NZR RM class (Red Terror)

Last updated

NZR RM class
General Manager's Inspection Railcar – Red Terror
The "Red Terror"; the railcar used by the General Manager of New Zealand Railways, 1933 ATLIB 307082.png
"Red Terror", the railcar used by the General Manager of New Zealand Railways
In service1934–1940
Manufacturer New Zealand Railways [1]
Built at Hutt Workshops
Constructed1934
Entered serviceFebruary 1934
Scrapped1941 converted into Overhead Inspection Platform Vehicle
Number built1
Number in serviceNone
Fleet numbersRM 1
Capacity7 passengers plus driver
Operator(s) New Zealand Railways
Line(s) servedAll New Zealand main and branch lines
Specifications
Car length18 ft 3.5 in (5.58 m) over bumpers [1]
Width5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) over body
Maximum speed60 mph (97 km/h)
Prime mover(s) Leyland 4.4 litre (268 cu)
6-cylinder petrol engine
Power output60 hp (45 kW)
Transmission Mechanical
UIC classification 1-A
Track gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)

The Red Terror was a four-wheel railcar built in 1934 and used by the general manager [2] of New Zealand Railways, Garnet Mackley, for six years for inspections of the railway system, and to demonstrate the potential for using petrol- and diesel-powered railcars in New Zealand. The railcar could carry 7 people plus the driver. It was given the classification RM 1. [1]

Contents

Background

From 1906 to around 1930, New Zealand Railways had been experimenting with ways to provide for fast passenger services where numbers of passengers were too few to warrant a full passenger train. [3] [4] 'One locomotive and one carriage' combinations were tried in 1906 and 1929 but proved unsuccessful. [5] A long succession of railcars (including petrol-engined, petrol-electric, battery-electric, and steam) was tried from 1912, but these were all mechanically unreliable, mechanically unsuitable, or uneconomic. [3]

Garnet Mackley was appointed assistant general manager of New Zealand Railways on 1 December 1931, [6] acting general manager in November 1932, [7] and general manager on 1 May 1933. [6] He had to "win approval" for the construction of the inspection car that became known as the Red Terror. [6]

A small Ford touring car that had been "mounted on two axles and used as an inspection car" had led to the building of the managerial inspection car, the Red Terror. [8]

Description

The Red Terror was built at the NZR Hutt Workshops on a Leyland Cub chassis. [1] It was powered by a Leyland six cylinder petrol engine, had a 4-forward, 1-reverse, gearbox, a cruising speed of 50 mph (80 km/h), and a maximum speed of 60 mph (100 km/h). [1] [9] The vehicle had a turntable mounted beneath it, which could be lowered onto the track surface, allowing the car to be lifted up and turned by hand to face the other direction. [1] [10]

The name "Red Terror" came from a staff member watching it run through a station during trials. He exclaimed, "A blooming Phar Lap! The Red Terror! That's what she is" – a reference to an alternative name for the famous racehorse of that time. [11] [12] The name stuck, at least in part because of its role in carrying the general manager and other senior staff on inspections of the railway network. A contemporary writer explained, "The name is a combination of respect and affection. It neatly describes the instrument which enabled a man of Mr Mackley's endless untiring energy to cover the territory in the most unexpected fashion, so that he might arrive anywhere at any time." [13] The car was not known by any other name by railway staff. [11]

Service

Following successful trial runs on 9 and 21 January 1934, [14] the railcar was used for an inspection tour of the North Island by Mackley in February 1934. [15] [16] [17]

After the 5 March 1934 Paihiatua (Horoeka) Earthquake, [18] the "new rail-car was immediately requisitioned" so that the Chief Engineer and inspecting officers could travel through the Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay, and Manawatu districts to inspect, and where necessary test, track and structures such as bridges, tunnels and culverts. [19]

The railcar was then taken to Bluff by sea for inspection tours of the South Island. [20] [21] By September 1934 Mackley reported that he had travelled over 7000 miles (11,250 km) in the railcar and had "made a comprehensive personal inspection of the whole railway service." [22] This included having travelled over every main and branch line in the North Island and South Island railway networks in the Red Terror. At each location he visited, he talked with local business interests to better understand their needs. By mid-1936 the railcar had completed over 30,000 miles (48,250 km) in service. [13]

The vehicle demonstrated a previously unobtainable speed of travel. An example of note at the time was of a politician, MP and former Prime Minister, George Forbes, who was able in a single day to travel in the railcar from Wellington to Napier, address a conference there, and then return to Wellington. [11]

Conversion and preservation

Once the practicality of railcars had been demonstrated – the two Midland, seven Wairarapa, and six Standard railcars having been built and proved in service – the Red Terror had served its primary purpose. Also, Mackley retired on 31 January 1940. [7]

The Red Terror was rebuilt in 1941 into an overhead inspection platform vehicle, and reclassified PW 2. [10] Based at Otira, it was used until 1996 for maintaining the 1500 V DC overhead for the electrified section of railway between Arthur's Pass and Otira, including the Otira Tunnel.

In 1996 the vehicle was transferred to Ferrymead Heritage Railway at Christchurch for preservation. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railcar</span> Self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers

A railcar 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 railway companies, such as the Great Western, termed such vehicles "railmotors".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garnet Mackley</span>

Garnet Hercules Mackley was a New Zealand businessman, railways manager and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Island Main Trunk</span> Railway line in New Zealand running between Auckland and Wellington

The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is 682 kilometres (424 mi) long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of 1,067 mm and serves the large cities of Palmerston North and Hamilton.

<i>Silver Star</i> (NZR train) Defunct New Zealand Passenger Train

The Silver Star was a luxury passenger train that ran overnight between Auckland and Wellington on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) railway of New Zealand, operated by New Zealand Railways (NZR). The train ran from Monday 6 September 1971 until Sunday 8 June 1979. It replaced the Night Limited express passenger trains which provided a faster service than the ordinary express trains, by stopping at only six intermediate stations en route and not hauling a postal traffic as previous trains had.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR RM class (Edison battery-electric)</span>

The NZR RM class Edison battery-electric railcar was a railcar that ran in Canterbury, New Zealand for eight years. It was built for New Zealand Railways (NZR) as a prototype for battery-electric railcars. While the railcar, classified "RM 6", was considered the first successful railcar in New Zealand, it was later destroyed in a fire, and battery-electric traction for railcars was not developed further in New Zealand. Two other classes of battery-electric locomotives were introduced about the same time as RM 6, the E class of 1922 and the EB class of 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR RM class (Midland)</span>

The NZR RM class Midland railcar was the first successful railcar, and first diesel-powered vehicle, to enter revenue service in New Zealand. Two were built, RM 20 and RM 21, and they ran for five years from 1936 to 1941 before being replaced by larger Vulcan railcars. They operated primarily on the Midland Line and the Greymouth-Hokitika portion of the Ross Branch

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 corporatised on 1 April 1982 into the New Zealand Railways Corporation. Originally, railway construction and operation took place under the auspices of the former provincial governments and some private railways, before all of the provincial operations came under the central Public Works Department. The role of operating the rail network was subsequently separated from that of the network's construction. From 1895 to 1993 there was a responsible Minister, the Minister of Railways. He was often also the Minister of Public Works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR RM class (88 seater)</span>

The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of railcar used in New Zealand. New Zealand Government Railways (NZR) classified them as RM (Rail Motor), the notation used for all railcars, numbering the 35 sets from RM100 to RM134. They were the most numerous railcars in NZR service. Their purchase and introduction saw the demise of steam-hauled provincial passenger trains and mixed trains, and was part of a deliberate effort to modernise NZR passenger services at a time of increasing competition from private motor vehicles. Being diesel powered and lighter the railcars were less expensive to operate and able to maintain quicker timetables, although became plagued with mechanical and electrical problems, with a number of the class eventually being turned into depowered locomotive-hauled carriages and reclassified as the AC class "Grassgrubs".

This is a list of jargon commonly used by railfans and railway employees in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR RM class (Vulcan)</span>

The NZR RM class Vulcan railcars were operated by the New Zealand Government Railways (NZR) in the South Island of New Zealand. All New Zealand railcars are classified as RM (Rail Motor), and this class derived their nomenclature from the name of the manufacturer, the Vulcan Foundry of Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR RM class (Standard)</span>

The NZR RM class Standard railcars were a class of railcar operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) in the North Island of New Zealand. Officially classified as RM like all other railcar classes in New Zealand, they acquired the designation of "Standard" to differentiate them from other railcar classes. They were introduced in 1938 and withdrawn in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR RM class</span> Classification given to railcars

The RM class was the classification used by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) and its successors gave to most railcars and railbuses that have operated on New Zealand's national rail network. "RM" stands for Rail Motor which was the common name at the turn of the 20th century for what became known in New Zealand as railcars. As many types of railcars are operated, class names have been given to each railcar type to differentiate them from others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR RM class (Sentinel-Cammell)</span>

The NZR RM class Sentinel-Cammell was a steam-powered railcar operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR). It was the only one of its type to operate in New Zealand, and one of only two steam railcars trialled in the country; the other was the Clayton steam railcar.

The Drewry Car Co was a railway locomotive and railcar manufacturer and sales organisation from 1906 to 1984. At the start and the end of its life it built its own products, for the rest of the time it sold vehicles manufactured by sub-contractors. It was separate from the lorry-builder, Shelvoke & Drewry, but it is believed that James Sidney Drewry was involved with both companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NZR D class (1874)</span>

NZR D class steam tank locomotives operated on New Zealand's national railway network. The first entered service in 1874 all had been withdrawn by the end of 1927, which allowed the D classification to be used again in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coast Main Trunk</span> Railway in New Zealand running between Hamilton and Kawerau

The East Coast Main Trunk (ECMT) is a railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, originally running between Hamilton and Taneatua via Tauranga, connecting the Waikato with the Bay of Plenty. The ECMT now runs between Hamilton and Kawerau, with a branch line to Taneatua from the junction at Hawkens. The line is built to narrow gauge of 1,067 mm, the uniform gauge in New Zealand. It was known as the East Coast Main Trunk Railway until 2011, when the word "Railway" was dropped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A & G Price</span>

A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand founded in 1868.

The NZR RM class Westinghouse railcar was an experimental railcar built by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) in 1914. Although not the first railcar to operate in New Zealand, it was the first to enter revenue service.

Railway electrification in New Zealand consists of three separate electric systems, all in the North Island. Electrification was initially adopted by the New Zealand Railways for long tunnels; the Otira Tunnel, the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel and the two Tawa Tunnels of the Tawa Flat Deviation. Electrification of Wellington suburban services started with the Johnsonville Line and Kapiti Line out of Wellington from the 1930s. Auckland suburban services were electrified in 2014–2015. Electrification of long-distance services on the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) dates from 1986. New long tunnels, for example the Rimutaka Tunnel and the Kaimai Tunnel, were operated by diesels, and the Otira and Lyttelton Tunnels have converted to diesel operation.

The 1938 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. The awards celebrated the passing of 1937 and the beginning of 1938, and were announced on 1 January 1938.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 New Zealand Model Railway Guild, Sheet 11, Inspection Railcar, RM-1
  2. ↑ "The "Red Terror"; the railcar used by... | Items | National Library of New Zealand". Natlib.govt.nz. 1 January 1933. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  3. 1 2 Leitch, David B. (1972). Railways of New Zealand. Auckland: Leonard Fullerton. pp. 192–193. ISBN   0-7153-5673-9.
  4. ↑ "AtoJs Online — Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives — 1926 Session I — D-02 Railways Statement by the Minister of Railways, The Right Hon. J. G. Coates". atojs.natlib.govt.nz. p. ix. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Leitch, David B. (1972). Railways of New Zealand. Auckland: Leonard Fullerton. p. 192. ISBN   0-7153-5673-9.
  6. 1 2 3 Bellamy, Alan (2000) 'Mackley, Garnet Hercules', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Volume 5. Auckland: Auckland University Press & Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. p. 323. ISBN   1-86940 224 3
  7. 1 2 Headlight (1 February 1940). "After Forty Years – Retirement of Mr G. H. Mackley, C.M.G., – General Manager of Railways". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 14 (11): 9. Wellington: New Zealand Government Railways Department
  8. ↑ Leitch, David B. (1972). Railways of New Zealand. Auckland: Leonard Fullerton. p. 193. ISBN   0-7153-5673-9.
  9. ↑ "Back to the Rail: A Public Tendency: Railway Manager's Views". The Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21154, 3 May 1934, p. 8.
  10. 1 2 New Zealand Model Railway Guild, Sheet 12, Inspection Railcar (Platform Wagon), PW-2
  11. 1 2 3 "We of the 'Never Never'." (1 April 1936). "The 'Red Terror'". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 11 (1): 57. Wellington: New Zealand Government Railways Department
  12. ↑ "The Phar Lap Story". www.pharlap.com.au. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  13. 1 2 Gillespie, O.N. (1 July 1936). "The Rail-car "Maahunui" Successful Trial Runs". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 11 (4): 15. Wellington: New Zealand Government Railways Department
  14. ↑ "New Rail Car: Satisfactory Tests: Use in South Island Possible". The Press, Vol LXX, Issue 21093, 19 February 1934, p. 12.
  15. ↑ "New Rail Car: Tour of Inspection: High Speed Maintained". Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 26, 12 February 1934, p. 3.
  16. ↑ "New Rail Car Arrival in Whangarei: Visit to Opua: Possibilities for Future". Northern Advocate, 13 February 1934, p. 6.
  17. ↑ A series of pictures taken during the recent inspection, by rail car, of the North Island lines (1 May 1934). "General Manager, New Zealand Railways, Inspects the North Island Lines by Rail Car". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 9 (2): 27.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Wellington: New Zealand Government Railways Department
  18. ↑ "M7.6, Horoeka, 5 March 1934". www.geonet.org.nz/. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  19. ↑ General Manager's Message (2 April 1934). "Railway Progress in New Zealand". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 9 (1): 8. Wellington: New Zealand Government Railways Department
  20. ↑ "Transport by Rail". The Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21132, 6 April 1934, p. 10.
  21. ↑ "Tour by Rail Car". The Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21176, 29 May 1934, p. 12.
  22. ↑ General Manager's Message (1 September 1934). "Railway Progress in New Zealand". The New Zealand Railways Magazine. 9 (6): 8. Wellington: New Zealand Government Railways Department
  23. ↑ "New Zealand Rolling Stock Register". Nzrsr.co.nz. Retrieved 12 March 2017.


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.