Northerner promotional leaflets

 

Northerner leaflet May 1983

Northerner leaflet May 1983

Northerner leaflet February 1984

Northerner leaflet February 1984

Northerner leaflet c.1990

Northerner leaflet c. 1990

Northerner leaflet c.1990

Northerner leaflet c.1990

There isn't much to spot the difference between the 1983 and 1984 editions of the NZR publicity leaflet for the Northerner overnight passenger service.  They both note the same information:

• Book tickets at Railways or NZR Road Services travel offices, Government Tourist Bureaus or Rail Travel Agencies up to six months ahead of travel
• Baggage can be left at the Guard's Van or the baggage counter for checking in up to 15 minutes before departure and claims at the Guard's Van
• "Day Cars" (always an odd name for seated cars on an overnight train) have curtains and reclining armchair style seats. Sleeping cars are two-berth with "convenient facilities for washing, shaving, applying cosmetics" (this meant a vanity unit, mirror and electric socket for shavers), with a steward.  Pressure-ventilation and "when necessary" steam-heating is provided (steam heating was notoriously unreliable). 
• The "licensed buffet car" serves ales and miniature bottles of spirits up until 10.15pm for consumption in the buffet car only (this is before wine was important in NZ). It describes the food as an "excellent and varied selection of light food and beverages" with  "breakfast" which may be purchased in the morning.  This actually meant pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches and fruit cake, with cereals, coffee, tea and toast in the morning.
• Finally, the poetic description of the journey which was a feature of similar leaflets at the time with "some unusual sunset and sunrise lighting effects may be viewed", "many travellers are irresistibly locked into the changing landscape, particularly on nights when the moonlight is strong". "As curtains are pulled and personal lights switched on your car comes alive with congenial conversation" (bad luck if you want to sleep).  "Predictably, as the hour nears bedtime, voices become subdued and for most folk darkness and the hypnotic rhythm of the train brings and easy and restful sleep" (most??). "As morning light feeds through your curtains you know that someone else has done the driving and you are breaking into another day at your destination". 
• The timetable indicated a 13hour (and five minutes northbound) journey time, with many stops at smaller locations like Mangapehi and Paekakariki.

By 1990, however, a lot had changed, as subsidies for long-distance passenger trains had ended, and along with that so had the buffet car and the sleeping cars. It was now "catch a bargain" as it was targeted towards budget travel. It included a summary of the history and engineering feats of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, even though the travel times meant no passengers would ever get to see most of what was described (and the recent electrification was not mentioned at all). 

The timetable was tighter, with 11.5 hours northbound and 11hrs 15minutes southbound meaning later departures (just eat dinner before you board the train!), and with fewer stops.

There was a buffet, but it was a takeaway shop with refreshments available "throughout the night". No great description of seating, because the 2-1 old first class configuration was replaced with a reclining 2-2 configuration like second class intercity services in other countries.  It was noted that main carriage lights are switched off at 10pm and that noise and movement should be minimised after that (no poetic belief in people becoming subdued), with notice that radios and tape recorders (no CDs assumed yet, let alone mobile phones) should be used with earphones (and a reminder nobody could consume alcohol either).

Finally, a notable feature was the seating in the buffet car (which had a servery at one end, but was mostly seats), included a video. This played in the evenings with speakers, and whilst was a trend at the time, was also hardly conducive to restful travel (but I did experience it, twice, when travelling on the Northerner in 1990). 

Although the new Northerner was without sleeping cars or more luxurious seats, it did have three advantages over the old service, it was faster, it had more reliable heating and it was, at the time, commercially viable.