Introducing New Zealand Railways Passenger Services

Introducing New Zealand Railways passenger services

This undated folded A4 colour leaflet appears to have been published in 1985 given the descriptions of services (recently refurbished 56ft car for the Wellington-Gisborne express, which appeared late 1984, but the Wellington-Masterton-Palmerston North train was operating, but was cancelled in 1988).  It was aimed at overseas visitors. Note the exchange rate of NZ$1.65 to A$1, which made New Zealand a cheap visit for some!

It covers all long distance services, stating the highlights are the Silverfern, the interisland ferry (branded Searail by this time), the Wellington-Gisborne express and the Christchurch-Greymouth express.  It also notes some key coach services.

It notes the Silverfern and newer coaches are air-conditioned, but interestingly explains that New Zealand's climate does not require air conditioning, but are still very comfortable.  It also highlights the Arahura as the latest ferry, being its flagship.

The onboard service on all trains is described, highlighting the morning and afternoon teas on the Silverfern with a stop for lunch at Taihape.  The Northerner depicts photos of the "day cars" and a woman sleeping on a pillow for sleepers.  The buffet car food is described as being "filled rolls, sandwiches, pies, sausage rolls" with tea, coffee and fruit juice, and liquor. 

The Christchurch-Picton and Wellington-Gisborne expresses are described with wall-to-wall carpet, fluorescent lighting and wool covered seats, and although without buffet cars, there are refreshment stops. The Christchurch-Greymouth express is described as being similar to the Picton-Christchurch express, and the Southerner with a buffet car serving snacks. Auckland and Wellington local services are briefly mentioned, along with services between Wellington and the Wairarapa, which do not have reserved seats.

Fare discounts are described.

A page on NZR Road Services summarises services, with a fleet of over 400 coaches, many of which are air-conditioned Volvos with reclining seats and stereo system. Organised tours, day trips and excursions are also mentioned.  A separate page depicts NZR Road Services "Thrifty Tours" being NZR managed organised tour services.

NZR Travelpass (allowing unlimited travel within a set period by rail, road and sea) is promoted. 

A stylised map is depicted on the other side, which unfortunately my scanner won't scan in one document.  The map depicts the rail and coach network connected by ferries. Notably it indicates that A$1 = NZ$1.65 which is a remarkable difference in currency values at the time (supporting it being dated around 1985 following devaluation in 1984 and subsequent floating of the NZ dollar).

Finally there is a description of facilities on the ferries Arahura and Aratika (the only passenger ferries at the time).

Introduction to New Zealand Railways Passenger Services

Silverfern, Northerner, Christchurch-Picton Express, Wellington-Gisborne Express

Southerner, Christchurch-Greymouth Express, Other rail services

Road Services

Thrifty Tours

Travelpass

North Island map and fares

South Island map

Searail

Tours for specialist groups

Rail ferry sailings

Take the Miners' Train to Rewanui!

 

take the miners' train to Rewanui

Black gold, location, something special

Map of Rewanui

Map of Rewanui

Rewanui was a small town built around the Liverpool State Coal Mine, but its significance in railway terms is that Rewanui had no road access. The Rewanui Branch line, from Runanga to Rewanui was built to service the mine and opened in 1914 and closed in 1985 when the mine closed. The line was 13km long and throughout its existence had a mix of coal trains, and passenger train services to take miners to and from the mines, and to enable those who worked (and in earlier days lived) in Rewanui to access the locality.

The line through the steam period used a Fell centre track to assist with braking, but was diesel operated from 1969.  The line also had a cycle track parallel to the railway for miners who were not working at times that coincided with scheduled train services.

This leaflet comes from 1983, when the Rewanui Branch still had regular passenger trains, with the timetable for tourists listed here as departing Greymouth's Riverside Station (now gone, but separate from the main station) at 12.30pm weekdays, arriving in Rewanui at 1.28pm.  The leaflet suggests visitors spend 47 minutes exploring Rewanui, specifically the mine-buildings, the bath-house (!), conveyor belts and coal bins, or undertake a bush walk before catching the return trip of the train at 2.15pm to arrive in Greymouth at 3.05pm.  Friday had a shorter schedule with only 17 minutes.

The train trip itself was scenic up the valley to Rewanui, but the rolling stock was old, consisting of 50ft steel-panelled 1930-1937 era rolling stock.  

It is understandable that the Railways Corporation tried to encourage tourists to ride the route to supplement miners' patronage, but in November 1984 the line was found to be unsafe and trains were cancelled. Occasional freight trains operated on the line until May 1985, hauling coal from neighbouring private coal mines. 

The line closed primarily because the Liverpool State Coal Mine closed, and the traffic from neighbouring mines was insufficient to justify the line remaining open.  The Rapahoe Branch (which continued pass Runanga until the junction with the Rewanui Branch) remains open to this day for occasional coal traffic.

Coast to Coast - Railways poetically promotes the Trans-Alpine route before the Train-Alpine Express

 

Coast to Coast A scenic rail adventure

The alpine route of the pioneers

Across the plains to Springfield - a quiet introduction to adventure

Enter the 'Giant's Backyard'

Christchurch-Greymouth route map

A new world of contrast

Otira - gateway to Westland

History unfolds before your eyes

In 1983, the Railways Corporation published this leaflet to promote the Christchurch-Greymouth Express, and it used the dramatic, almost poetic style than many of the promotional leaflets had at the time.  It contrasts with the more functional shorter promotional leaflet seen below, in colour, published the following year.

The 1983 leaflet contains multiple references and a few images of the railway experience at the time, which consisted of Ac Class converted 88-seat Fiat railcars hauled by DJ class locomotive. Describing the train as "the coaches of the Greymouth train show few outward signs of wear from the journey for which they are now veterans...". "Inside a carpeted floor welcomes the traveller to reclining, well-padded seats which offer comfort and quiet relaxation for the four-hour fifty-five minute journey" ,with an image of the Ac cars at Christchurch's previous railway station (Moorhouse Avenue).

The whole leaflet is worth a read for imagery such as "A small dog dashes up to the yard fence bordering the railway line, ears flapping, loudly barking his daily, unanswered challenge to the train".

Besides describing scenery, it clearly separates the journey into segments from Christchurch to Springfield, Springfield to Otira and Otira to Greymouth. 

It has a drawn depiction of the now long closed Springfield refreshment rooms (closed once the TranzAlpine was introduced with on-board buffet). It notes "Wise travellers stock up with canned drinks and edibles here... the next refreshment stop is at Otira, two hours away... and there's some hard climbing ahead". Not that the passengers are having to make much effort!

It notably depicts the architecture of tiny Craigieburn station, and the larger Arthur's Pass reminiscent of a Swiss alpine design.  Beyond Cass it notes "pas the remains of old tank locomotives, red with rust, half-buried in the shingle at the trackside. Relics of the age of steam, they continue to serve the railway providing bulwarks against the erosion of valley walls". 

The Otira Tunnel is described (now a century old), along with a "timely refreshment stop at Otira station" to the West Coast greenery. Curiously it depicts Stillwater Junction station saying "passengers for Westport change here" although there had been no passenger rail service to Westport at the time (or since 1967), but it may have been meaning coach service. 

The second leaflet is not without its charm, with colour imagery, and an edited version of the description in the above leaflet. Both indicate a time when there was some effort given to romanticise a trip which today is much more wildly popular internationally, and operated by a modern air-conditioned train with buffet service, but which at the time was seen as having that sort of potential.  It's remarkable to think that at the time of these leaflets the train service was seen as having poor patronage and was uneconomic, and was largely retained because of the precariousness of SH73 over Arthur's Pass as a route for road coaches.  Most of its patronage were locals travelling between the West Coast and Canterbury. The transformation into the TranzAlpine Express was a success simply not foreseen by Railways Corporation management at the time.

Coast to coast a scenic adventure by rail from Christchurch to Greymouth

The alpine route of the pioneers

Description of the route

Description of the route

Kingston Flyer - relocated to Southland

Vintage Tourist Train 1981/1982

1981/1982 Kingston Flyer timetable

Enjoy the Foveaux Walk or the Glory Track-Bluff

Name, Locomotive, Carriages and Refreshment Carriage

Shopping

The Kingston Flyer was an express train from Invercargill to Kingston, at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu which operated from the 1890s until 1957, although from 1937 until 1957 it largely operated only during holiday seasons. It was revived by the Railways Department in 1971 as a tourist operation, so that NZR still had its own operating steam train. It was introduced alongside the more general upgrade of major long-distance passenger trains such as the Southerner and the Silverstar. It is a remarkable case of the Railways Department catering for a purely tourist joyride rather than transport, and it is the only train from the 1970s which remains in service.

The restored vintage Kingston Flyer operated from Lumsden to Kingston over summer seasons, with one of the trains carrying freight largely destined for Queenstown and local farms.  A flood in 1979 saw part of the line badly damaged, and as local freight traffic had largely disappeared when the distance limit of road freight competition was increased from 40 miles to 150km in 1978, it was decided to relocate the Kington Flyer to Invercargill.  This leaflet promotes the Kingston Flyer services between Invercargill and Bluff and Invercargill and Wairio for 1981 and 1982. Neither line had any regular passenger service at the time. The Bluff Branch having lost passenger services in 1967.

The holiday services from Invercargill were of local interest and of interest to rail enthusiasts, not least because passenger services on those lines were unusual, but it was clear that it was not able to attract the level of tourist interest as the train had at Kingston (given Kingston's proximity to Queenstown). 

In 1982 the Kingston Flyer was relocated back to Kingston, shortly before the Mossburn Branch was closed (due to the end of major freight traffic on the line), as it enabled the train to be taken to Lumsden by  rail. The Kingston Flyer restarted from Kingston, but only to Fairlight.  That is the extent of the line to this day, although the tourist service has had a varied history ever since. NZRC sold it in 1984 and it was bought back by NZ Rail Ltd in 1992 it was ultimately sold by Toll Rail in 2003 and is now a separate private operation.  

The description of the service is that it had capacity of 165 passengers, it describes some features of carriages being authentic, but the seating is foam-padded vinyl.  It is noted that embossed ornamental ceilings and gaslights are not strictly authentic.  The refreshment carriage was apparently built for Cabinet Ministers to travel on the "main trunk" (presumably North Island?).  It has seating for 46 with a buffet counter.  Liquor listed is bourbon, bacardi, brandy, gin, sherries, scotch, vodka, ales and lagers, as well as lemonade, Coca Cola and other soft drinks.  Souvenir matches are available and a range of gifts such as bottle openers, cuff links, key rings, pennants, playing cards, postcards, shoulder badges, teaspoons and t-shirts. A commemorative tie-clip featuring an Ab class locomotive. Food appears to be limited to confectionary, peanuts, potato chips and there are, of course, cigarettes. 

Today's Kingston Flyer is available here.

South Island Main Trunk Railway - NZR publicises the route of the Southerner

 

Route of the "Southerner" (1980 leaflet)

New Zealand's First Main Line

Route map Christchurch-Oamaru

Route map Moeraki-Invercargill

South Island Main Trunk Railway.

New Zealand's First Main Line.

Map Christchurch-Oamaru

Map Dunedin-Invercargill

In 1980, the Railways Department published the first leaflet shown above, about what was then called the South Island Main Trunk line (now more usually called the Main South Line), for passengers riding the Southerner. Notwithstanding that the line was clearly one of the less scenic of the main passenger routes, it was see to be worth promoting to encourage patronage on the Southerner.  The most scenic part of the route was from Oamaru to Dunedin.

The stylised image of the passengers on the Southerner on the front cover reflects a different age, with the history of the line being a focus of the first leaflet. The very first trains took a day and half to make the trip although the leaflet notes the first through train service took 14 hours and 40 minutes (from 1904), with service in 1980 taking 10 hours.  The train itself is noted as having "smart roomy cars" with large windows (which is hardly the case), wall to wall carpet, fluorescent lighting and "oil-fired heaters".  Noting the buffet car and the hostess service to help the "elderly and the infirm".  The longest bridge noted is over the Rakaia River, but beyond that a list of bridges is provided and noting all tunnels are between Oamaru and Mosgiel. 

The map and photos of locations in the first leaflet is more detailed than the second one, with depictions of lines to Picton, Lyttelton, Greymouth, Kurow (closed in 1983), Makareao, Cromwell, Bluff, Mossburn and Wairio, as well as numerous stations along the route that the train did not stop at. The second leaflet is much more simplified with only the main line and the stops for the train highlighted. 

By 1983 the Railways Corporation had decided it was preferable to depict an actual train window (with the winding opening mechanism) through to a scene, presumably of the Southern Alps.  The history is largely unaltered from the earlier leaflet, but a picture of what was the then current Southerner train near Dunedin is included, with DJ class locomotive, four passenger cars, a buffet car, baggage/guards van and Fasttrak parcels Z car.  The earlier leaflet only had some drawings of then Christchurch and Dunedin stations, Moeraki boulders and a "Maori chief" (though there is no direct reference to Maori in the leaflet).

Ultimately the Southerner would prove not to be a train with high levels of overseas tourist patronage by the 1990s and NZ Rail did not promote the line as a scenic trip for fairly obvious reasons that most of the line was fairly unremarkable. However, on balance the earlier leaflet is more informative and visually appealing than the second one, although the latter appears to have focused on possible attractions in towns along the way more than the earlier leaflet.

Bay Express - Hawke's Bay's last passenger rail service

 

Bay Express on-board leaflet

Tranz Scenic ad on the back of the leaflet

Bay Express Wine Experience package tours

Bay Express leaflet 1990 description of service and route

Bay Express leaflet 1990 description of route

The peak of Hawke's Bay passenger rail service was the Endeavour from 1972 until 1981, using refurbished 56ft first class cars in a 2-1 configuration with a full buffet car, similar to the Southerner.  The Wellington-Napier route had a service with wide comfortable reclining seats, and a sit-down full cooked meal service, giving Hawke's Bay the most comfortable regional rail service in New Zealand for decades, not to be rivalled until the most recent years of the TranzAlpine.  However, the Silverfern accident near Waiouru in 1981 saw the end of that, with withdrawal of the train to temporarily replace the badly damaged railcar from Wellington to Auckland. Hawke's Bay spent eight years with a much more austere rail service. 

From much more basically appointed 56ft cars with suburban style (old 2nd class) bench seats, to the 88-seat "grassgrub" de-engined AC class cars until metal fatigue rendered them unsafe, to modestly refurbished 56ft cars with coach type seating, none of the Wellington-Gisborne express consists would have any on-board service at all. It was the introduction of the Bay Express in 1989 that uplifted Hawke's Bay rail services to a decent level of comfort, with on-board buffet (ending the Palmerston North refreshment stop), wide scenic windows and seating competitive with coaches.  Of course the Napier-Gisborne segment, hastily added in 1981 to save on rolling stock (replacing the separate Napier-Gisborne service) was cancelled permanently in 1988 following Cyclone Bola closing the line to Gisborne, noting that patronage from Napier-Gisborne only occasionally exceeded the capacity of a bus.

The Bay Express from 1989 couldn't replicate the Endeavour because that configuration was no longer economic. A 2-1 seating layout reduced capacity by a quarter, so a more standard 2-2 configuration meant that each car could at least be about the accommodation of a road coach (notwithstanding the 56ft cars weighed three times as much), and a fully dedicated buffet car could never generate enough revenue to pay for the cost of staffing, equipping and maintaining it, and the fuel to haul it, with a train of that capacity, so a buffet bar/servery in part of a car was a reasonable compromise.  The Bay Express had many of the features of the TranzAlpine and Coastal Pacific expresses, as the NZ Rail Intercity business sought to make the route viable, it was definitely an uplift of service standards to stem and reverse the decline in patronage seen from 1981 to 1989.

The first leaflet is from 2001 in the final months of the service, the second is a 1990 publicity leaflet highlighting the service from its early days.

The Bay Express part of this leaflet has a short description of the route and a map depicting it, although not all of the towns highlighted on the route map were not stops for the train (e.g., Waipawa). Travel time was 5hrs 22min northbound and 5hrs 31min southbound.  A photo of the train on the Paremata Bridge showing the standard three-car consist is included, although often the train only operated with two cars (its final trip had five).  However, by the time of the last service, it was averaging around 45 passengers each way (although that included passengers who only travelled a portion of the route). As a result, TranzRail did not sell the service as part of the TranzScenic business at the time, and unlike the Southerner, there was no interest by the Government of the day in considering whether to subsidise the service for its tourism potential.

There is very little information about the train in the 2001 leaflet, which had on board a cafe/rear observation car.  It may be reflective of the paucity of interest by TranzRail in the TranzScenic business by 2001. 

This is a stark contrast to the second leaflet above, from 1990, shortly after the service was introduced (as a major upgrade to the austere Wellington-Napier express). The leaflet shows the full timetable with all stops, promotes visiting Hawke's Bay for wine tours, describes the onboard comfort, including Devonshire Tea from the buffet, and the observation lounge at the rear.  The stylised map includes depiction of the viaducts on the line, and a brief description of Wellington, Hastings and Napier as destinations (apologies to Palmerston North surely!). Finally a brief history of the route, describing how the service originally took over 11 hours with two changes of train. It is clear in 1990 that NZ Rail, having resuscitated long-distance services under the Intercity brand and refurbished a train to be competitive, was proud of what it had done, and was making an effort to promote the service to travellers.  

I rode the Bay Express multiple times when I lived in Wellington to visit my parents retired in Napier, so I used it regularly to spend weekends, although it meant taking a Friday off to travel and spending the Sunday afternoon returning (or sometimes taking the Monday off as well). It was always a comfortable, albeit relatively slow trip.