranzAlpine rail experts
Meet Stuart
Stuart is a structures inspector for KiwiRail. He is part of a team that makes sure the tunnels, bridges, and viaducts trains travel through and over are maintained to a safe standard.
Meet Bruce
Bruce is a track inspector for KiwiRail. This is a critical role that helps to ensure trains and those on board are kept safe while traveling around the rail network.
