South Island Limited
Encyclopedia
The South Island Limited was a passenger express train
operated by the New Zealand Railways Department
between 1949 and 1970. It operated between Christchurch
and Invercargill
via Dunedin
, and in its heyday, it was New Zealand
's premier express.
was opened. These services, the precursor to the South Island Limited, were the flagship of New Zealand's railways in the nineteenth century, and accordingly had the most modern motive power and rolling stock available. They were initially hauled by members of the first J class
and limited to a speed of 60km/h, resulting in a journey time of eleven hours, but they were sped up with the introduction of the Rogers K class
. The K locomotives could achieve speeds of up to 90km/h and they helped to quicken the schedule, with the T class
handling the train on the hilly section between Oamaru
and Dunedin. Upon their introduction in 1885, the N class
took on the express duties, followed by the U and UB classes, and then the Q and A class
Pacifics
cut the journey's time to eight hours in the early years of the twentieth century.
In 1904, it became possible to operate an express all the way from Christchurch to Invercargill in a single day. The Dunedin-Invercargill run was treated as an extension of the Christchurch-Dunedin express, and the train was sometimes called the Invercargill Express. In March 1914, it was possible to travel from Christchurch to Invercargill in thirteen hours. AB class
locomotives capable of speeds of 107km/h and higher took over from the A and Q locomotives from 1915, but it was in the 1940s that the express reached its zenith and became the South Island Limited.
was introduced, followed by the JA class
in 1946. These locomotives allowed the service's schedule to be quickened, and in 1949, the South Island Limited was introduced. It operated three days a week and had less stops than the expresses which continued to operate on all other days. In its very early days, it was occasionally operated by AB class engines, but the more powerful J and JA locomotives quickly became the sole motive power, and they were famous for hauling long strings of red carriages at high speed, achieving a travel time between Christchurch and Dunedin of 7 hours and 9 minutes, and completing the entire journey to Invercargill in roughly 11 hours 45 minutes.
The South Island Limited carried mail as well as passengers, and this meant the train would have up to six mail carriages attached to the consist. The quantities of mail that had to be exchanged on and off the train during the course of its journey often led to delays, and the attempts of J and JA engine crews to regain lost time became legendary. A stretch of fairly straight track across the Canterbury Plains
near Rakaia
acquired the nickname of "the racetrack" in New Zealand railway jargon due to the high speeds late-running South Island Limiteds would achieve. Crews claim to have broken the New Zealand railway speed record of 122.5km/h (78mph), set on 25 October 1940 by an RM class
Vulcan
railcar
, but none of these claims were authenticated and remain unofficial.
s had been almost entirely withdrawn from New Zealand. The North Island
had been completely dieselised
by the end of 1967, and the 1968 introduction of the DJ class
had led to the dieselisation of almost all of the South Island
's services. However, the South Island Limited continued to operate with steam motive power, a peculiar circumstance given that steam locomotives in most countries were last used on quiet, unimportant rural branch line
s rather than the country's premier express. Its schedule was slightly slower than in previous years, as a number of stops had been re-introduced, raising the total number to 21. The decision was finally taken to replace the steam locomotives in late 1970. The South Island Limited was replaced by the diesel-hauled Southerner on 1 December 1970. This was not the end of the steam expresses, however; J and JA locomotives continued to work Friday and Sunday evening expresses on the same route for almost a year. The last steam-hauled express, and last use of a steam locomotive in revenue service in New Zealand, ran on 26 October 1971.
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...
operated by 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...
between 1949 and 1970. It operated between Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
via Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, and in its heyday, it was 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...
's premier express.
Previous expresses
Expresses between Christchurch and Dunedin began operating as soon as the Main South LineMain South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...
was opened. These services, the precursor to the South Island Limited, were the flagship of New Zealand's railways in the nineteenth century, and accordingly had the most modern motive power and rolling stock available. They were initially hauled by members of the first J class
NZR J class (1874)
The J class were steam locomotives with the wheel arrangement of 2-6-0 that were built in 1874 to operate on the railway network of New Zealand. They should not be confused with the more famous J class of 1939...
and limited to a speed of 60km/h, resulting in a journey time of eleven hours, but they were sped up with the introduction of the Rogers K class
NZR K class (1877)
The NZR Rogers K class was the first example of American-built locomotives to be used on New Zealand's railways. Their success coloured locomotive development in New Zealand until the end of steam.-History:...
. The K locomotives could achieve speeds of up to 90km/h and they helped to quicken the schedule, with the T class
NZR T class
The NZR T class was a class of steam locomotive used in New Zealand.-History:By the late 1870s there was a distinct need for a powerful type of locomotive to operate the steep section of the Main South Line between Dunedin and Oamaru...
handling the train on the hilly section between Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
and Dunedin. Upon their introduction in 1885, the N class
NZR N class
The N class were 12 steam locomotives that operated on the national rail network of New Zealand. They were built in three batches, including one batch of two engines for the private Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, the WMR, by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1885, 1891, and 1901...
took on the express duties, followed by the U and UB classes, and then the Q and A class
NZR A class (1906)
The A class were steam locomotives built in 1906 with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement for New Zealand's national railway network, and described by some as the most handsome engines to run on New Zealand rails. The class should not be confused with the older and more obscure A class of 1873. They were...
Pacifics
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
cut the journey's time to eight hours in the early years of the twentieth century.
In 1904, it became possible to operate an express all the way from Christchurch to Invercargill in a single day. The Dunedin-Invercargill run was treated as an extension of the Christchurch-Dunedin express, and the train was sometimes called the Invercargill Express. In March 1914, it was possible to travel from Christchurch to Invercargill in thirteen hours. AB class
NZR 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...
locomotives capable of speeds of 107km/h and higher took over from the A and Q locomotives from 1915, but it was in the 1940s that the express reached its zenith and became the South Island Limited.
Operation
In 1939, the second J classNZR 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...
was introduced, followed by the JA class
NZR Ja class
The NZR JA class were a type of 4-8-2 steam locomotive used on the New Zealand railway network. The class was built in two batches, with the second batch possessing some differences from the first...
in 1946. These locomotives allowed the service's schedule to be quickened, and in 1949, the South Island Limited was introduced. It operated three days a week and had less stops than the expresses which continued to operate on all other days. In its very early days, it was occasionally operated by AB class engines, but the more powerful J and JA locomotives quickly became the sole motive power, and they were famous for hauling long strings of red carriages at high speed, achieving a travel time between Christchurch and Dunedin of 7 hours and 9 minutes, and completing the entire journey to Invercargill in roughly 11 hours 45 minutes.
The South Island Limited carried mail as well as passengers, and this meant the train would have up to six mail carriages attached to the consist. The quantities of mail that had to be exchanged on and off the train during the course of its journey often led to delays, and the attempts of J and JA engine crews to regain lost time became legendary. A stretch of fairly straight track across the Canterbury Plains
Canterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains are an area in New Zealand centred to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in the south they merge into the plains of North Otago beyond the Waitaki...
near Rakaia
Rakaia
The town of Rakaia is seated close to the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the township are the country's longest road bridge and longest rail bridge, both of which cross the...
acquired the nickname of "the racetrack" in New Zealand railway jargon due to the high speeds late-running South Island Limiteds would achieve. Crews claim to have broken the New Zealand railway speed record of 122.5km/h (78mph), set on 25 October 1940 by an RM class
NZR RM class
The RM class is the classification used by the New Zealand Railways Department and its successors given to most railcars and railbuses that have operated on New Zealand's national rail network. As NZR and its successors has operated many diverse types of railcars, alternate names have been given...
Vulcan
NZR RM class (Vulcan)
The NZR RM class Vulcan railcars were operated by the New Zealand Railways Department in the South Island of New Zealand. All New Zealand railcars were classified as RM, and these were known as Vulcan railcars, from the name of the manufacturer, Vulcan Foundry of Britain. - Background :On 9 May...
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...
, but none of these claims were authenticated and remain unofficial.
Replacement
By 1970, steam locomotiveSteam 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 had been almost entirely withdrawn from New Zealand. 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...
had been completely dieselised
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
by the end of 1967, and the 1968 introduction of the DJ class
NZR DJ class
The NZR DJ class locomotive is a class of diesel-electric locomotive used in New Zealand. The class were purchased from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries with a modernisation loan from the World Bank to replace steam locomotives in the South Island, where most of the class members worked most of their...
had led to the dieselisation of almost all of 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...
's services. However, the South Island Limited continued to operate with steam motive power, a peculiar circumstance given that steam locomotives in most countries were last used on quiet, unimportant rural branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
s rather than the country's premier express. Its schedule was slightly slower than in previous years, as a number of stops had been re-introduced, raising the total number to 21. The decision was finally taken to replace the steam locomotives in late 1970. The South Island Limited was replaced by the diesel-hauled Southerner on 1 December 1970. This was not the end of the steam expresses, however; J and JA locomotives continued to work Friday and Sunday evening expresses on the same route for almost a year. The last steam-hauled express, and last use of a steam locomotive in revenue service in New Zealand, ran on 26 October 1971.