Daylight Limited
Encyclopedia
The Daylight Limited was an express passenger train between Auckland
and Wellington
, New Zealand
along the North Island Main Trunk. It commenced in 1925 and was replaced by the Scenic Daylight
in 1963.
in 1924, the New Zealand Railways Department
investigated the possibility of a daylight train between Wellington and Auckland. It was introduced on a trial basis in 1925-26, but was then cancelled until another trial in 1929-30. The economic impact of the Great Depression
intervened and the service was cut back to operating solely during the Christmas and Easter peak seasons.
and sometimes WAB class
steam locomotive
s operated the train, and later more modern locomotives such as the KA class
were used, with ED
and EW
electric locomotives between Wellington
and Paekakariki
from 1940.
The train made extended stops at Mercer, Frankton
, Taumarunui
and Marton
for refreshments: Marton refreshment rooms closed in 1954 and Mercer in 1958.
operating year-round.
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
along the North Island Main Trunk. It commenced in 1925 and was replaced by the Scenic Daylight
Scenic Daylight
The Scenic Daylight was a short-lived daytime express train in New Zealand that operated between Auckland and Wellington along the North Island Main Trunk Railway...
in 1963.
Introduction
After the introduction of the Night LimitedNight Limited
The Night Limited was an express passenger train that operated in New Zealand between Wellington and Auckland, utilising the entire length of the North Island Main Trunk...
in 1924, the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
investigated the possibility of a daylight train between Wellington and Auckland. It was introduced on a trial basis in 1925-26, but was then cancelled until another trial in 1929-30. The economic impact of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
intervened and the service was cut back to operating solely during the Christmas and Easter peak seasons.
Operation
In the off-peak season the Night Limited catered for passenger demand between Auckland and Wellington, but at the times of the most intense demand extra trains ran. In the early years of the service, ABNZR Ab class
The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North...
and sometimes WAB class
NZR Wab class
The WAB class locomotives were steam locomotives designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways Department. Their wheel arrangement is described by the Whyte notation 4-6-4T. The locomotives were designed by NZR chief draughtsman S.H. Jenkinson as tank versions of the AB class 4-6-2 Pacific...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s operated the train, and later more modern locomotives such as the KA class
NZR Ka class
The NZR KA class of 1939 was a class of mixed traffic 4-8-4 steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's railway network. They were built after the success of the K class to meet the increasing traffic demands of the New Zealand Railways Department...
were used, with ED
NZR ED class
The NZR ED class locomotive was a class of electric locomotive used in Wellington, New Zealand. They were built by English Electric and New Zealand Railways between 1938 and 1940, and hauled mainly passenger trains on the Wellington region's 1500 V DC electrification, and banked freight trains on...
and EW
NZR EW class
The NZR EW class locomotive was a class of electric locomotive used in Wellington, New Zealand. The classification 'EW' was due to their being electric locomotives allocated to Wellington.- Introduction :...
electric locomotives between Wellington
Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. In terms of number of services and in passenger numbers, it is New Zealand's busiest railway station.-Development:...
and Paekakariki
Paekakariki
Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. It is 22 km north of Porirua and 45 km north-east of Wellington, the nation's capital city....
from 1940.
The train made extended stops at Mercer, Frankton
Frankton, Waikato
Frankton is a central suburb of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the site of the city's passenger railway station, a major industrial-commercial stretch of State Highway 1, and a commercial shopping area.- Tornado :...
, Taumarunui
Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
and Marton
Marton, New Zealand
Marton is the hub of the Rangitikei district of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is situated 35 kilometres southeast of Wanganui and 40 kilometres northwest of Palmerston North. The population was 4752 .-History:...
for refreshments: Marton refreshment rooms closed in 1954 and Mercer in 1958.
Replacement
In 1963 the train was replaced by the diesel-hauled Scenic DaylightScenic Daylight
The Scenic Daylight was a short-lived daytime express train in New Zealand that operated between Auckland and Wellington along the North Island Main Trunk Railway...
operating year-round.