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An 88 seater Fiat Railcar at the Brunner Railway Station.
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DescriptionRobert Scott.." From the mid-to-late 1950s, there was a fleet of 50 diesel railcars operating throughout NZ. The Standard railcars were six in number and were manufactured in Hutt Railway Workshops for use on the line between Napier and Wairoa, also through to Gisborne after that section was opened. However, delays in opening the line through to Wairoa due to the huge 1938 Esk Valley floods resulted in some of those railcars entering service on the route between Wellington and New Plymouth. Each of those railcars was powered by two Leyland diesel engines, but later during their lives, the were re-engined with Meadows diesel engines. After the line was opened right through to Gisborne in 1942, one Standard car was used for a return service each day between New Plymouth and Wellington, while four railcars worked the line between Napier, Wairoa and Gisborne, with a sixth railcar always undergoing maintenance and servicing in Wellington. The Hawke's Bay-Gisborne railcars used to work right through to Wellington on Saturdays and were swapped with the servicing railcar, which returned to Wairoa on Sundays.
The next railcars to be ordered were the ten Vulcan railcars powered by a Vulcan-Frichs diesel engine and intended for use in the South Island. Ten were built and dispatched to New Zealand, but one went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with the ship carrying it when it suffered a torpedo attack from a German U-boat. The nine surviving Vulcan railcars were used between Ross and Greymouth, replacing two earlier railcars which had been manufactured to deliver The Press to the West Coast early each morning, returning to Christchurch every evening. When the line through the Buller Gorge was completed and opened during WWII, Vulcan railcars were used to institue a new, twice-daily in each direction service between Westport and Greymouth. They were also used for some local services out of Christchurch, and also on the line to Picton after that opened.
After WWII, design work began on the next generation of diesel railcars and that eventually resulted in an order for 35 twinset articulated railcars from the Drewry Car Company. Drewry had never built anything, but were a design and supply company and they contracted out construction of the railcars to the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company. The new railcars were designed to use Wilson epicyclic gearboxes as the main part of the transmission. Two practical engine designs were available which could be fitted in the space beneath the floors of each body and clear of the track below. One was a marine diesel engine developed by Fiat, the other was a diesel engine developed by the Detroit Engine division of General Motors Corporation in the USA. The GM engine, which was used to power the very successful Budd RDC railcars in North America was by far the best engine, but the NZ government of the day had a real aversion to spending US dollars if they could purchase things using pounds sterling. The Fiat agents in Britain could supply Fiat engines for pounds sterling, so the government made a decision the Fiat engines would be used. There were several delays, but eventually the first of the new railcars arrived in Wellington in January 1955, with continuing deliveries following. The first of the new railcars was prepared for service at Hutt Railway Workshops and after a few trial runs in the Hutt Valley, it headed off to Napier in March, conveying the minister of railways and general manager of railways. It then spent a day being shown off to the public in Napier, as well as taking local dignitaries for a ride to Hastings and return. The following day, it went on to Gisborne, where once again it was put on public display. It then set off to run all the way back to Wellington, but enroute, collided with a truck on a level crossing at Dannevirke, damaging the railcar. Which is why the official publicity photographs, taken the following month at Waikanae and Otaki, used the second of the new railcars, because the first one was having the collision damage repaired.
By the end of July, sufficient of the new railcars had arrived in Wellington, with crew training completed, for them to enter service, so from 1st August 1955, the new twinset railcars took over running all Wellington-Napier-Gisborne rail passenger services, with the Standard railcars on that route being moved to Wellington-Wanganui-New Plymouth services. As further railcars arrived in the country, they were introduced to service on the Christchurch-Greymouth-Ross route, as well as an evening service in each direction between Christchurch and Dunedin, a local Dunedin-Invercargill-Dunedin daily return service, and on the line between Christchurch and Picton. The next route to get the new railcars was Wellington-Masterton-Woodville-Palmerston North after the Rimutaka Tunnel opened in November 1955. Finally, they were introduced to services out of Auckland to New Plymouth, Northland, Rotorua and Te Puke from 1956.
As the new twinset articulated railcars entered service, they were allocated twelve to Auckland, twelve to Wellington, and eleven to Christchurch. The six Standard railcars remained allocated to Wellington for Taranaki services; and the nine Vulcan railcars remained in the South Island. However, some of them were transferred to Dunedin to introduce railcars to the Central Otago line between Dunedin and Alexandra (they did for a short period run right through to Cromwell, but that didn't last long), as well as local services between Dunedin and Palmerston. The remaining Vulcans continued on the twice-daily Westport-Greymouth services in each direction, as well as running some Christchurch-Ross and Christchurch-Picton services, sharing those routes with the new twinsets.
It had been the intention of the government to order a further 15 twinset articulated railcars, but there were a lot of mechanical problems with them, mostly related to the Fiat diesel engines which were not a great success, and the cooling systems which were mated to the engines. Fiat actually sent engineers out to NZ to sort out the issues, as well as supplying a large number of new crankcases due to the initial crankcases and engine blocks wearing out prematurely, but they never managed throughout the life of those railcars to solve all of the problems. As a result the Fiat engines were very troublesome and expensive to maintain. By way of comparison, the Standard railcars and the Vulcan railcars were really sound designs and they had a long life, with only minor troubles, but eventually they wore out and had to be withdrawn. The twinset articulated railcars could have been re-engined with different power plants, but by the mid-1960s, the government didn't want to spend any major amounts of money on them, so first withdrawals from service took place in 1967 and over the following eleven years, they were all gradually pulled from service, resulting in complete withdrawal of rail passenger services from many routes. If only they'd gone for the GM engines, eh?"Map[1] ContributorPaul Agnes Smith
The next railcars to be ordered were the ten Vulcan railcars powered by a Vulcan-Frichs diesel engine and intended for use in the South Island. Ten were built and dispatched to New Zealand, but one went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with the ship carrying it when it suffered a torpedo attack from a German U-boat. The nine surviving Vulcan railcars were used between Ross and Greymouth, replacing two earlier railcars which had been manufactured to deliver The Press to the West Coast early each morning, returning to Christchurch every evening. When the line through the Buller Gorge was completed and opened during WWII, Vulcan railcars were used to institue a new, twice-daily in each direction service between Westport and Greymouth. They were also used for some local services out of Christchurch, and also on the line to Picton after that opened.
After WWII, design work began on the next generation of diesel railcars and that eventually resulted in an order for 35 twinset articulated railcars from the Drewry Car Company. Drewry had never built anything, but were a design and supply company and they contracted out construction of the railcars to the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company. The new railcars were designed to use Wilson epicyclic gearboxes as the main part of the transmission. Two practical engine designs were available which could be fitted in the space beneath the floors of each body and clear of the track below. One was a marine diesel engine developed by Fiat, the other was a diesel engine developed by the Detroit Engine division of General Motors Corporation in the USA. The GM engine, which was used to power the very successful Budd RDC railcars in North America was by far the best engine, but the NZ government of the day had a real aversion to spending US dollars if they could purchase things using pounds sterling. The Fiat agents in Britain could supply Fiat engines for pounds sterling, so the government made a decision the Fiat engines would be used. There were several delays, but eventually the first of the new railcars arrived in Wellington in January 1955, with continuing deliveries following. The first of the new railcars was prepared for service at Hutt Railway Workshops and after a few trial runs in the Hutt Valley, it headed off to Napier in March, conveying the minister of railways and general manager of railways. It then spent a day being shown off to the public in Napier, as well as taking local dignitaries for a ride to Hastings and return. The following day, it went on to Gisborne, where once again it was put on public display. It then set off to run all the way back to Wellington, but enroute, collided with a truck on a level crossing at Dannevirke, damaging the railcar. Which is why the official publicity photographs, taken the following month at Waikanae and Otaki, used the second of the new railcars, because the first one was having the collision damage repaired.
By the end of July, sufficient of the new railcars had arrived in Wellington, with crew training completed, for them to enter service, so from 1st August 1955, the new twinset railcars took over running all Wellington-Napier-Gisborne rail passenger services, with the Standard railcars on that route being moved to Wellington-Wanganui-New Plymouth services. As further railcars arrived in the country, they were introduced to service on the Christchurch-Greymouth-Ross route, as well as an evening service in each direction between Christchurch and Dunedin, a local Dunedin-Invercargill-Dunedin daily return service, and on the line between Christchurch and Picton. The next route to get the new railcars was Wellington-Masterton-Woodville-Palmerston North after the Rimutaka Tunnel opened in November 1955. Finally, they were introduced to services out of Auckland to New Plymouth, Northland, Rotorua and Te Puke from 1956.
As the new twinset articulated railcars entered service, they were allocated twelve to Auckland, twelve to Wellington, and eleven to Christchurch. The six Standard railcars remained allocated to Wellington for Taranaki services; and the nine Vulcan railcars remained in the South Island. However, some of them were transferred to Dunedin to introduce railcars to the Central Otago line between Dunedin and Alexandra (they did for a short period run right through to Cromwell, but that didn't last long), as well as local services between Dunedin and Palmerston. The remaining Vulcans continued on the twice-daily Westport-Greymouth services in each direction, as well as running some Christchurch-Ross and Christchurch-Picton services, sharing those routes with the new twinsets.
It had been the intention of the government to order a further 15 twinset articulated railcars, but there were a lot of mechanical problems with them, mostly related to the Fiat diesel engines which were not a great success, and the cooling systems which were mated to the engines. Fiat actually sent engineers out to NZ to sort out the issues, as well as supplying a large number of new crankcases due to the initial crankcases and engine blocks wearing out prematurely, but they never managed throughout the life of those railcars to solve all of the problems. As a result the Fiat engines were very troublesome and expensive to maintain. By way of comparison, the Standard railcars and the Vulcan railcars were really sound designs and they had a long life, with only minor troubles, but eventually they wore out and had to be withdrawn. The twinset articulated railcars could have been re-engined with different power plants, but by the mid-1960s, the government didn't want to spend any major amounts of money on them, so first withdrawals from service took place in 1967 and over the following eleven years, they were all gradually pulled from service, resulting in complete withdrawal of rail passenger services from many routes. If only they'd gone for the GM engines, eh?"Map[1] ContributorPaul Agnes Smith
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)BrunnerOrganisation (eg business)NZ RailwaysEventBrunner Railway Station and an 88 seater Fiat Railcar.
Category Information
Category TagRailways
From Facebook
Date Created26th October 2019CommentsMargaret Elizabeth Carter Carter Omg i remember the railcar
Margaret McBride that station was much bigger in my day,it had a big signal box I seem to remember.
John White Margaret McBride yes I can just remember the signal box upstairs & switching mechanism for the Brunner siding to let passenger trains past coal & timber freight trains. Think there was a Station Master as well?
Margaret McBride yes there was.
Ann Selander I went to school from Ross to Hokitika return Monday to Friday those were the days and on a Friday we had the Vulcan railcar.
Helen Argyle Badly needed again in the South Island
Don Pearson Yes,a regular sight in my younger days.
Margi Adamson Went over to Christchurch many times.
Malcolm Marshall and back too
Kaye Mckay Margi Adamson loved those railcars
Peter Creagh Still running at Ferrymead.
Shirley O'Connor I remeber an unforgettable time a young male pssngr jumped over from behind me and linked his arms around my neck. He was having a dream. His grandma declared not any more trips for him. We were both 12.Him a bad drram and myself felt awkward. I was visiting from N Island and 10 hrs chch to Westport.
Heather Newby ha ha.. i had a couple of strange dreams when I was 12 too!
Lois Iacoppi They were comfortable to travel in
Heather Newby i think it was the earlier ones that were uncomfortable.. called "Boneshakers"
Shona Ratana Yes remember the railcar. Lots of travelling to and from Christchurch.
Mike Roberts I hear you brother, that is a thing of beauty :-)
Graeme Richardson Has it broken down again
Alison Syder awesome rides in those
Robin Gibbens All ways remember the sound , they a a neat sound when pulling away from the station.
John Brown many a ride in one those between Wigram and
Anne Kelly Great childhood memories of that area! Dad was a engine driver on the trains before he started in the mine at Wallsend I remember he showed us how to set the lights by the station going 1 day!
Pauline Schafer How I remember it.
Heather Gaulter Travelled this heaps , loved the railcar
Anne Honey The railcars were great. I loved the run from Moana to grey and the people flagging it down.
Sharyn Kevin Ratcliffe in 1968 i used to travel stillwater to chch in one of these
Pauline Schafer We used to catch it from Brunner or Dobson into Greymouth sometimes.
Arthur Dehn I had a permanent seat on it from Moana to ChCh each weekend , late 50 s
Jock Allen cup week in Christchurch with 10 mates on the railcar great memories
Bill Stephenson Jock Allen Hi, are you the Jock Allen that worked on the rope road at Dobson mine with Trevor Thomas
Denise Kelly Willis Did this quite often ChCh to Greymouth with my Nana sometimes she would hire a pillow for me and always had a bag of food, sandwiches etc loved it
Margaret Newton Alley My Mum and I use to travel a lot on the railcar.
Evelyn Hampton Used to catch this every Friday night to Rotomanu, still love to travel on a train when travelling around the world...
Patricia Stephens Use go on one these to greymouth with mum
Allan Robinson Use to travel in a railcar.great when you a kid.dont know they stopped them.
MIcheal Hunt my old man might have been the driver then
Gary Scott MIcheal Hunt
Can remember the guard opening the door to the drivers compartment and seeing the snow falling the the headlight beam.
Amazing how certain memories remain clear.
MLyn Armstrong Used to get off at aratika
Jenny Leach Remember this railcar well
Robert Wilson i loved it,,it took me to school every day and footy on saturdays..
Judith Kett My father in law Ron Kett was a Guard on these railcars we still have his guard hat
Colin Angus Heinz Bring them back!
Gary Patrick Great to travel on
Richard Leach What a great way to travel over the hill
Gordon Dixon Can remember travelling on this
Kevin Bell Great memories of some great trips in the railcar.
Catherine Cameron Loved my trips on the railcar.
Ross McFarlane Got sent from ChCh get off
here walk to Taylorville My baggage on the way back was a kerosene tin of Whitebait with the lid soldered on. Simply put a drug mule of the 70’s
Ross Hurley Travelled every school day on one of these or the smaller Vulcan. Ross to Hokitika and return it was our “school bus”
Ed Dando Been there done that
Brian McDermott We used to travel to ChCh and return for railway rugbyback in the day. LET US OF AT HORBY RUGBY FIELD.
Lyn Coleman I remember the rides well..
Raewyn Louttit Lovely going on the rail car
Yvonne Lawson Every second Friday night for awhile used to go to Chch on one of those.
Sue Berry Every fortnight Friday. Loved it.
Ernie Becker Went to school in the buller gg in the early Mn home late at note to rahui
Karen Mary Madgwick Love the rail car too ...cup of tea from those thick white cups ....
Charles Hutana Yes ole 88 seater ...the Sunday evening service from Greymouth to Christchurch...most times every seat was taken, and the kindly Guard allowed us to use the luggage compartment..oh what fun...many pleasant memories
Garry Wick Traveled on them lots .
Wayne Morris There is only one that is being restored at Paihiatua Railcar Group. It is made up from the remains if two complete wrecks.
Charles Hutana Another 88 railcar service l use to use
Charles Hutana Was the Saturday morning 2:20am Car (Chch to Ross) used primarily for the delivery of
the Chch The Press newspaper to the Coast... was a daily service...
Like me... Sometimes with a friend...my fellow travellers were going home for the weekend. Thanks to the thoughtfulness of the Station Staff...
Pillows, with crisp white pillows cases were for hire. Hmm can't remember think it was 6pence or a shilling - sometimes referred to as a "bob" each.
I use to make up a comfortable sleeper using 2 or 3 pillows and 2 seats... For me, and another for my girlfriend from Hokitika... Haha yes we did always get some sleep... Regards
Charles HutanaVern Pattinson
We youst to drink p
Bottles of beer in that shed
Allan Waters
Vern Pattinson I think a few of the Dobson/Taylorville boys and girls meet up at the Bruner railway station for a beer and a smoke.
Vern Pattinson
Allan Waters me and Ken Martin
Donald Mathias
Always remember the railcar trips with fondness. Smooth, could read a book, sleep, got to see everyone back yards, pretty well on time. Traveled where the cars didn't in many spots. Didn't have to pay for excess baggage. Not sure in some ways we have made progress.
Karen Rawley
Loved the railcar trips..great way to get over to the coast...we should still have them...
Alaine Bright
Karen Rawley I think if you rode in one today you might feel a bit different, the ride in the Tranz Alpine is far superior
Jeff Jones
Alaine Bright Yes and about 100% more in fares and takes three times longer the trans alpine is only there for the tourist
Alaine Bright
Jeff Jones unfortunately there isn’t the volume of people travelling to make a more frequent service viable or affordable and frankly I’m not sure that people would really want to travel in the likes of the railcar even if it was cheap. Nostalgia can play funny tricks on the memory
Donald Mathias
Alaine Bright Of course something new is better. Coaches float along instead of rattle and slug up the hills. Imagine a modern railcar. Plush seats, internet but still able to swing seats together and play cards.
Clare Pierson
Alaine Bright a zillion times more expensive!
Peter Creagh
Karen Rawley They still run a railcar at Ferrymead and I asked why don't they run a West Coast excursion sometime and they said it would no longer be reliable enough for a journey that far and it would need a certificate of compliance like a WOF I guess.
Karen Rawley
Peter Creagh
Peter Moore
Karen Rawley I agree.They wher great to travel in.
Diane Moreland
Loved traveling on them. Especially going through the Buller Gorge.
Marcus Madden
should still have them for westcoasters,transport to and from not the best.train so expensive.
Leslie Whitfield
Enjoyed many trips Christchurc to Temuka and return aboard the Fiat's.
Shane Tibbotts
Bring back those railcars
Morrie Waddell
Loved going to school on them ross to hokitika
Gavin Davy
Gee, my memory of the railcar trip wasn't that great, bloody uncomfortable and took forever to get there. Still, they were all we had then and the road trip was also a bit of an adventure.
Russell Knipe
Gavin Davy actually bud, you ain't wrong. They were really uncomfortable and slow.
There was something more romantic about steam travel in general.
Clare Pierson
Russell Knipe Train: start at 8.0am and get to ChCh after 5.0pm. Raicar much faster and more comfortable.
James Codyre
Russell Knipe I think the railcars were far superior to "The Perisable"?
Russell Knipe
My dad worked on the Railway back in the day. We had free travel on any form of Passenger Rail, 1st Class to boot.
I far preferred the Steam Train to the Railcar. To me, the Railcars were very noisy as opposed to the Trains.
Mind you, we were generally in the last Coach in the line and as a 10 year old boy, I would look out the window as we went round a bend, to see the engine and the first few Coaches way up the front.
You'll never convince me that a Railcar was better.
Gavin Davy
Yep, I've done a lot of train travel around the place Russ, generally it's a great way to see a country.
Glenda O'Donnell
My father you s to clean them out years ago
Lindsay Gail Grant
Glenda O'Donnell A nice man as well.
Valda May Pattinson
Lindsay Gail Grant Yes I remember Glenda O'Donnells dad Leo when I was a kid. Also thought what a nice man he was.
Glenda O'Donnell
Valda May Pattinson yes we all grown up together
Valda May Pattinson
Glenda O'Donnell Yes Glenda we did.
Glenda O'Donnell
Valda May Pattinson love you both
Heather Newby
Glenda O'Donnell i would have liked a job like that
Eve Holley
I was further back to the old black smoky train to dobson m8
Ian Tennent
They should have been re-powered with Roos Royce engines. They would still be in service today . The big problem is lowered speed because of poorly maintained tracks.
Ivan Murray Wilson
Ian Tennent Roos Royce, hmmm they might jump the tracks
Murray Renton
Ian Tennent The engines were in a confined space under the floor which made them difficult to replace I think.
Bruce Watson
We used to travel from Reefton to Christchurch twice a year on one of these when I was a kid.
Reply2d
Heather Newby
Bruce Watson same.. loved that trip.
Bruce Watson
Heather Newby Me too loved the pies at Otira.
Heather Newby
Bruce Watson and Springfeild.
Michelle Gibson
I used to catch the train at that station when I went to chch as a child
Pauline Schafer
Michelle Gibson I used to as well, from when I was 13, to stay with Sheila or Michael or Marie in ChCh.
Reply2d
Robert Scott
There never were any “Fiat” railcars in New Zealand (although I believe Fiat may have supplied some railcars to South America). There were, however, 35 twinset articulated railcars supplied by Drewry Car Company, but manufactured by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company at their Smethwick works near Birmingham. They were equipped with Westinghouse air brake equipment, Fiat diesel engines and Wilson epicyclic gearboxes.
Colin Robbins
Robert Scott There were two models, the other was a vulcan, single unit roughly 40-50 seats as I remember it, was very comfortable, It was normally on the morning run. left Chch at 2am and got to Hokitika 7-15 in the morning was perfect for me to get to work.
Robert Scott
Colin Robbins Ten of those were built, but only nine reached NZ due to one going down in the Atlantic when the ship it was being transported in got sunk by a German U-boat. Those Vulcan cars were used on the Greymouth-Westport railcar services in addition to sharing Ross-Christchurch services with the twinset articulated cars.
Heather Newby
Robert Scott interesting
Helen Burns
did that 2am trip many times
Barry Ward
Colin Robbins Yea that was a good one to take hm easy to sleep on
Russell Taylor
Robert Scott -there alsowere railcars on other lines gisborne wgtn, dunedin ingill, ingill to nightcaps , wgtn taranki, p nth napier - were they the same ?
Robert Scott
Russell Taylor From the mid-to-late 1950s, there was a fleet of 50 diesel railcars operating throughout NZ. The Standard railcars were six in number and were manufactured in Hutt Railway Workshops for use on the line between Napier and Wairoa, also through to Gisborne after that section was opened. However, delays in opening the line through to Wairoa due to the huge 1938 Esk Valley floods resulted in some of those railcars entering service on the route between Wellington and New Plymouth. Each of those railcars was powered by two Leyland diesel engines, but later during their lives, the were re-engined with Meadows diesel engines. After the line was opened right through to Gisborne in 1942, one Standard car was used for a return service each day between New Plymouth and Wellington, while four railcars worked the line between Napier, Wairoa and Gisborne, with a sixth railcar always undergoing maintenance and servicing in Wellington. The Hawke's Bay-Gisborne railcars used to work right through to Wellington on Saturdays and were swapped with the servicing railcar, which returned to Wairoa on Sundays.
The next railcars to be ordered were the ten Vulcan railcars powered by a Vulcan-Frichs diesel engine and intended for use in the South Island. Ten were built and dispatched to New Zealand, but one went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with the ship carrying it when it suffered a torpedo attack from a German U-boat. The nine surviving Vulcan railcars were used between Ross and Greymouth, replacing two earlier railcars which had been manufactured to deliver The Press to the West Coast early each morning, returning to Christchurch every evening. When the line through the Buller Gorge was completed and opened during WWII, Vulcan railcars were used to institue a new, twice-daily in each direction service between Westport and Greymouth. They were also used for some local services out of Christchurch, and also on the line to Picton after that opened.
After WWII, design work began on the next generation of diesel railcars and that eventually resulted in an order for 35 twinset articulated railcars from the Drewry Car Company. Drewry had never built anything, but were a design and supply company and they contracted out construction of the railcars to the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company. The new railcars were designed to use Wilson epicyclic gearboxes as the main part of the transmission. Two practical engine designs were available which could be fitted in the space beneath the floors of each body and clear of the track below. One was a marine diesel engine developed by Fiat, the other was a diesel engine developed by the Detroit Engine division of General Motors Corporation in the USA. The GM engine, which was used to power the very successful Budd RDC railcars in North America was by far the best engine, but the NZ government of the day had a real aversion to spending US dollars if they could purchase things using pounds sterling. The Fiat agents in Britain could supply Fiat engines for pounds sterling, so the government made a decision the Fiat engines would be used. There were several delays, but eventually the first of the new railcars arrived in Wellington in January 1955, with continuing deliveries following. The first of the new railcars was prepared for service at Hutt Railway Workshops and after a few trial runs in the Hutt Valley, it headed off to Napier in March, conveying the minister of railways and general manager of railways. It then spent a day being shown off to the public in Napier, as well as taking local dignitaries for a ride to Hastings and return. The following day, it went on to Gisborne, where once again it was put on public display. It then set off to run all the way back to Wellington, but enroute, collided with a truck on a level crossing at Dannevirke, damaging the railcar. Which is why the official publicity photographs, taken the following month at Waikanae and Otaki, used the second of the new railcars, because the first one was having the collision damage repaired.
By the end of July, sufficient of the new railcars had arrived in Wellington, with crew training completed, for them to enter service, so from 1st August 1955, the new twinset railcars took over running all Wellington-Napier-Gisborne rail passenger services, with the Standard railcars on that route being moved to Wellington-Wanganui-New Plymouth services. As further railcars arrived in the country, they were introduced to service on the Christchurch-Greymouth-Ross route, as well as an evening service in each direction between Christchurch and Dunedin, a local Dunedin-Invercargill-Dunedin daily return service, and on the line between Christchurch and Picton. The next route to get the new railcars was Wellington-Masterton-Woodville-Palmerston North after the Rimutaka Tunnel opened in November 1955. Finally, they were introduced to services out of Auckland to New Plymouth, Northland, Rotorua and Te Puke from 1956.
As the new twinset articulated railcars entered service, they were allocated twelve to Auckland, twelve to Wellington, and eleven to Christchurch. The six Standard railcars remained allocated to Wellington for Taranaki services; and the nine Vulcan railcars remained in the South Island. However, some of them were transferred to Dunedin to introduce railcars to the Central Otago line between Dunedin and Alexandra (they did for a short period run right through to Cromwell, but that didn't last long), as well as local services between Dunedin and Palmerston. The remaining Vulcans continued on the twice-daily Westport-Greymouth services in each direction, as well as running some Christchurch-Ross and Christchurch-Picton services, sharing those routes with the new twinsets.
It had been the intention of the government to order a further 15 twinset articulated railcars, but there were a lot of mechanical problems with them, mostly related to the Fiat diesel engines which were not a great success, and the cooling systems which were mated to the engines. Fiat actually sent engineers out to NZ to sort out the issues, as well as supplying a large number of new crankcases due to the initial crankcases and engine blocks wearing out prematurely, but they never managed throughout the life of those railcars to solve all of the problems. As a result the Fiat engines were very troublesome and expensive to maintain. By way of comparison, the Standard railcars and the Vulcan railcars were really sound designs and they had a long life, with only minor troubles, but eventually they wore out and had to be withdrawn. The twinset articulated railcars could have been re-engined with different power plants, but by the mid-1960s, the government didn't want to spend any major amounts of money on them, so first withdrawals from service took place in 1967 and over the following eleven years, they were all gradually pulled from service, resulting in complete withdrawal of rail passenger services from many routes. If only they'd gone for the GM engines, eh?
Robin Gibbens
Robert Scott thanks for a great write up, thoroughly enjoyed it
Colin Robbins
Robert Scott Thanks for that informative report, I started using the cars for transport to my first job in 1966 - 70. I did prefer the Vulcan it was much quieter and the seats were more plush, the 88'er had the engine in the middle of the front unit so if you could you chose a seat in the rear unit, but still quite noisy
Colin Robbins
I look at that picture again, What a beautiful thing!!! Imagine, with todays technology what, the railways could put on that track.
Murray Renton
Robert Scott some called them Fiats, some called them Drewry,s and some called them twinsets or 88 seaters....it can easily get confusing.
Arthur Dehn
Robert Scott I disagree with u First we had the Vulcan rail car with the engine in the front, that I loved being so quiet , then replaced by the rattley under floor bucket of bolts Fiats, I know i am an engineer and rode in them dozens of times
Kay Palmer
My Dad used to call it the Tin Hare.
Bert Chandler
I thought the flip the seat backs over for the return was a great idea, engine and transmission powered both ways, no need to turn the unit around.
Lynne Peterson
I agree
Les Holmes Germanicus
Those Fiat railcars were terrible. Cramped and uncomfortable they were designed for commuter traffic short journeys and not for 6 hour trips. When the engines finally gave out they were stripped of their motors, given a new coat of paint and hauled by diesel locos to wring out the very last before they wore out completely. The older Vulcans were spacious and comfortable to ride in and much more fit for purpose.
Russell Taylor
was there also a shorter version?
Martin James
The Vulcan Railcar was superior
Wendy Hogan
I used to go to school on o e of these from hokitika to greymouth
Shirley Michael Palmer
Remember these well. Dad work on the Railway in Greymouth
Stuart Chapman
Spent many an hour in these on our trips between ChCh and Greymouth, to visit rallies during school holidays. From memory, leaving ChCh at about 11:00 pm with the Press news paper to arrive in Greymouth at around 5 or 6 am
Margaret Young
Stephen John Young
Stephen John Young
Margaret Young nice picture, but the information given above applies to a different model of railcar (the Vulcans). Some of the comments are also confused e.g. there was never a 'shorter' version (that was the Vulcan); these were commonly known as Fiats (in spite of what one person claimed); the ones known as Tin Hares were a different model again (the Standard railcar); the Fiats were not designed for commuter service; etc, etc, etc.
Margaret Young
Stephen John Young I knew you'd put everyone right
Terry Harding
Back in the days when we had at least some public transport
Reply1d
Valda May Pattinson
Oh the wonderful memories of the Vulcan railcar. Also Brunner station of course.
Wayne Southon
They were the days
As a schoolboy I remember them well I can still remember the smell.
Rauma McIlwraith
They travelled Christchurch to Greymouth they were great in the day
Ray Deo
Your clearly are dickhead as it was one the vulcan railcars that suffered that fate.
Angel Esvella
Remember those days !!!
Peter Spence
We used to take our very young daughters to ChCh and back approx. once a month - the early Saturday morning start was a mission - we always enjoyed the trips, especially when there were heavy snow falls - in the 60's, to us it was a great service.
Rob Evans
Done a few trips over the years on the railcars , loved the old Vulcans
Shona Ratana
Loved these railcars.
Hugh Menzies
Are these the same type as the Rail Cars that ended up as Blue Streaks ?
Bryce Smith
Great days
Margaret McBride that station was much bigger in my day,it had a big signal box I seem to remember.
John White Margaret McBride yes I can just remember the signal box upstairs & switching mechanism for the Brunner siding to let passenger trains past coal & timber freight trains. Think there was a Station Master as well?
Margaret McBride yes there was.
Ann Selander I went to school from Ross to Hokitika return Monday to Friday those were the days and on a Friday we had the Vulcan railcar.
Helen Argyle Badly needed again in the South Island
Don Pearson Yes,a regular sight in my younger days.
Margi Adamson Went over to Christchurch many times.
Malcolm Marshall and back too
Kaye Mckay Margi Adamson loved those railcars
Peter Creagh Still running at Ferrymead.
Shirley O'Connor I remeber an unforgettable time a young male pssngr jumped over from behind me and linked his arms around my neck. He was having a dream. His grandma declared not any more trips for him. We were both 12.Him a bad drram and myself felt awkward. I was visiting from N Island and 10 hrs chch to Westport.
Heather Newby ha ha.. i had a couple of strange dreams when I was 12 too!
Lois Iacoppi They were comfortable to travel in
Heather Newby i think it was the earlier ones that were uncomfortable.. called "Boneshakers"
Shona Ratana Yes remember the railcar. Lots of travelling to and from Christchurch.
Mike Roberts I hear you brother, that is a thing of beauty :-)
Graeme Richardson Has it broken down again
Alison Syder awesome rides in those
Robin Gibbens All ways remember the sound , they a a neat sound when pulling away from the station.
John Brown many a ride in one those between Wigram and
Anne Kelly Great childhood memories of that area! Dad was a engine driver on the trains before he started in the mine at Wallsend I remember he showed us how to set the lights by the station going 1 day!
Pauline Schafer How I remember it.
Heather Gaulter Travelled this heaps , loved the railcar
Anne Honey The railcars were great. I loved the run from Moana to grey and the people flagging it down.
Sharyn Kevin Ratcliffe in 1968 i used to travel stillwater to chch in one of these
Pauline Schafer We used to catch it from Brunner or Dobson into Greymouth sometimes.
Arthur Dehn I had a permanent seat on it from Moana to ChCh each weekend , late 50 s
Jock Allen cup week in Christchurch with 10 mates on the railcar great memories
Bill Stephenson Jock Allen Hi, are you the Jock Allen that worked on the rope road at Dobson mine with Trevor Thomas
Denise Kelly Willis Did this quite often ChCh to Greymouth with my Nana sometimes she would hire a pillow for me and always had a bag of food, sandwiches etc loved it
Margaret Newton Alley My Mum and I use to travel a lot on the railcar.
Evelyn Hampton Used to catch this every Friday night to Rotomanu, still love to travel on a train when travelling around the world...
Patricia Stephens Use go on one these to greymouth with mum
Allan Robinson Use to travel in a railcar.great when you a kid.dont know they stopped them.
MIcheal Hunt my old man might have been the driver then
Gary Scott MIcheal Hunt
Can remember the guard opening the door to the drivers compartment and seeing the snow falling the the headlight beam.
Amazing how certain memories remain clear.
MLyn Armstrong Used to get off at aratika
Jenny Leach Remember this railcar well
Robert Wilson i loved it,,it took me to school every day and footy on saturdays..
Judith Kett My father in law Ron Kett was a Guard on these railcars we still have his guard hat
Colin Angus Heinz Bring them back!
Gary Patrick Great to travel on
Richard Leach What a great way to travel over the hill
Gordon Dixon Can remember travelling on this
Kevin Bell Great memories of some great trips in the railcar.
Catherine Cameron Loved my trips on the railcar.
Ross McFarlane Got sent from ChCh get off
here walk to Taylorville My baggage on the way back was a kerosene tin of Whitebait with the lid soldered on. Simply put a drug mule of the 70’s
Ross Hurley Travelled every school day on one of these or the smaller Vulcan. Ross to Hokitika and return it was our “school bus”
Ed Dando Been there done that
Brian McDermott We used to travel to ChCh and return for railway rugbyback in the day. LET US OF AT HORBY RUGBY FIELD.
Lyn Coleman I remember the rides well..
Raewyn Louttit Lovely going on the rail car
Yvonne Lawson Every second Friday night for awhile used to go to Chch on one of those.
Sue Berry Every fortnight Friday. Loved it.
Ernie Becker Went to school in the buller gg in the early Mn home late at note to rahui
Karen Mary Madgwick Love the rail car too ...cup of tea from those thick white cups ....
Charles Hutana Yes ole 88 seater ...the Sunday evening service from Greymouth to Christchurch...most times every seat was taken, and the kindly Guard allowed us to use the luggage compartment..oh what fun...many pleasant memories
Garry Wick Traveled on them lots .
Wayne Morris There is only one that is being restored at Paihiatua Railcar Group. It is made up from the remains if two complete wrecks.
Charles Hutana Another 88 railcar service l use to use
Charles Hutana Was the Saturday morning 2:20am Car (Chch to Ross) used primarily for the delivery of
the Chch The Press newspaper to the Coast... was a daily service...
Like me... Sometimes with a friend...my fellow travellers were going home for the weekend. Thanks to the thoughtfulness of the Station Staff...
Pillows, with crisp white pillows cases were for hire. Hmm can't remember think it was 6pence or a shilling - sometimes referred to as a "bob" each.
I use to make up a comfortable sleeper using 2 or 3 pillows and 2 seats... For me, and another for my girlfriend from Hokitika... Haha yes we did always get some sleep... Regards
Charles HutanaVern Pattinson
We youst to drink p
Bottles of beer in that shed
Allan Waters
Vern Pattinson I think a few of the Dobson/Taylorville boys and girls meet up at the Bruner railway station for a beer and a smoke.
Vern Pattinson
Allan Waters me and Ken Martin
Donald Mathias
Always remember the railcar trips with fondness. Smooth, could read a book, sleep, got to see everyone back yards, pretty well on time. Traveled where the cars didn't in many spots. Didn't have to pay for excess baggage. Not sure in some ways we have made progress.
Karen Rawley
Loved the railcar trips..great way to get over to the coast...we should still have them...
Alaine Bright
Karen Rawley I think if you rode in one today you might feel a bit different, the ride in the Tranz Alpine is far superior
Jeff Jones
Alaine Bright Yes and about 100% more in fares and takes three times longer the trans alpine is only there for the tourist
Alaine Bright
Jeff Jones unfortunately there isn’t the volume of people travelling to make a more frequent service viable or affordable and frankly I’m not sure that people would really want to travel in the likes of the railcar even if it was cheap. Nostalgia can play funny tricks on the memory
Donald Mathias
Alaine Bright Of course something new is better. Coaches float along instead of rattle and slug up the hills. Imagine a modern railcar. Plush seats, internet but still able to swing seats together and play cards.
Clare Pierson
Alaine Bright a zillion times more expensive!
Peter Creagh
Karen Rawley They still run a railcar at Ferrymead and I asked why don't they run a West Coast excursion sometime and they said it would no longer be reliable enough for a journey that far and it would need a certificate of compliance like a WOF I guess.
Karen Rawley
Peter Creagh
Peter Moore
Karen Rawley I agree.They wher great to travel in.
Diane Moreland
Loved traveling on them. Especially going through the Buller Gorge.
Marcus Madden
should still have them for westcoasters,transport to and from not the best.train so expensive.
Leslie Whitfield
Enjoyed many trips Christchurc to Temuka and return aboard the Fiat's.
Shane Tibbotts
Bring back those railcars
Morrie Waddell
Loved going to school on them ross to hokitika
Gavin Davy
Gee, my memory of the railcar trip wasn't that great, bloody uncomfortable and took forever to get there. Still, they were all we had then and the road trip was also a bit of an adventure.
Russell Knipe
Gavin Davy actually bud, you ain't wrong. They were really uncomfortable and slow.
There was something more romantic about steam travel in general.
Clare Pierson
Russell Knipe Train: start at 8.0am and get to ChCh after 5.0pm. Raicar much faster and more comfortable.
James Codyre
Russell Knipe I think the railcars were far superior to "The Perisable"?
Russell Knipe
My dad worked on the Railway back in the day. We had free travel on any form of Passenger Rail, 1st Class to boot.
I far preferred the Steam Train to the Railcar. To me, the Railcars were very noisy as opposed to the Trains.
Mind you, we were generally in the last Coach in the line and as a 10 year old boy, I would look out the window as we went round a bend, to see the engine and the first few Coaches way up the front.
You'll never convince me that a Railcar was better.
Gavin Davy
Yep, I've done a lot of train travel around the place Russ, generally it's a great way to see a country.
Glenda O'Donnell
My father you s to clean them out years ago
Lindsay Gail Grant
Glenda O'Donnell A nice man as well.
Valda May Pattinson
Lindsay Gail Grant Yes I remember Glenda O'Donnells dad Leo when I was a kid. Also thought what a nice man he was.
Glenda O'Donnell
Valda May Pattinson yes we all grown up together
Valda May Pattinson
Glenda O'Donnell Yes Glenda we did.
Glenda O'Donnell
Valda May Pattinson love you both
Heather Newby
Glenda O'Donnell i would have liked a job like that
Eve Holley
I was further back to the old black smoky train to dobson m8
Ian Tennent
They should have been re-powered with Roos Royce engines. They would still be in service today . The big problem is lowered speed because of poorly maintained tracks.
Ivan Murray Wilson
Ian Tennent Roos Royce, hmmm they might jump the tracks
Murray Renton
Ian Tennent The engines were in a confined space under the floor which made them difficult to replace I think.
Bruce Watson
We used to travel from Reefton to Christchurch twice a year on one of these when I was a kid.
Reply2d
Heather Newby
Bruce Watson same.. loved that trip.
Bruce Watson
Heather Newby Me too loved the pies at Otira.
Heather Newby
Bruce Watson and Springfeild.
Michelle Gibson
I used to catch the train at that station when I went to chch as a child
Pauline Schafer
Michelle Gibson I used to as well, from when I was 13, to stay with Sheila or Michael or Marie in ChCh.
Reply2d
Robert Scott
There never were any “Fiat” railcars in New Zealand (although I believe Fiat may have supplied some railcars to South America). There were, however, 35 twinset articulated railcars supplied by Drewry Car Company, but manufactured by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company at their Smethwick works near Birmingham. They were equipped with Westinghouse air brake equipment, Fiat diesel engines and Wilson epicyclic gearboxes.
Colin Robbins
Robert Scott There were two models, the other was a vulcan, single unit roughly 40-50 seats as I remember it, was very comfortable, It was normally on the morning run. left Chch at 2am and got to Hokitika 7-15 in the morning was perfect for me to get to work.
Robert Scott
Colin Robbins Ten of those were built, but only nine reached NZ due to one going down in the Atlantic when the ship it was being transported in got sunk by a German U-boat. Those Vulcan cars were used on the Greymouth-Westport railcar services in addition to sharing Ross-Christchurch services with the twinset articulated cars.
Heather Newby
Robert Scott interesting
Helen Burns
did that 2am trip many times
Barry Ward
Colin Robbins Yea that was a good one to take hm easy to sleep on
Russell Taylor
Robert Scott -there alsowere railcars on other lines gisborne wgtn, dunedin ingill, ingill to nightcaps , wgtn taranki, p nth napier - were they the same ?
Robert Scott
Russell Taylor From the mid-to-late 1950s, there was a fleet of 50 diesel railcars operating throughout NZ. The Standard railcars were six in number and were manufactured in Hutt Railway Workshops for use on the line between Napier and Wairoa, also through to Gisborne after that section was opened. However, delays in opening the line through to Wairoa due to the huge 1938 Esk Valley floods resulted in some of those railcars entering service on the route between Wellington and New Plymouth. Each of those railcars was powered by two Leyland diesel engines, but later during their lives, the were re-engined with Meadows diesel engines. After the line was opened right through to Gisborne in 1942, one Standard car was used for a return service each day between New Plymouth and Wellington, while four railcars worked the line between Napier, Wairoa and Gisborne, with a sixth railcar always undergoing maintenance and servicing in Wellington. The Hawke's Bay-Gisborne railcars used to work right through to Wellington on Saturdays and were swapped with the servicing railcar, which returned to Wairoa on Sundays.
The next railcars to be ordered were the ten Vulcan railcars powered by a Vulcan-Frichs diesel engine and intended for use in the South Island. Ten were built and dispatched to New Zealand, but one went to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with the ship carrying it when it suffered a torpedo attack from a German U-boat. The nine surviving Vulcan railcars were used between Ross and Greymouth, replacing two earlier railcars which had been manufactured to deliver The Press to the West Coast early each morning, returning to Christchurch every evening. When the line through the Buller Gorge was completed and opened during WWII, Vulcan railcars were used to institue a new, twice-daily in each direction service between Westport and Greymouth. They were also used for some local services out of Christchurch, and also on the line to Picton after that opened.
After WWII, design work began on the next generation of diesel railcars and that eventually resulted in an order for 35 twinset articulated railcars from the Drewry Car Company. Drewry had never built anything, but were a design and supply company and they contracted out construction of the railcars to the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company. The new railcars were designed to use Wilson epicyclic gearboxes as the main part of the transmission. Two practical engine designs were available which could be fitted in the space beneath the floors of each body and clear of the track below. One was a marine diesel engine developed by Fiat, the other was a diesel engine developed by the Detroit Engine division of General Motors Corporation in the USA. The GM engine, which was used to power the very successful Budd RDC railcars in North America was by far the best engine, but the NZ government of the day had a real aversion to spending US dollars if they could purchase things using pounds sterling. The Fiat agents in Britain could supply Fiat engines for pounds sterling, so the government made a decision the Fiat engines would be used. There were several delays, but eventually the first of the new railcars arrived in Wellington in January 1955, with continuing deliveries following. The first of the new railcars was prepared for service at Hutt Railway Workshops and after a few trial runs in the Hutt Valley, it headed off to Napier in March, conveying the minister of railways and general manager of railways. It then spent a day being shown off to the public in Napier, as well as taking local dignitaries for a ride to Hastings and return. The following day, it went on to Gisborne, where once again it was put on public display. It then set off to run all the way back to Wellington, but enroute, collided with a truck on a level crossing at Dannevirke, damaging the railcar. Which is why the official publicity photographs, taken the following month at Waikanae and Otaki, used the second of the new railcars, because the first one was having the collision damage repaired.
By the end of July, sufficient of the new railcars had arrived in Wellington, with crew training completed, for them to enter service, so from 1st August 1955, the new twinset railcars took over running all Wellington-Napier-Gisborne rail passenger services, with the Standard railcars on that route being moved to Wellington-Wanganui-New Plymouth services. As further railcars arrived in the country, they were introduced to service on the Christchurch-Greymouth-Ross route, as well as an evening service in each direction between Christchurch and Dunedin, a local Dunedin-Invercargill-Dunedin daily return service, and on the line between Christchurch and Picton. The next route to get the new railcars was Wellington-Masterton-Woodville-Palmerston North after the Rimutaka Tunnel opened in November 1955. Finally, they were introduced to services out of Auckland to New Plymouth, Northland, Rotorua and Te Puke from 1956.
As the new twinset articulated railcars entered service, they were allocated twelve to Auckland, twelve to Wellington, and eleven to Christchurch. The six Standard railcars remained allocated to Wellington for Taranaki services; and the nine Vulcan railcars remained in the South Island. However, some of them were transferred to Dunedin to introduce railcars to the Central Otago line between Dunedin and Alexandra (they did for a short period run right through to Cromwell, but that didn't last long), as well as local services between Dunedin and Palmerston. The remaining Vulcans continued on the twice-daily Westport-Greymouth services in each direction, as well as running some Christchurch-Ross and Christchurch-Picton services, sharing those routes with the new twinsets.
It had been the intention of the government to order a further 15 twinset articulated railcars, but there were a lot of mechanical problems with them, mostly related to the Fiat diesel engines which were not a great success, and the cooling systems which were mated to the engines. Fiat actually sent engineers out to NZ to sort out the issues, as well as supplying a large number of new crankcases due to the initial crankcases and engine blocks wearing out prematurely, but they never managed throughout the life of those railcars to solve all of the problems. As a result the Fiat engines were very troublesome and expensive to maintain. By way of comparison, the Standard railcars and the Vulcan railcars were really sound designs and they had a long life, with only minor troubles, but eventually they wore out and had to be withdrawn. The twinset articulated railcars could have been re-engined with different power plants, but by the mid-1960s, the government didn't want to spend any major amounts of money on them, so first withdrawals from service took place in 1967 and over the following eleven years, they were all gradually pulled from service, resulting in complete withdrawal of rail passenger services from many routes. If only they'd gone for the GM engines, eh?
Robin Gibbens
Robert Scott thanks for a great write up, thoroughly enjoyed it
Colin Robbins
Robert Scott Thanks for that informative report, I started using the cars for transport to my first job in 1966 - 70. I did prefer the Vulcan it was much quieter and the seats were more plush, the 88'er had the engine in the middle of the front unit so if you could you chose a seat in the rear unit, but still quite noisy
Colin Robbins
I look at that picture again, What a beautiful thing!!! Imagine, with todays technology what, the railways could put on that track.
Murray Renton
Robert Scott some called them Fiats, some called them Drewry,s and some called them twinsets or 88 seaters....it can easily get confusing.
Arthur Dehn
Robert Scott I disagree with u First we had the Vulcan rail car with the engine in the front, that I loved being so quiet , then replaced by the rattley under floor bucket of bolts Fiats, I know i am an engineer and rode in them dozens of times
Kay Palmer
My Dad used to call it the Tin Hare.
Bert Chandler
I thought the flip the seat backs over for the return was a great idea, engine and transmission powered both ways, no need to turn the unit around.
Lynne Peterson
I agree
Les Holmes Germanicus
Those Fiat railcars were terrible. Cramped and uncomfortable they were designed for commuter traffic short journeys and not for 6 hour trips. When the engines finally gave out they were stripped of their motors, given a new coat of paint and hauled by diesel locos to wring out the very last before they wore out completely. The older Vulcans were spacious and comfortable to ride in and much more fit for purpose.
Russell Taylor
was there also a shorter version?
Martin James
The Vulcan Railcar was superior
Wendy Hogan
I used to go to school on o e of these from hokitika to greymouth
Shirley Michael Palmer
Remember these well. Dad work on the Railway in Greymouth
Stuart Chapman
Spent many an hour in these on our trips between ChCh and Greymouth, to visit rallies during school holidays. From memory, leaving ChCh at about 11:00 pm with the Press news paper to arrive in Greymouth at around 5 or 6 am
Margaret Young
Stephen John Young
Stephen John Young
Margaret Young nice picture, but the information given above applies to a different model of railcar (the Vulcans). Some of the comments are also confused e.g. there was never a 'shorter' version (that was the Vulcan); these were commonly known as Fiats (in spite of what one person claimed); the ones known as Tin Hares were a different model again (the Standard railcar); the Fiats were not designed for commuter service; etc, etc, etc.
Margaret Young
Stephen John Young I knew you'd put everyone right
Terry Harding
Back in the days when we had at least some public transport
Reply1d
Valda May Pattinson
Oh the wonderful memories of the Vulcan railcar. Also Brunner station of course.
Wayne Southon
They were the days
As a schoolboy I remember them well I can still remember the smell.
Rauma McIlwraith
They travelled Christchurch to Greymouth they were great in the day
Ray Deo
Your clearly are dickhead as it was one the vulcan railcars that suffered that fate.
Angel Esvella
Remember those days !!!
Peter Spence
We used to take our very young daughters to ChCh and back approx. once a month - the early Saturday morning start was a mission - we always enjoyed the trips, especially when there were heavy snow falls - in the 60's, to us it was a great service.
Rob Evans
Done a few trips over the years on the railcars , loved the old Vulcans
Shona Ratana
Loved these railcars.
Hugh Menzies
Are these the same type as the Rail Cars that ended up as Blue Streaks ?
Bryce Smith
Great days
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West Coast New Zealand History (10th Jul 2023). An 88 seater Fiat Railcar at the Brunner Railway Station.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 19th Mar 2026 10:13, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/26385