Rails (magazine)

Last updated

Rails
EditorRobin Bromby (1971–1975)
Bob Stott QSM (1971–2003)
Categories Rail transport in New Zealand
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherSouthern Press Limited
First issueAugust 1971
Final issueDecember 2003
CountryNew Zealand
Based in Wellington
Language New Zealand English
ISSN 0110-6155

Rails was a New Zealand-based monthly periodical covering rail transport in New Zealand published by Rails Publishing Ltd from August 1971, which in 1972 changed its name to Southern Press from August 1971 until December 2003. The company was jointly owned by Bob Stott and Robin Bromby; Bob Stott was Editor and ran the editorial content and Robin Bromby was Managing Editor mainly responsible for the business operation. [1] [2] [3] [4]

The editor for the entirety of Rails existence was Bob Stott QSM. Robin Bromby was managing editor from 1971 to 1975, at which time Bob and Jan Stott become the owners of the magazine. The magazine's existence spanned the final years of central government control of railways in New Zealand (the New Zealand Railways Department), corporatisation in the 1980s (the New Zealand Railways Corporation), privatisation of the railways in 1993 (New Zealand Rail Limited, renamed Tranz Rail in 1995) and finally the purchase of Tranz Rail by Toll Holdings followed by the renationalisation of the rail network in 2003. [5]

The magazine was initially printed by the Masterton Printing Company. In 1973 Robin Bromby established the Dunedin office, and the printing was transferred to Allied Press (owner of the Otago Daily Times newspaper). There were some difficult moments and, in 1973, the partners agreed to close the magazine to prevent further losses. New Zealand Railways was eager to see the magazine continue and committed to regular advertising, the revenue from that making it possible for Rails to survive. The rescue was very much at quarter to midnight; the next edition was about to go to print and the inside cover contained the closure announcement. At the last moment, that announcement was pulled and a full-page photograph of an Invercargill tram substituted. The economics of the magazine were further underpinned by the decision by Stott and Bromby to begin publishing rail books and this ancillary business enabled the company to turn the corner. [6]

Rails and editor Bob Stott were often cited as authorities on rail-related subjects in the general news media. [7] Stott continued to comment on railway-related matters after Rails ceased publication, [8] and has had regular opinion columns published in Rails former competitor, Railfan.

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Tranz Rail, formally Tranz Rail Holdings Limited, was the main rail operator in New Zealand from 1991 until it was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2003.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston Flyer</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interislander</span> Ferry service across the Cook Strait

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<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>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Railways Corporation</span>

New Zealand Railways Corporation (NZRC) is the state-owned enterprise that owns the land beneath KiwiRail's railway network on behalf of the Crown. The Corporation has existed under a number of guises since 1982, when the old New Zealand Railways Department was corporatised followed by deregulation of the land transport sector. In 1986, the Corporation became a State-owned enterprise, required to make a profit. Huge job losses and cutbacks ensued, and the rail network, rail operations and ferry service of the Corporation were transferred to New Zealand Rail Limited in 1990. The Corporation retained ownership of the land beneath the railway network, and charged a nominal rental to New Zealand Rail, which was privatised in 1993, and renamed Tranz Rail in 1995. In 2004, following a deal with Tranz Rail's new owners Toll NZ, the Corporation took over responsibility for maintaining and upgrading the rail network once more, trading under the name ONTRACK. Negotiations with Toll over track access charges concluded after four years with no agreement reached, so the government purchased the entire rail and ferry operations, naming the service KiwiRail. ONTRACK's railway infrastructure and employees were then transferred to KiwiRail in 2008, which itself was initially a subsidiary of the Corporation. On 31 December 2012, the Corporation once again became the landowner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Hutt railway station</span> Railway station in New Zealand

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Journeys New Zealand</span> Tourism division of KiwiRail

Great Journeys New Zealand is the tourism division of KiwiRail that operate its three Scenic train services. The new division was launched in May 2017 and replaced the former tourism brand KiwiRail Scenic Journeys. It has continuity with the earlier InterCity Rail (1987–1995) and Tranz Scenic (1995–2011).

References

  1. ↑ "National Library of New Zealand - Rails". National Library of New Zealand . Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "A Note About Rails Magazine". Rails: 2. November 1974.
  3. ↑ "Light at the End of the Tunnel". Rails: 3. April 1975.
  4. ↑ "Rails catalogue entry - State Library of New South Wales". State Library of New South Wales . Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  5. ↑ "A message from the publishers of Rails". Rails. 33 (5): 105. December 2003.
  6. ↑ Comment by Robin Bromby, December 2019
  7. ↑ "Tranz Rail passenger trains coming to end of the line". New Zealand Herald. 11 October 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "Steel backbone an economic lifeline". New Zealand Herald. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
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