The Connoisseur - first class rail tours as part of scheduled services

 

New Zealand by Train with Globetrotter Tours

The Connoisseur timetable

Alongside the restructuring, upgrading (and downgrading) of Railways Corporation long-distance passenger trains in 1988, was also allowing a private tour company to refurbish a single carriage to a higher standard of comfort and lease it for attaching to scheduled rail services in the South Island.

It had larger windows than seen on 56ft carriages to date (but this would soon been corrected on Coastal Pacific and Trans Alpine in coming years), sheepskin seat covers and reclining seats with much more legroom (with lower density seating, as it was essentially refurbished versions of the first set of Southerner cars, which were themselves former first class seats). Stereo system with headsets airline style.  Light meals and refreshments served at the seat.

The leaflet publicises a series of organised tours that incorporate the rail service and highlights the onboard meal service for each tour. Although they were organised tours, the car was towed as part of the scheduled services (met by coaches).

The Wikipedia article on the Connoisseur car is a good history of the service, which essentially got superseded by upgrades to the TranzAlpine and TranzCoastal trains, although NZ Rail did essentially takeover the Connoisseur service for several years before abandoning it around 1993.

It may be fair to say the current standard of service is somewhat between that of the 1990s Intercity and Connoisseur branded rail services, but a wider question would be how amenable Kiwirail might be today in letting a private operator provide a more upmarket service attached to its existing long-distance passenger services.