On 4 February 1995, Train F04 was a non-scheduled service conveying passengers from the Wellington area to Featherston for the Martinborough Fair. At 0958 hours, about 3 km into the 8.8 km tunnel, the crew noticed an engine fire on the locomotive. The Locomotive Engineer elected to shut the engine down once the train was in a position to coast clear of the tunnel. None of the crew or passengers was injured. Safety issues identified were a replacement regime for fuel header lines, and emergency response plans for the Rimutaka Tunnel.
