The NZR88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand, aso known unofficially as 'articulateds', 'twinsets', 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats'. They were purchased to replace steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains. New Zealand Railways classed the railcars RM, the notation used for all railcars. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... The UIC classification is a comprehensive system for describing the wheel arrangement of locomotives. ... Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... For the philosophical/theological concept of a prime mover (that is, a self-existent being that is the ultimate cause or mover of all things), see cosmological argument. ... Not to be confused with railroad car. ... The New Zealand Railways Department, or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways), often known as the Railways, was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealands rail infrastructure. ...

History

In the early 1950s New Zealand Railways were in the process of replacing steam traction with diesel and modernising the railways to cope with vastly increased traffic and the after-effects of wartime stringency. As part of this modernisation it was decided to upgrade provincial passenger services, which were provided by a combination of steam-hauled passenger trains that operated several times a week, and mixed trains. An order was placed with the Drewry Car Company in the United Kingdom, which had supplied some smaller diesel shunters previously. They presented a design for an articulated railcar with seating for 88 passengers. The use of horizontally-opposed diesel engines allowed increased passenger capacity and a large parcels/baggage compartment. There were few horizontally-opposed engines available at the time, and in the end Fiat 210 hp units were selected. The 88-seaters were constructed by the Birmingham Railway, Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd under contract to Drewry. The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... The New Zealand Railways Department, or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways), often known as the Railways, was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealands rail infrastructure. ... FIAT Group, or Fiat S.p. ...

After initial trials around Wellington the 88-seaters were deployed on a wide variety of provincial services. In the North Island they ran between Auckland - Okaihau, Auckland - Te Puke, Auckland - Rotorua, Auckland - New Plymouth, Wellington - Palmerston North via Masterton, and Wellington - Gisborne. In the South Island they ran from Christchurch - Picton, Christchurch - Invercargill, and Christchurch to Greymouth and Ross. North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ...

Operation

From almost the beginning the 88-seaters faced mechanical problems, with cooling being the primary issue. The engines had been designed for Italian naval boats and were unsuitable for the conditions. Although modifications were made they continued to have a reputation for unreliability throughout their career, frequently having to run with one motor isolated.

Unfortunately for NZR, the 1950s was a period of increased prosperity and saw massive increases in the numbers of private motorcars, along with improvements to roading such as tarsealing the main highways, and construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. These meant dramatic falls in passenger numbers, and in 1967-68 all railcar services from Auckland were cut except for the service to New Plymouth. This was cut back to terminate in Taumarunui in the early 1970s, with passengers making connections to North Island Main Trunk passenger services. All services that were cancelled were replaced by buses operated by New Zealand Railways Road Services. Auckland Harbour Bridge Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight lane road bridge that spans the Waitemata Harbour joining Freemans Bay in Auckland City with Northcote in North Shore City, New Zealand. ... The NIMT is the railway line connecting Auckland and Wellington, the two major cities of New Zealands North Island. ...

Although the remaining services were to areas not well served by road, the mechanical condition of the 88-seaters meant that by the mid 1970s replacement was becoming urgent. It was decided to refurbish 14 of them, remove their engines and drivers' cabs, and convert some of them to what was known as AC class unpowered carriages. These were painted green and came to be known as 'grassgrubs'. They were brought into service on the New Plymouth to Taumarunui, Wellington to Palmerston North (via Wairarapa), Picton to Christchurch, and Christchurch to Greymouth services. The final run of the 88-seater railcars in their original form was in 1978 from Greymouth to Christchurch. The last trip came to an ignominious end when an engine failure meant passengers had to be taken onwards from Otira by bus. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

The 'grassgrubs' were ill-fated. Their drawgear and bodies were not designed to be locomotive-hauled and they quickly wore out. By 1985 they had been withdrawn from service due to metal fatigue. Most of the passenger runs were continued after their demise, but by the late 1980s the Masterton to Palmerston North service had been ended as patronage was often less than 20 passengers per trip.

Blue Streaks

In 1968, at the suggestion of the Hamilton City Council, an 88-seater was refurbished for a new fast service between Hamilton and Auckland, aimed at the businessman, and debuted Monday, April 8, 1968. It was fitted with carpet and reupholstered fabric covered seats, and was painted in a new two-tone colour scheme that prompted the nickname 'Blue Streak'. The seating was reduced to 84 to accommodate a servery area from which light meals and assorted alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks could be purchased. This initial service was unsuccessful, so it was decided to introduce the railcar to a daytime service between Auckland and Wellington. This service, which debuted Monday, September 23, 1968, was highly successful and prompted the conversion of two further cars with 82 seats each to accommodate larger servery areas and, later, the purchase of the dedicated Silver Fern railcars for this service. Initially, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the railcar ran from Wellington to Auckland, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Auckland to Wellington til a second railcar was similiarly refurbished for the Christmas 1968-New Year 1969 period and a third for the 1969 Easter holidays. The service proved so popular it was not uncommon to see two Blue Streaks running in multiple in one direction, with the third paired up with an unrefurbished red Drewry-built 88-seater in the other. Hamilton is New Zealands fourth-largest metropolitan area. ...

On Thursday, December 18, 1972, the Blue Streaks were then transferred to the Wellington to New Plymouth service, replacing Standard railcars. They continued on this service until Friday, July 30, 1977. By that time they were no longer serviceable, patronage had continued to decline and the service was replaced with buses.

Preservation

By the early 1990s it appeared that an 88-seater would not be preserved. The only one believed still to be in existence was a 'grassgrub', former RM 133, used for fire training at Auckland International Airport, and also the cab and baggage compartment from RM 119. Fortunately in 2001 the Pahiatua Railcar Preservation Society was able to obtain this car, with one end fire damaged, and parts from RM 119. In addition one end of RM 121 (luckily the same end as the one damaged on RM 133) was located at Waitomo, being used as a motel unit. Both cars were transported to the society's headquarters and preservation began. Auckland International Airport (IATA: AKL, ICAO: NZAA) is the largest and busiest international airport in New Zealand. ...

External links

• Pahiatua Railcar Preservation Society
• Trainweb Drury Railcar Page

References

• Heath, Eric, and Stott, Bob; Classic Railcars, Electric and Diesel Locomotives Of New Zealand, Grantham House, 1993
• Churchman, Geoffrey; The Golden Era of Fiat Railcars in New Zealand, IPL Publishing, 1989