Wairarapa Connection
Encyclopedia
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The Wairarapa Connection is an interurban railway passenger commuter service in New Zealand
, between Masterton
in the Wairarapa
and Wellington
, on the Wairarapa Line
. It is run by Wellington suburban operator Tranz Metro
and is not considered to be a long-distance passenger service, unlike Tranz Scenic
's similar Capital Connection between Wellington
and Palmerston North
.
s were used between Masterton and Wellington. They had replaced the steam
-hauled mixed train
s and Wairarapa class
railcar
s in 1955, when the Rimutaka Tunnel
opened and the line became the first fully dieselised line in New Zealand. Also before the Wairarapa Connection, the Wairarapa Mail
carriage train ran between Wellington and Woodville until 1948.
In 1964, the demand between Masterton and Wellington was exceeding the capacity of the 88-seater railcars - the maximum capacity on each service was 176 with two railcars. The solution was to introduce a diesel-hauled carriage service.
s from the South Island
were transferred north and fitted with Webasto kerosene-burning heaters for the service. They seated 336 on two-person bench-type Scarrett seats: class A passenger cars seated 56 and AL car-vans (with luggage compartment) seated 47.
In 1976 three more As and an AL were added, later joined by another A and AL, all thoroughly overhauled. They were fitted with fluorescent strip lighting similar to Northerner
and Endeavour
cars, and painted in a new, brighter shade of red, with white roofs as opposed to the standard silver oxide.
One AL was thoroughly refurbished with 46 seats to a design created by Addington Workshops
staff for use on the Picton Express
and West Coast Express
, and was put on the service between Napier
and Gisborne
that connected with the Endeavour
. The second AL followed, although it did not join the Gisborne expresses. In 1985, the third AL became part of a promotional New Zealand Police train, then a non-revenue vehicle and finally, in 1993, an air-conditioned 49-seat car for the North Island Main Trunk Northerner and Overlander. The last three cars, each with only one toilet and Scarrett seats for 59, joined the Gisborne-Napier service, but returned to the Masterton route following the redeployment of rolling stock in the wake of a Silver Fern
railcar derailment in 1981 and the decision to run the Endeavour as a through service between Wellington and Gisborne, once daily each way simultaneously, in 1984.
Of the second six cars, the first AL also joined the Picton and Greymouth runs in 1982-83. In 1991 one car was thoroughly overhauled and refurbished with 50 Addington-built seats arranged in bays of four, alcove-style (like the cars on the re-introduced Southerner of 1988, but they had sheepskin wool seat covers) for the reinstated and revitalised Palmerston North
Capital Connection long-distance commuter train. In 1992, one car was rebuilt into a 32-seat servery car, similar to the Southerner servery cars, including alcove seating but with seats of a much more recent design. The other three cars remained on the Wairarapa services.
In the early 1980s, with the refurbishment of the Picton and Greymouth services and the decision to utilise the former Endeavour carriages on new Gisborne-Wellington services, former 88-seater
railcars, painted a distinctive green and nicknamed "Grass Grubs", were introduced to the Wairarapa service. These vehicles proved to be far superior in passenger comfort, so much so that seats from decommissioned 88-seaters were installed in the Silver Fern railcars.
However, the underframes were not designed to be towed in the long term and they deteriorated rapidly, bringing about their demise. The introduction of the EM class electric multiple unit
s to the Wellington suburban system meant 11 NZR 56-foot carriage
s became available, and the cancellation of the unnamed daylight successor to the New Plymouth Night Express
that ran between New Plymouth
and Taumaranui freed more. A wooden 50-foot Z bogie box wagon was refitted with bogies that enabled it to run at passenger-train speed and was painted the same shade of bright red as the cars it accompanied. In the style of the new Fastrak and Northtrak express parcels logos that emphasised the new approach and priority of parcels traffic, the wagon had a logo known as Waitrak, hinting at its being dedicated to Wairarapa services.
In 1989, with the introduction of the Bay Express between Wellington and Napier, the three remaining Endeavour
cars, of which two were ALs, became redundant, so the 54-seat A car and one 46-seat AL were assigned to Wairarapa services. With the streamlining of Greymouth expresses into one out-and-back operation, one Picton car became surplus to requirements and joined the Masterton fleet. In early 1991, the former 54-seat Endeavour car was rebuilt as a "big window" rear-view observation car for the TranzAlpine
Express, the successor to the West Coast Express. In the same year, the former Picton/Greymouth car was refurbished similarly to Southerner cars with alcove seating, and the former Endeavour AL was refurbished with the same seating arrangement for the Capital Connection. Both cars retained their Addington-built seats, which had minor modifications made to them to increase comfort.
At the end of that year work had begun on rebuilding one car as the first air-conditioned "big window" rear-view observation car for the "new" Northerner/Overlander.
In 1993, after the successful re-introduction and rebranding of the Capital Connection service, a similar refurbishment and rebranding programme was initiated for the 16 Wairarapa carriages and, though only 12 were actually overhauled. This programme lasted four years, until 1997. Six A cars and three of four ALs were thoroughly overhauled and refurbished with a new-style seats, the same as those in the third NIMT servery car and the new air-conditioned "big window" trainsets being assembled at that time. These vehicles were fitted with cloth on the interior walls to reduce noise and were fully carpeted. A cars seated 59, as one toilet from each car was removed to increase seating capacity
, while ALs seated 46. The other two A cars and the remaining AL were overhauled but retained their Scarrett seats, reupholstered with cloth material.
The overhauls saw the introduction of the new InterCity Rail blue livery, with a 220-mm white stripe and 100-mm green band inside it running the length of each car, with "Cityrail" emblazoned on both ends of each car. In 1995, as an interim measure leading up to the phasing in of the new all-over Cato blue livery of the new Tranz Rail
corporate image, a light blue 350-mm full-length stripe was introduced, and a new name for Cityrail: Tranz Metro
. From the beginning of the refurbishment of the seventh car, the new Cato blue livery was applied, along with the Tranz Metro logo.
Of the four unrefurbished cars, two were repainted and operated in the Capital Connection until that train was re-equipped with ex-British Rail Mark 2
stock.
One car, after being outshopped in early 1994 following its refurbishment, served on the Bay Express for a while. In 1995 two of the four ALs were equipped with generators similar to those installed in power-baggage vans utilised by long-distance passenger trains, making them power-luggage vans. In 2002 one car was refurbished for the Wairarapa but retained original seating, albeit reupholstered. In 2003 the other car was rebuilt and refurbished for use as a "small window" air-conditioned car for the NIMT passenger trains. A third car was stripped to the underframe but retained its compartment-dividing walls for profile purposes, while the fourth was scrapped.
From 1999 onward, due to age and related deterioration, gradual withdrawal from service of older carriages occurred, and cars from long-distance Tranz Scenic
services were utilised on the interim. These included two former Auckland charter cars that were refurbished in 1993, which later became "no frills" NIMT passenger cars offering cheaper accommodation, later fitted with air-conditioning. These two cars were then permanently allocated to the Wairarapa runs.
From 1995 until 2001 two former Bay Express cars operated on the Masterton line irregularly.
A former 1988 Southerner car turned NIMT no-frills car, later fitted with air-conditioning, was then permanently allocated to the Wairarapa runs. The sole remaining former single-lavatory first-class car, which served in the 1970 Southerner, 1988 Northerner and, as a "Backpackers" car, the TranzCoastal Express in 1996, was also working this service in 2003. While on the TranzCoastal it was fitted with air-conditioning. This is not the first time this carriage has worked the Wairarapa services: in 1995, while assigned to the NIMT and sporting the InterCity blue with white stripe and green band, it assumed Wairarapa duties for a time with the first car-van to receive a generator.
A former Southerner, Northerner and Lynx Express
carriage also ran on Wairarapa Connection services in 2006.
In 2006 Hillside Engineering
won the contract from the Greater Wellington Regional Council to rebuild 18 former British Rail Mark 2D to Mark 2F 20-metre carriages, to replace the existing fleet. The new cars are classified SW for cars with passenger saloon only, SWS with servery and SWG with luggage compartment and generator for power supply. The S stands for "Scenic Series" and "W" for "Wairarapa", to distinguish them from their Capital Connection counterparts, classified S.
On 11 May 2007 the first four cars entered service, with three more introduced on 18 June 2007 making up a 7-car consist. The remaining 11 cars entered service incrementally by the end of 2007.
The inaugural run of the first four cars was on 14 May 2007, being met by the Minister of Transport, Annette King
, on arrival on Platform 9 Wellington Railway Station
at 9.20am. The service departed Masterton
at 7.30am, and called at Carterton
at 7.48am, Featherston
at 8.09am and Upper Hutt
at 8.32am
The first run in service was on Thursday 18 May on train 1602, departing Wellington
at 8.25am
In early 2007 the longest Wairarapa Connection consist (seven cars and van), which formed the weekdays 6.30am from Masterton and 4.33pm from Wellington, had five cars replaced by ones from the now-disbanded charter fleet so that their Korean bogies can be overhauled and placed under five of the new SW cars. The charter cars run on old NZR Timken
bogies limited to 80 km/h, not the 100 km/h standard carriage train speed.
In September 2007 the eight A and three AL ex Wairarapa Connection cars that had been sent to Dunedin for bogie removal and storage were sold to the Taieri Gorge Railway
, which is refitting them with Timkin bogies reclaimed from their own cars.
s from KiwiRail's fleet. Three locomotives are allocated weekly to the Wairarapa Line, operating the Wairarapa Connection and Masterton-Wellington freight services. The locomotives are usually of the NZR DC class
, although DBR class
, DFT Class
, and DX class
locomotives are also used. DA class
locomotives were used in the past.
Carriages used on the Wairarapa Connection services are of the SW class, rebuilt British Rail Mark 2
carriages introduced in 2007 to replace the previous NZR 56-foot carriage
s that were used since the service's introduction, some of which were 70 years old. Eighteen carriages are used on the service - twelve SW class with 64 seats each, three SWS class with 37 seats and a servery each, and three SWG carriages with 37 seats, luggage compartment and generator. The carriages are formed into three sets, consisting of (from Masterton end of train) an SWG, an SW, an SWS, and then between one and four SW carriages.
, two services operate each way, one in the morning and one in the evening.
The train numbers for the Wairarapa Connection are as follows:
s, where vehicles have ignored warning signals and have been hit by the train. There are 28 public level crossings between the Rimutaka tunnel and Masterton Station, of which three are controlled by alarms and barrier arms, 19 by alarms only, and six by signs only.
On Thursday 23 July 2009, the 5:33pm service to Masterton hit a mudslide blocking the line just north of the Maoribank tunnel near Maymorn. The lead locomotive, DCP 4818, and the first carriage, SWG 3422, derailed
. No major injuries were reported, but the slip and the derailed rolling stock blocked the line, preventing services operating until Sunday evening. The first service through the derailment worksite was Sunday service No1616 to Masterton led by DBR 1200 and DBR 1267.
The Wairarapa Connection is an interurban railway passenger commuter service 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 Masterton
Masterton
Masterton is a large town and local government district in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a region separated from Wellington by the Rimutaka ranges...
in the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
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...
, on the Wairarapa Line
Wairarapa Line
The Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...
. It is run by Wellington suburban operator Tranz Metro
Tranz Metro
Tranz Metro, part of KiwiRail, is the operator of Metlink suburban trains owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council in the Wellington Region of New Zealand....
and is not considered to be a long-distance passenger service, unlike Tranz Scenic
Tranz Scenic
Tranz Scenic is the long-distance passenger train brand of KiwiRail, formed from the New Zealand Railways Corporation InterCity Rail services. Tranz Scenic was renamed along with the other operating divisions of Tranz Rail in 1995...
's similar Capital Connection 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 Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
.
History
Before the Wairarapa Connection, 88 seater railcarNZR RM class (88 seater)
The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, known unofficially as 'articulateds', 'twinsets', 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats'. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains...
s were used between Masterton and Wellington. They had replaced the steam
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...
-hauled mixed train
Mixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
s and Wairarapa class
NZR RM class (Wairarapa)
The NZR RM class Wairarapa railcar was the first truly successful class of railcars to operate on New Zealand's national rail network...
railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s in 1955, when the Rimutaka Tunnel
Rimutaka Tunnel
The Rimutaka Tunnel is a railway tunnel through New Zealand's Rimutaka Ranges, between Maymorn, near Upper Hutt, and Featherston, on the Wairarapa Line.The tunnel, which was opened to traffic on 3 November 1955, is long...
opened and the line became the first fully dieselised line in New Zealand. Also before the Wairarapa Connection, the Wairarapa Mail
Wairarapa Mail
The Wairarapa Mail was a passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between Wellington and Woodville, continuing on to Palmerston North as a mixed train...
carriage train ran between Wellington and Woodville until 1948.
In 1964, the demand between Masterton and Wellington was exceeding the capacity of the 88-seater railcars - the maximum capacity on each service was 176 with two railcars. The solution was to introduce a diesel-hauled carriage service.
Carriage History
In 1964 six NZR 56-foot carriageNZR 56-foot carriage
The NZR 56-foot carriage is a class of 17.07m-long railway passenger car formerly used on almost all long-distance rail transport in New Zealand, and still in service. Some have been preserved.-1927: Prototypes:...
s from the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
were transferred north and fitted with Webasto kerosene-burning heaters for the service. They seated 336 on two-person bench-type Scarrett seats: class A passenger cars seated 56 and AL car-vans (with luggage compartment) seated 47.
In 1976 three more As and an AL were added, later joined by another A and AL, all thoroughly overhauled. They were fitted with fluorescent strip lighting similar to 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...
and Endeavour
Endeavour (train)
The Endeavour was a long-distance passenger train service between Wellington and Napier in the North Island of New Zealand...
cars, and painted in a new, brighter shade of red, with white roofs as opposed to the standard silver oxide.
One AL was thoroughly refurbished with 46 seats to a design created by Addington Workshops
Addington Workshops
The Addington Railway Workshops was a major railway facility established in the Christchurch suburb of Addington in May 1880 by the New Zealand Railways Department. The workshops were previously in Carlyle Street and closed in 1990.-Description:...
staff for use on the Picton Express
Picton Express
The Picton Express was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between Christchurch and Picton. It ran from December 1945 until February 1956, and was thus the shortest-lived provincial express in New Zealand.- Introduction :...
and West Coast Express
West Coast Express
West Coast Express is the interregional commuter railway in British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1995, it links Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, and Port Moody with Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver, where it interchanges with SkyTrain rapid transit, SeaBus and...
, and was put on the service between Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
and Gisborne
Gisborne, New Zealand
-Economy:The harbour was host to many ships in the past and had developed as a river port to provide a more secure location for shipping compared with the open roadstead of Poverty Bay which can be exposed to southerly swells. A meat works was sited beside the harbour and meat and wool was shipped...
that connected with the Endeavour
Endeavour (train)
The Endeavour was a long-distance passenger train service between Wellington and Napier in the North Island of New Zealand...
. The second AL followed, although it did not join the Gisborne expresses. In 1985, the third AL became part of a promotional New Zealand Police train, then a non-revenue vehicle and finally, in 1993, an air-conditioned 49-seat car for the North Island Main Trunk Northerner and Overlander. The last three cars, each with only one toilet and Scarrett seats for 59, joined the Gisborne-Napier service, but returned to the Masterton route following the redeployment of rolling stock in the wake of a Silver Fern
NZR RM class (Silver Fern)
This article is about the New Zealand railcar service and the railcars themselves. For other uses, see Silver Fern .The NZR RM class Silver Fern is a class of railcar in New Zealand. The three air-conditioned and sound-proofed 723-kW 96-seater diesel-electric twin-set railcars were built by...
railcar derailment in 1981 and the decision to run the Endeavour as a through service between Wellington and Gisborne, once daily each way simultaneously, in 1984.
Of the second six cars, the first AL also joined the Picton and Greymouth runs in 1982-83. In 1991 one car was thoroughly overhauled and refurbished with 50 Addington-built seats arranged in bays of four, alcove-style (like the cars on the re-introduced Southerner of 1988, but they had sheepskin wool seat covers) for the reinstated and revitalised Palmerston North
Palmerston North
Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...
Capital Connection long-distance commuter train. In 1992, one car was rebuilt into a 32-seat servery car, similar to the Southerner servery cars, including alcove seating but with seats of a much more recent design. The other three cars remained on the Wairarapa services.
In the early 1980s, with the refurbishment of the Picton and Greymouth services and the decision to utilise the former Endeavour carriages on new Gisborne-Wellington services, former 88-seater
NZR RM class (88 seater)
The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, known unofficially as 'articulateds', 'twinsets', 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats'. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains...
railcars, painted a distinctive green and nicknamed "Grass Grubs", were introduced to the Wairarapa service. These vehicles proved to be far superior in passenger comfort, so much so that seats from decommissioned 88-seaters were installed in the Silver Fern railcars.
However, the underframes were not designed to be towed in the long term and they deteriorated rapidly, bringing about their demise. The introduction of the EM class electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s to the Wellington suburban system meant 11 NZR 56-foot carriage
NZR 56-foot carriage
The NZR 56-foot carriage is a class of 17.07m-long railway passenger car formerly used on almost all long-distance rail transport in New Zealand, and still in service. Some have been preserved.-1927: Prototypes:...
s became available, and the cancellation of the unnamed daylight successor to the New Plymouth Night Express
New Plymouth Night Express
The New Plymouth Night Express was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department that ran between Auckland and New Plymouth. It ran in various forms from 1933 until 1983, though the 'express' designation was lost in 1956 and later incarnations did not operate at night...
that ran between New Plymouth
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
and Taumaranui freed more. A wooden 50-foot Z bogie box wagon was refitted with bogies that enabled it to run at passenger-train speed and was painted the same shade of bright red as the cars it accompanied. In the style of the new Fastrak and Northtrak express parcels logos that emphasised the new approach and priority of parcels traffic, the wagon had a logo known as Waitrak, hinting at its being dedicated to Wairarapa services.
In 1989, with the introduction of the Bay Express between Wellington and Napier, the three remaining Endeavour
Endeavour (train)
The Endeavour was a long-distance passenger train service between Wellington and Napier in the North Island of New Zealand...
cars, of which two were ALs, became redundant, so the 54-seat A car and one 46-seat AL were assigned to Wairarapa services. With the streamlining of Greymouth expresses into one out-and-back operation, one Picton car became surplus to requirements and joined the Masterton fleet. In early 1991, the former 54-seat Endeavour car was rebuilt as a "big window" rear-view observation car for the TranzAlpine
TranzAlpine
The TranzAlpine Express is a passenger train operated by Tranz Scenic in the South Island of New Zealand. This trip is often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes . The journey is one-way, taking about four and a half hours...
Express, the successor to the West Coast Express. In the same year, the former Picton/Greymouth car was refurbished similarly to Southerner cars with alcove seating, and the former Endeavour AL was refurbished with the same seating arrangement for the Capital Connection. Both cars retained their Addington-built seats, which had minor modifications made to them to increase comfort.
At the end of that year work had begun on rebuilding one car as the first air-conditioned "big window" rear-view observation car for the "new" Northerner/Overlander.
In 1993, after the successful re-introduction and rebranding of the Capital Connection service, a similar refurbishment and rebranding programme was initiated for the 16 Wairarapa carriages and, though only 12 were actually overhauled. This programme lasted four years, until 1997. Six A cars and three of four ALs were thoroughly overhauled and refurbished with a new-style seats, the same as those in the third NIMT servery car and the new air-conditioned "big window" trainsets being assembled at that time. These vehicles were fitted with cloth on the interior walls to reduce noise and were fully carpeted. A cars seated 59, as one toilet from each car was removed to increase seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
, while ALs seated 46. The other two A cars and the remaining AL were overhauled but retained their Scarrett seats, reupholstered with cloth material.
The overhauls saw the introduction of the new InterCity Rail blue livery, with a 220-mm white stripe and 100-mm green band inside it running the length of each car, with "Cityrail" emblazoned on both ends of each car. In 1995, as an interim measure leading up to the phasing in of the new all-over Cato blue livery of the new Tranz Rail
Tranz Rail
Tranz Rail, formally Tranz Rail Holdings Ltd , was the main rail operator in New Zealand from 1991 until it was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2003.- Formation :...
corporate image, a light blue 350-mm full-length stripe was introduced, and a new name for Cityrail: Tranz Metro
Tranz Metro
Tranz Metro, part of KiwiRail, is the operator of Metlink suburban trains owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council in the Wellington Region of New Zealand....
. From the beginning of the refurbishment of the seventh car, the new Cato blue livery was applied, along with the Tranz Metro logo.
Of the four unrefurbished cars, two were repainted and operated in the Capital Connection until that train was re-equipped with ex-British Rail Mark 2
British Rail Mark 2
The Mark 2 family of railway carriages were British Rail's second design of carriages. They were built by British Rail workshops between 1964 and 1975...
stock.
One car, after being outshopped in early 1994 following its refurbishment, served on the Bay Express for a while. In 1995 two of the four ALs were equipped with generators similar to those installed in power-baggage vans utilised by long-distance passenger trains, making them power-luggage vans. In 2002 one car was refurbished for the Wairarapa but retained original seating, albeit reupholstered. In 2003 the other car was rebuilt and refurbished for use as a "small window" air-conditioned car for the NIMT passenger trains. A third car was stripped to the underframe but retained its compartment-dividing walls for profile purposes, while the fourth was scrapped.
From 1999 onward, due to age and related deterioration, gradual withdrawal from service of older carriages occurred, and cars from long-distance Tranz Scenic
Tranz Scenic
Tranz Scenic is the long-distance passenger train brand of KiwiRail, formed from the New Zealand Railways Corporation InterCity Rail services. Tranz Scenic was renamed along with the other operating divisions of Tranz Rail in 1995...
services were utilised on the interim. These included two former Auckland charter cars that were refurbished in 1993, which later became "no frills" NIMT passenger cars offering cheaper accommodation, later fitted with air-conditioning. These two cars were then permanently allocated to the Wairarapa runs.
From 1995 until 2001 two former Bay Express cars operated on the Masterton line irregularly.
A former 1988 Southerner car turned NIMT no-frills car, later fitted with air-conditioning, was then permanently allocated to the Wairarapa runs. The sole remaining former single-lavatory first-class car, which served in the 1970 Southerner, 1988 Northerner and, as a "Backpackers" car, the TranzCoastal Express in 1996, was also working this service in 2003. While on the TranzCoastal it was fitted with air-conditioning. This is not the first time this carriage has worked the Wairarapa services: in 1995, while assigned to the NIMT and sporting the InterCity blue with white stripe and green band, it assumed Wairarapa duties for a time with the first car-van to receive a generator.
A former Southerner, Northerner and Lynx Express
LYNX Express
LYNX Express was a courier company operating principally in the United Kingdom. It was acquired in September 2005 by UPS.-History:The Company's history dates back to the nationalisation of the British Railways after World War II...
carriage also ran on Wairarapa Connection services in 2006.
In 2006 Hillside Engineering
Hillside Engineering
Hillside Engineering Group is a trading division of the rail operator KiwiRail in Dunedin, New Zealand. Most of its work is related to KiwiRail, but it also does work for the marine industry in Dunedin.-History:...
won the contract from the Greater Wellington Regional Council to rebuild 18 former British Rail Mark 2D to Mark 2F 20-metre carriages, to replace the existing fleet. The new cars are classified SW for cars with passenger saloon only, SWS with servery and SWG with luggage compartment and generator for power supply. The S stands for "Scenic Series" and "W" for "Wairarapa", to distinguish them from their Capital Connection counterparts, classified S.
On 11 May 2007 the first four cars entered service, with three more introduced on 18 June 2007 making up a 7-car consist. The remaining 11 cars entered service incrementally by the end of 2007.
The inaugural run of the first four cars was on 14 May 2007, being met by the Minister of Transport, Annette King
Annette King
Annette Faye King is a New Zealand politician. She is the current Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the New Zealand. She was a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand.-Early life:...
, on arrival on Platform 9 Wellington Railway Station
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:...
at 9.20am. The service departed Masterton
Masterton Railway Station
Masterton railway station is a single-platform, urban railway station serving the town of Masterton in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The station lies on the Wairarapa Line, and is located at the end of Perry Street. It is one hour, thirty seven minutes journey time to Wellington. Trains...
at 7.30am, and called at Carterton
Carterton Railway Station
Carterton Railway Station, in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand, is a single platform railway station in the town of Carterton. It is located at the corner of Cnr Broadway, Davy and Wheatstone Streets, near the main shopping precinct on State Highway 2...
at 7.48am, Featherston
Featherston Railway Station
Featherston railway station is a single-platform, urban railway station serving the town of Featherston in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. The station lies on the Wairarapa Line, and is located between Harrison Street West and Harrison Street East...
at 8.09am and Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt Railway Station
Upper Hutt railway station is a two-platform urban railway station serving the city of Upper Hutt in the Wellington region of New Zealand’s North Island. The station lies on the Wairarapa Line, and is on Station Crescent, off Fergusson Drive...
at 8.32am
The first run in service was on Thursday 18 May on train 1602, departing 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:...
at 8.25am
In early 2007 the longest Wairarapa Connection consist (seven cars and van), which formed the weekdays 6.30am from Masterton and 4.33pm from Wellington, had five cars replaced by ones from the now-disbanded charter fleet so that their Korean bogies can be overhauled and placed under five of the new SW cars. The charter cars run on old NZR Timken
Timken Company
The Timken Company is a global manufacturer of bearings, alloy steels, and related components and assemblies.- History :The company was founded by Henry Timken in St. Louis, Missouri in 1899 and incorporated as The Timken Roller Bearing Axle Company. A year earlier, in 1898, Timken got a patent...
bogies limited to 80 km/h, not the 100 km/h standard carriage train speed.
In September 2007 the eight A and three AL ex Wairarapa Connection cars that had been sent to Dunedin for bogie removal and storage were sold to the Taieri Gorge Railway
Taieri Gorge Railway
The Taieri Gorge Railway is a railway line and tourist train operation based at Dunedin Railway Station in the South Island of New Zealand...
, which is refitting them with Timkin bogies reclaimed from their own cars.
Rolling stock
The Wairarapa Connection is the only diesel-hauled service operated by Tranz Metro - all other services utilise electric trains. The service is hauled by diesel-electric locomotiveDiesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s from KiwiRail's fleet. Three locomotives are allocated weekly to the Wairarapa Line, operating the Wairarapa Connection and Masterton-Wellington freight services. The locomotives are usually of the NZR DC class
NZR DC class
The NZR DC class locomotive is the most common class of locomotive currently in operation on the New Zealand rail network. Primarily employed to haul freight trains operated by KiwiRail, the class is also used for long-distance passenger trains operated by Tranz Scenic and suburban passenger trains...
, although DBR class
NZR DB class
The NZR Db diesel-electric locomotive class was built in 1965-1966. They were a lighter version of the Da class to operate on secondary North Island lines from which the Da was excluded due to its weight. One of the principal lines which the Db dominated was the East Coast Main Trunk to Tauranga...
, DFT Class
NZR DF class (1979)
The NZR DF class of 1979 is a class of 30 Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives built by General Motors Diesel of Canada between 1979 and 1981. Between 1992 and 1997, all the locomotives were rebuilt as the DFT class, a turbocharged version of the DF....
, and DX class
NZR DX class
The NZR DX class is a class of 49 Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives that currently operates on New Zealand's national railway network.Built by General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States, they were introduced to New Zealand between 1972 and 1976. The class is based on the General Electric...
locomotives are also used. 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....
locomotives were used in the past.
Carriages used on the Wairarapa Connection services are of the SW class, rebuilt British Rail Mark 2
NZR British Rail Mark 2 carriage
British Rail Mark 2 carriages used in New Zealand were imported from the United Kingdom and rebuilt/refurbished and re-gauged in New Zealand.The carriages are used on the Capital Connection , owned operated by Tranz Scenic; MAXX commuter trains in Auckland , owned by Auckland Transport and...
carriages introduced in 2007 to replace the previous NZR 56-foot carriage
NZR 56-foot carriage
The NZR 56-foot carriage is a class of 17.07m-long railway passenger car formerly used on almost all long-distance rail transport in New Zealand, and still in service. Some have been preserved.-1927: Prototypes:...
s that were used since the service's introduction, some of which were 70 years old. Eighteen carriages are used on the service - twelve SW class with 64 seats each, three SWS class with 37 seats and a servery each, and three SWG carriages with 37 seats, luggage compartment and generator. The carriages are formed into three sets, consisting of (from Masterton end of train) an SWG, an SW, an SWS, and then between one and four SW carriages.
| Class | BR type | Number | Entered Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| SW | 2D TSO Tourist Standard Open Tourist Second Open or Tourist Standard Open, abbreviated to TSO, is a type of British Railways coach. The designation "Tourist" was originally as opposed to a normal SO coach... |
5646 | |
| SW | 2D TSO | 5658 | |
| SWS | 2D TSO | 5660 | |
| SWG | 2D TSO | 5671 | |
| SWS | 2D TSO | 5723 | |
| SW | 2E TSO | 5820 | |
| SW | 2E TSO | 5837 | |
| SW | 2F FO First Open A First Open or FO, is a type of railway carriage used by British Rail. They were first produced as British Railways Mark 1, and subsequently Mark 2, Mark 3, and Mark 4 variants were produced.-Mark 4:... |
3349 | |
| SW | 2F FO | 3339 | |
| SW | 2F FO | 3355 | |
| SW | 2F FO | 3404 | |
| SW | 2F FO | 3394 | |
| SWG | 2F FO | 3422 | |
| SW | 2F FO | 3282 | |
| SWS | 2F FO | 3298 | |
| SWG | 2F FO | 3365 | |
| SW | 2F FO | 3376 | |
| SW | 2F FO | 3294 |
Services
There are five services each way between Masterton and Wellington Monday to Friday. Three of the services each way operate during peak times, to Wellington in the morning and to Masterton in the evening. The remaining two services each way operate inter-peak. An sixth service each way operates late Friday night. On weekends and public holidaysPublic holidays in New Zealand
Holidays in New Zealand can refer to publicly observed holidays or to a holiday period.-National Public holidays:In New Zealand there are two types of national public holidays, those that are 'Mondayised' and those that are not....
, two services operate each way, one in the morning and one in the evening.
The train numbers for the Wairarapa Connection are as follows:
| Monday to Friday | Friday | Saturday & Sunday | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masterton-Wellington (down) | 1601 | 1603 | 1605 | 1607 | 1609 | 1611 | 1613 | 1615 |
| Wellington-Masterton (up) | 1602 | 1604 | 1606 | 1608 | 1610 | 1612 | 1614 | 1616 |
Accidents
The Wairarapa Connection has been involved in several accidents is its time. Most of the accidents have occurred at level crossingLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s, where vehicles have ignored warning signals and have been hit by the train. There are 28 public level crossings between the Rimutaka tunnel and Masterton Station, of which three are controlled by alarms and barrier arms, 19 by alarms only, and six by signs only.
On Thursday 23 July 2009, the 5:33pm service to Masterton hit a mudslide blocking the line just north of the Maoribank tunnel near Maymorn. The lead locomotive, DCP 4818, and the first carriage, SWG 3422, derailed
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
. No major injuries were reported, but the slip and the derailed rolling stock blocked the line, preventing services operating until Sunday evening. The first service through the derailment worksite was Sunday service No1616 to Masterton led by DBR 1200 and DBR 1267.
See also
- Tranz ScenicTranz ScenicTranz Scenic is the long-distance passenger train brand of KiwiRail, formed from the New Zealand Railways Corporation InterCity Rail services. Tranz Scenic was renamed along with the other operating divisions of Tranz Rail in 1995...
- Wellington Railway StationWellington Railway StationWellington 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:...
- Tranz MetroTranz MetroTranz Metro, part of KiwiRail, is the operator of Metlink suburban trains owned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council in the Wellington Region of New Zealand....
- Wairarapa LineWairarapa LineThe Wairarapa Line is a secondary railway line in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city of Wellington with the Wairarapa region. The line ends at Woodville, where it joins the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line...