AB608 Passchendaele and The 2026 Daffodil Express

On the 13th of September 2026, The Glenbrook Vintage Railway and Steam Incorporated joined forces for a rail tour around the North Island. One of these excursions that is part of the tour was the very popular Daffodil Express excursion which happens every September. This excursion goes from Wellington - Carterton, a small side trip to Masterton for loco servicing and turning and heading back home the same way. This 'version' of the Daffodil Express is a record breaker, with 17 cars in the consist and the AB doing most of the work southbound. If you compare the Daffodil Express excursions of 2023 with 16 cars and 2024 with 15, this certainly holds the the record of the longest Daffodil Express excursion of the 21st century so far. And it's absurd that a solo leading AB can pull all that weight. The locos were none other than steam loco AB608 Passchendaele owned by Steam Inc and Glenbrook Vintage Railway's DC4818 and DBR1254. These two diesels were used for the run through the Māoribank and Remutaka tunnels due to smoke restrictions from the AB. Final footage credit at Ava: ‪@mightyV444‬ Music Credits: Aiyo:    • On My Way   ©TheKiwiLinesider2026