Night Limited
Encyclopedia
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. It commenced service in 1924 and was replaced by the Silver Star in 1971 and supplemented by the Northerner
Express in 1975.
steam locomotive
s were employed to haul the service, and this factor combined with the reduced stops allowed the reduction in travel time to just over 14 hours.
-era economy measure and not re-introduced to the North Island
during the Night Limited's time. Passengers could purchase refreshments at stops along the journey.
During the 1950s, demand began to significantly decline as competition from aeroplanes and the private car increased. Business travellers increasingly opted for other options, although the schedule was steadily improved to 13.5 hours each way and diesel haulage introduced in the 1960s.
Motive power in the days of steam was typically the most powerful and efficient locomotives available. AB class locomotives were superseded by members of classes such as the J
, K
, and KA
. After the end of steam, diesel-electric motive power was typically provided by members of the DA class
.
began investigating the introduction of an upmarket overnight service in 1968 to recapture some of the patronage it had lost. This service, named the Silver Star, was introduced in September 1971 and replaced the Night Limited. An unnamed ordinary express continued to operate nightly between Auckland and Wellington, providing transport for less than the Silver Star's premium fares and stopping at more stations. In November 1975 this express was renovated and re-introduced as the Northerner, withdrawn in 2004.
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
that operated in 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...
between 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...
and Auckland
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...
, utilising the entire length of the North Island Main Trunk. It commenced service in 1924 and was replaced by the Silver Star in 1971 and supplemented by the Northerner
Northerner (train)
The Northerner was an overnight passenger train between Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand. Originally numbered 227 southbound and 626 northbound, it replaced the unnamed and less revered ordinary express trains supplementing the luxurious Silver Star , which had replaced the Night Limited in...
Express in 1975.
Introduction
When the North Island Main Trunk Railway was completed in 1908, services between Auckland and Wellington were slow and tedious, taking two days to complete the journey. The first expresses ran in February 1909 and took approximately 18 hours from end to end. The Night Limited was introduced in 1924 to provide a quicker service. Its name stemmed from the fact it ran overnight and had limited stops. AB classNZR 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...
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 were employed to haul the service, and this factor combined with the reduced stops allowed the reduction in travel time to just over 14 hours.
Operation
The Night Limited's heyday was in the 1930s, when multiple extra services had to be run at the peak Christmas and Easter holiday periods to cater for the traffic volume. Accommodation on board was primarily seated, although first class sleeping cars were utilised. The sleeping cars had sixteen two-person cabins reached by a corridor along one side of the carriage. Dining cars were never used on the Night Limited as they had been withdrawn as a World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
-era economy measure and not re-introduced to the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
during the Night Limited's time. Passengers could purchase refreshments at stops along the journey.
During the 1950s, demand began to significantly decline as competition from aeroplanes and the private car increased. Business travellers increasingly opted for other options, although the schedule was steadily improved to 13.5 hours each way and diesel haulage introduced in the 1960s.
Motive power in the days of steam was typically the most powerful and efficient locomotives available. AB class locomotives were superseded by members of classes such as the J
NZR J class (1939)
The NZR J class steam locomotives were a class of locomotive used in New Zealand. Following the success of the K class on NZR main lines, there was an urgent need for a modern, powerful locomotive capable of running over secondary lines laid with lighter rails. Thus a new "Mountain" 4-8-2 type...
, K
NZR K class (1932)
The NZR K class of 1932 was a class of mixed traffic 4-8-4 steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's railway network. The locomotives were developed following the failure of the G class Garratts...
, and KA
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...
. After the end of steam, diesel-electric motive power was typically provided by members of the DA class
NZR DA class
The NZR Da diesel-electric mainline locomotive class ran on the New Zealand railway system between 1955 and 1989. With 146 locomotives, it was the most numerous class to operate in New Zealand, just five more than the AB class steam locomotive....
.
Replacement
The New Zealand Railways DepartmentNew 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...
began investigating the introduction of an upmarket overnight service in 1968 to recapture some of the patronage it had lost. This service, named the Silver Star, was introduced in September 1971 and replaced the Night Limited. An unnamed ordinary express continued to operate nightly between Auckland and Wellington, providing transport for less than the Silver Star's premium fares and stopping at more stations. In November 1975 this express was renovated and re-introduced as the Northerner, withdrawn in 2004.