Culverden Express

Last updated January 24, 2023

The Culverden Express was a passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between Christchurch and Culverden. It ran from 1886 until its replacement by the Picton Express in 1945 and its route followed both the Main North Line and the Waiau Branch. In the mid-1920s, the main northern terminus became Parnassus, and to reflect this, the name was changed to the Parnassus Express.

Introduction

On 8 February 1886, the railway line from Christchurch to Culverden was opened. Initially envisaged as part of the main route north to Marlborough, an express passenger train began operating between the two towns. It was the most important passenger train in the northern Canterbury region and it received modern rolling stock and steam locomotives, such as the U^B class of 1899.^[1] In 1919, when the railway was extended beyond Culverden to Waiau, the Express's operation was extended too: it ran twice daily between Christchurch and Culverden, continuing thrice weekly through to Waiau.^[2]

A new route

In 1900, work began on a coastal route north of Waipara, where the Main North Line turned inland to run through the Weka Pass to Culverden. This line reached Parnassus in 1912. Initially, the service to Culverden remained the main Express, with carriages for Parnassus detached at Waipara and operated separately through to Parnassus. However, in the mid-1920s, Parnassus became the primary terminus, with the carriages detached in Waipara now conveyed to Culverden. The name of the train was changed to the Parnassus Express to reflect the alteration. This train was used for trials of the 'Midland Red' paint scheme to replace the Railways Department's former olive green with yellow trim livery;^[3] this paint scheme later came to be used nationwide through to the 1990s.

Replacement

The Culverden Express route gradually declined in importance as Parnassus became the primary terminus and work began on the coastal route as the line to the north. The New Zealand Railways Road Services bus operations were actively encouraged, resulting in a stark decline in passenger demand on the Waipara-Culverden-Waiau route on what was now the Waiau Branch. In 1914, 20,000 passengers were carried, but by 1938, this figure was down to 3,000 annually and passenger services on the Waiau Branch were cancelled on 29 January 1939.^[4] The service to Parnassus continued to operate until the Main North Line was completed in full from Christchurch to Picton in December 1945. With the full line open, the Parnassus train was replaced by the Picton Express.

Related Research Articles

The Weka Pass Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway based in Waipara, North Canterbury. It is operated on a 12.8 km length of the former Waiau Branch railway between Waipara and Waikari. The railway is operated by an incorporated society whose members come from all walks of life and are largely resident in the city of Christchurch, 60 km to the south. The railway began carrying passengers in 1984 and is now well established locally and nationally.

The Main North Line between Picton and Christchurch and the Main South Line between Lyttelton and Invercargill, running down the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, are sometimes together referred to collectively as the South Island Main Trunk Railway (SIMT). Construction of a line running the length of the east coast began in the 1860s and was completed all the way from Picton to Invercargill in 1945; the last sections being on the Main North Line south of Picton. The designation "South Island Main Trunk" originally referred to only that line between Christchurch and Invercargill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiau, Canterbury</span> Town in Canterbury, New Zealand

Waiau is a small town in north Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand. It lies 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Hanmer Springs on the northern bank of the Waiau Uwha River, some 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the river's mouth. There is a small supermarket, a DIY store and a petrol station.

The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway 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. It is one of the most important railway lines in New Zealand and was one of the first to be built, with construction commencing in the 1860s. At Christchurch, it connects with the Main North Line to Picton, the other part of the South Island Main Trunk.

The Southerner was a passenger express train in New Zealand's South Island between Christchurch and Invercargill along the South Island Main Trunk, that ran from 1970 to 2002. It was one of the premier passenger trains in New Zealand and its existence made Invercargill the southernmost passenger station in the world.

The TranzAlpine is a passenger train operated by The Great Journeys of New Zealand in the South Island of New Zealand over the Midland Line; often regarded to be one of the world's great train journeys for the scenery through which it passes. The journey is 223 kilometres (139 mi) one-way, taking almost five hours. There are 16 tunnels and four viaducts, with the Staircase Viaduct elevated as much as 75 metres (246 ft).

The Coastal Pacific is a long-distance passenger train that runs between Picton and Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. It is operated by The Great Journeys of New Zealand division of KiwiRail. It was called the TranzCoastal from May 2000 until temporarily withdrawn in February 2011. It was the first train to use the new AK class carriages.

The Waiau Branch was a branch line railway in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. Known as the Great Northern Railway for its first few decades of life, the Waiau Branch was seen as part of a main line north but was ultimately superseded by a coastal route. Opened in stages from 1882 to 1919, the line closed in 1978 but a portion has been retained as the Weka Pass Railway.

Medbury is a rural locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located just off State Highway 7 near the Hurunui River. There is no longer a significant population base forming a township, just rural properties.

Culverden is a small town in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It lies at the centre of the Amuri Plain. Culverden has traditionally been surrounded by sheep farms. Dairy farms have now become more common as a result of irrigation schemes in the area. The Waiau Plains Irrigation Scheme was completed in 1980. It provides irrigation to 17,000 hectares of farmland and the Balmoral Scheme provides irrigation to a further 5500 hectares. The Rutherford Reserve and the Culverden Recreation Reserve are on the southern side of Culverden and the Culverden Golf Course in on the northern entrance to Culverden. There is a memorial in the Rutherford Reserve to Dr Charles Little who died in November 1918 from the Spanish Flu. He was the county doctor providing medical services from Waikari to Waiau.

Weka Pass is a locality in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island between the towns of Waipara and Waikari.

Parnassus is a locality in the Canterbury region's Hurunui District on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the north bank of the Waiau River.

The Main North Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk railway, is a railway line that runs north from Christchurch in New Zealand up the east coast of the South Island through Kaikōura and Blenheim to Picton. It is a major link in New Zealand's national rail network and offers a connection with roll-on roll-off ferries from Picton to Wellington. It was also the longest railway construction project in New Zealand's history, with the first stages built in the 1870s and not completed until 1945.

The Picton Express was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) between Christchurch and Picton. It ran from December 1945 until February 1956, and was thus the shortest-lived provincial express in New Zealand. Following the end of railcar services in 1976, a new carriage train between Christchurch and Picton began, under the same name as the earlier service, until it was replaced in 1988 by the Coastal Pacific Express.

The New Plymouth Express was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) between Wellington and New Plymouth. It ran from 1886 until 1955 and was sometimes known as the New Plymouth Mail due to the Railway Travelling Post Office carriages included in its consist. The Express was notable amongst NZR's provincial expresses as being both the first and, until the commencement of the Gisborne Express in 1942, the longest in distance travelled.

Rail transport in Christchurch, the largest city on New Zealand's South Island, consists of two main trunk railway lines intersecting in the suburb of Addington, carrying mainly long-haul freight traffic but also two long distance tourist-oriented passenger trains. The two lines are the Main North Line and Main South Line, collectively but unofficially known as the South Island Main Trunk Railway. There is a heritage line at the Ferrymead Historic Park that is operated with steam, electric, and diesel motive power hauling tourist-oriented services.

The Wanganui Branch is a 5.00 km branch line railway in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It links Wanganui with the Marton - New Plymouth Line (MNPL) at Aramoho and has been open since 21 January 1878, although solely for freight traffic since 7 September 1959. Another branch line diverged from the Wanganui Branch near its terminus, the Castlecliff Branch.

Lyttelton Line is a name sometimes used to refer to the section of the Main South Line in New Zealand's South Island between Lyttelton and Christchurch, and can also be used to refer to the operations on this section. As it has always been part of the Main South Line, this name has never been officially used to refer to the track itself.

Christchurch railway station is in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is on the Main North Line at Addington junction, and is the only remaining passenger railway station in the city: suburban passenger trains were cancelled due to lack of demand in the 1970s. It is the terminus of the South Island's one remaining long-distance passenger train, the TranzAlpine.

References

↑ Mahoney, J.D. (1982). Kings of the Iron Road. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press. p. 110.
↑ Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1998) [1995]. Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways (revised ed.). Wellington: Grantham House. p. 62.
↑ Mahoney 1982, p. 105.
↑ Churchman, Geoffrey B.; Hurst, Tony (1991). The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History. Auckland: HarperCollins. p. 181.

External links

Tracks on OpenStreetMap (As dotted line, may require user to zoom in)

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Mahoney, J.D. (1982). Kings of the Iron Road. Palmerston North: Dunmore Press. p. 110.

[2] Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1998) [1995]. Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways (revised ed.). Wellington: Grantham House. p. 62.

[FOOTNOTEMahoney1982105-3] Mahoney 1982, p. 105.

[4] Churchman, Geoffrey B.; Hurst, Tony (1991). The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History. Auckland: HarperCollins. p. 181.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]