End of the line for steam railways

The Christchurch–Dunedin overnight express, headed by a J^A-class locomotive, ran the last scheduled steam-hauled service on New Zealand Railways (NZR), bringing to an end 108 years of regular steam rail operations in this country.

New Zealand’s rail system was predominantly steam-powered from 1863, when the first public railway opened in Christchurch, until the 1950s, when the transition to diesel power gathered momentum. Although NZR operated some electric locomotives from 1923, petrol- or diesel-motored railcars from 1936, and electric multiple units from 1938, it was the introduction of main-line diesel-electric locomotives from 1950 that spelled the end of the line for the steam engine.

The dieselisation of North Island railways was complete by the late 1960s. Steam power only lasted as long as it did in the South Island because carriages on the Friday and Sunday night expresses between Christchurch and Dunedin required steam-heating during winter. This need was ended by the introduction of train heating vans, which were attached to diesel-hauled expresses.

Steam trains hadn’t quite disappeared, though. Earlier in 1971 NZR had announced that it was launching a tourist-oriented steam passenger venture, the Kingston Flyer, which ran daily between Lumsden in northern Southland and Kingston on Lake Wakatipu. Two A^B-class locomotives and a number of preserved carriages were used for this service, which began on 21 December 1971. In the early 21st century a number of rail heritage organisations and museums ran steam-hauled excursions around the country, while TranzScenic operated ‘Steam Engine Saturdays’ on the North Island Main Trunk Line. On these days the regular Overlander service was hauled by the preserved tank engine W^AB794 between Feilding and Taihape.

Image: South Island ‘Limited’ Express poster

Electric trains come to Wellington

On 2 July 1938 the electrified rail line between central Wellington and the northern suburb of Johnsonville was officially opened by Minister of Railways Dan Sullivan and Wellington Mayor Thomas Hislop.

This steep, winding line had been built by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company in 1886 and until 1937 was part of the main trunk route out of the capital. Following the completion of the Tawa Flat deviation that year, the bypassed Johnsonville section was converted into a suburban route. The line was served by English Electric DM-class multiple units, the first of their kind in New Zealand.

This was the country’s third electric railway: the Ōtira tunnel on the Christchurch to Greymouth line was electrified from 1923 to 1997, and the Christchurch–Lyttelton line from 1929 to 1970. (Electric propulsion was seen as ideal for use in tunnels, to avoid the smoke nuisance caused by steam locomotives.)

By 1940 the North Island main trunk line out of Wellington had been electrified as far north as Paekākāriki (electrification was extended to Paraparaumu in the 1980s and to Waikanae in 2011). The increasingly busy Hutt Valley suburban lines were electrified in the 1950s and also served by DM multiple units. These were replaced by Hungarian-built EM-class units in the 1980s, but a number of DMs were refurbished for continued use on the Johnsonville line. The remaining DMs, some of which had been in service since 1949, were replaced in 2012 by new Matangi units.

Image: Opening the Johnsonville electric train service

NZHistory, New Zealand history online - Transport

End of the line for steam railways

Electric trains come to Wellington