Wairarapa Mail
The Wairarapa Mail was a passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) between Wellington and Woodville, continuing on to Palmerston North as a mixed train. It ran from 1909 until 1948 and its route included the famous and arduous Rimutaka Incline.
Introduction
From the 1897 completion of the
Operation
After the WMR was acquired, most of NZR's long-distance trains used the WMR's
The Wairarapa Mail was hauled by a diverse range of motive power. Until
Dramatic changes took place in the later half of the 1930s. In 1936, railcars of the RM class Wairarapa type were introduced on the Wellington to Woodville route, and their ability to run over the Rimutaka Incline at speed allowed a quicker timetable.[5] The railcars became quite popular, but the Mail continued to run daily, and in 1937, the Wellington railway station was opened, replacing the Thorndon and Lambton Quay termini and allowing the Mail to operate from the same station as the other mainline expresses. The timetable in 1939 allowed for a 7:50 am departure from Wellington for the northbound service, reaching Masterton at 11:17 am and Woodville at 1:22 pm before progressing on as part of a mixed train to Palmerston North, arriving at 2:53 pm. The southbound service left Woodville at 12:13 pm after the arrival of a mixed that had left Palmerston North at 11:04 am, and it passed through Masterton at 1:59 pm before terminating in Wellington at 5:44 pm. Allowances were made for refreshment stops in Masterton and Woodville as the Mail was never fitted with dining cars.[6]
Demise
The Wairarapa Mail's demise was primarily due to the introduction of the railcars and would have likely come about sooner were it not for the traffic boom associated with
After the Wairarapa Mail
Despite the Mail's demise, carriage trains were sometimes operated to cater for demand at holiday times,
References
- ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, pp. 161, 166.
- ^ a b Mahoney 1987, p. 83.
- ^ Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 81.
- ^ a b Mahoney 1987, p. 81.
- ^ a b c Churchman & Hurst 2001, p. 161.
- ^ Mahoney 1987, p. 86.
- ^ Mahoney 1987, p. 85.
Bibliography
- Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. ISBN 0-908876-20-3.
- Mahoney, J. D. (1987) [1982]. Kings of the Iron Road: Steam Passenger Trains of New Zealand. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press. ISBN 0-908564-90-2.