Condensed from an article written by Tom
McGavin in the New Zealand Railway Observer issue 104 of winter 1965.
Twenty five years ago, in war-torn September 1940, the first of ten
double-bogie railcars ordered by New Zealand Railways in 1938 from
the Vulcan Foundry Ltd., England, arrived quietly, unheralded and
unsung, at a South Island port. Others followed later, until nine
were delivered safely and put to work in the South Island. One of
the ten was a victim of a torpedo attack during the voyage to New
Zealand.
On May 9, 1938, the Minister of Railways, then Mr D. G. Sullivan,
announced that the tender of the Vulcan Foundry Co. Ltd., Lancashire,
England, had been accepted for the supply of ten complete standard
diesel railcars, and that tenders would also be invited for the supply
of ten 3-car diesel-engined train units, each with accommodation for
about 150 passengers. The first railcar was due to be supplied 14
months from the date of the order, and the balance at the rate of
one a fortnight thereafter. Mr Sullivan said it had been found impracticable
to build the cars in New Zealand. Six cars were at that time under
construction in the Hutt railway workshops, but delays in deliveries
of material and equipment from England had put back the entire rolling
stock building programme. The order for ten more railcars was therefore
placed overseas to help make up the leeway.
Reporting the order, the Railway Gazette in its issue of July 8, 1938,
gave further details. The bodies and underframes were to be all steel
and carried on welded steel bogies with roller-bearing oiler-bearing
axleboxes. Each car was to have a bogie-mounted 275 b.h.p. Vulcan-Frichs
oil engine, a Vulcan-Sinclair fluid coupling, and a 5-speed Wilson
epicyclic gearbox, arranged to give a top speed of 75 m.p.h. A driving
compartment was to be provided at each end, and there were to be seats
for 52 passengers.
As built, the principal change in design was seen to be the provision
of a 6-wheel bogie to carry the power unit, instead of the 4-wheel
bogie shown in the original sketch, and the horsepower. rating of
the 6-cylinder diesel engine was established at 250 normal and 275
overload. The seating capacity was established at 50 in 24 double
and two single seats, and a 5ft. 10 3/4in. luggage compartment was
provided to hold about one ton of luggage. Ready for service with
65 gallons of fuel and 50 gallons of water, each car turned the scales
at 36 tons. Fully laden with passengers and luggage, the weight became
about 40.5 tons on a total wheelbase of 53ft. 6in., the maximum axle
loading being less than 9 tons, and adhesion weight about 17 tons.
This low axle loading (which was the reason for adding an extra carrying
axle to the power bogie) was required so that the cars could he used
over the light stack and bridges between Stillwater and Reefton, for
it was contemplated to use the cars on a new. service between Greymouth
and Westport when the Buller Gorge railway was completed.
Initially, however, they were brought into use on the Christchurch-Hokitika
newspaper service, with some local runs between Greymouth and Hokitika,
replacing the small 4-wheel cars that had been used since August 1936.
Leaving Christchurch at 2.20 a.m., this railcar service was due to
reach Greymouth, 145 miles, at 6.40 a.m., and Hokitika, 169 miles,
at 7.45 a.m. The overall time of 5hr. 25min. compared favourably with
the 8hr. 4min. allowed the four-times-a-week "express" service.
After arrival at Hokitika, the railcar was used to run two return
trips to Greymouth, leaving Hokitika at 10 a.m. and I p.m., and Greymouth
at 11.15 a.m. and 2.30 p.m., though the afternoon service did not
run on Saturdays. These local services were allowed only 52 or 53
minutes to cover the 24 miles, with up to l 2 intermediate stops.
At 4.25 p.m., the car left Hokitika on its return journey from coast
to coast. Departure time from Greymouth was 5.42 p.m.—after a
26-min. stop—and arrival time at Christchurch was 10.23 p.m.
More stops were scheduled on the homeward journey than on the outward
one. Down the long slope across the Canterbury Plains, from Springfield
to Christchurch, 44 miles, the car was allowed only 67 min., though
up to six intermediate stops might be required. There were no Sunday
services on this line.
The maximum speed laid down for normal service conditions was 55 m.p.h.,
but top speeds upwards of 60 m.p.h. were not unusual when lost time
was being recovered, and wherever track conditions permitted. After
a demonstration run on October 25, 1940, when the Minister of Railways
and an official party were returning from the West Coast, it was reported
that a maximum speed of 78 m.p.h. had been attained east of Springfield,
and that a speed in excess of 70 m.p.h. was maintained v. with ease
for several miles, and w with a complete absence of sway or roll.
From October 28, "Rm" 50 was scheduled to be used each Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday, and one of the small cars on alternate days.
Three of the Vulcan railcars were in service by mid-1941, and another
four v. were reported in September to have arrived. It was at this
stage that it was first announced that they would be used on the Greymouth-Westport
service. This was inaugurated from September 7, 1942, as a petrol
conservation measure, for the Buller Gorge railway. was still not
complete in all respects.
The new service between Greymouth and Westport, 94 miles, provided
for two return journeys daily, with stops at all of the 30 intermediate
stations if required, and times varying from 3hr. 30 min. to 3hr.
51 min. Connections were provided at Stillwater with the expresses
to and from Christchurch. Westport-Christchurch passengers, formerly
conveyed by road to Greymouth, leaving Westport at 6.30 a.m., could
now. leave Westport at 7.23 a.m. Departure times of the railcars were
7.25 a.m. and 3.25 p.m. from Greymouth, and 7.23 a.m. and 2.55 p.m.
from Westport. This service required a minimum of two railcars in
service daily on this route, and four could sometimes be needed, because
provision had been made for two cars to be coupled together when necessary
and driven from the leading cab.
By September 1942, all nine of the Vulcan railcars, numbered "Rm"
50 to 58 inclusive, were in service, and the two 4-wheel cars, Nos.
20 and 21, had been withdrawn from stock. About this time, a railcar
service was instituted between Christchurch and Timaru each morning,
again in order to conserve tyres and petrol, and this run added another
1,200 miles a week to the mileage being run by the Vulcan cars. The
annual scheduled mileage was thus raised to something over 310,000,
and the later extension of two services a day over the 14 miles from
Hokitika to Ross built it up still further.
While the Timaru service was in operation (it was discontinued from
July 16, 1945, when the road service was restored), the Vulcan railcars
ran about 325,000 train-miles a year, and more than 400,000 vehicle-miles,
but thereafter they settled down to an average of 282,000 train-miles
a year, and 351,600 vehicle-miles, for the next ten years.
A notable feature of the Christchurch - Timaru service was that it
boasted w hat was at the time the fastest start-to-stop booking on
New Zealand Railways. The 16.7 miles from Rakaia to Ashburton were
allowed only 21 minutes, an average speed of 47.7 m.p.h. from start
to stop.
Over the years, minor adjustments were made to the timings of the
railcar services on the Midland, Hokitika, and Westport lines, but
from February 20, 1956, the new 420 h.p. 88-seat articulated cars
took over the Christchurch-Greymouth-Ross service, including the daytime
express running, and the utilisation of the Vulcan railcars was considerably
reduced as a result. From October 1, 1956, however, a new service
instituted over the 155 miles between Cromwell and Dunedin—6.30
a.m. from Cromwell and 4.12 p.m. from Dunedin— provided more
opportunities for the Vulcans, Nos. 52 and 53 being transferred south
in September, with No. 54 due to follow. With 12 intermediate stops,
the allowance for the 155 miles, including the climb over the 2,029ft.
Wedderburn pass, was about 5.25 hours.
In April 1957, following derailment of the Cromwell-Dunedin railcar
on three Occasions in that month, in each instance at low speed and
with little damage, this service was suspended until an urgent track
rehabilitation programme was completed. The service was resumed from
November 10, 1957.
A few months later, from May 11, 1958, the Otago Central railcar service
was slightly curtailed, to terminate at Alexandra, 136.4 miles from
Dunedin, because traffic beyond that town was found to be negligible.
Today, this railcar service is allowed 4.5 hours each way with up
to 17 intermediate stops, leaving Alexandra at 7.20 a.m. and Dunedin
at 4.35 p.m.
From September 29, 1958, when another car was available at Dunedin,
a local morning service from Palmerston to Dunedin Monday to Friday
and the corresponding late afternoon service from Dunedin Monday to
Thursday were turned ever to railcar operation. Later, a midday suburban
working to Port Chalmers was taken over by the railcars whenever one
was available.
The pattern of services now operated by the Vulcan railcars was thus
established basically Greymouth-Westport and Dunedin-Alexandra, with
relief, local, and special services elsewhere as required. Operating
statistics published in 1959 and 1960 showed that they were then running
a total vehicle-mileage of just under 300,000 miles a year, or nearly
33,000 miles per car in stock. Repair and running costs at that time,
excluding depreciation and similar charges, averaged just under four
shillings a mile. This covered repair charges, driver's wages, and
fuel and stores costs. Fuel consumption was just under 6 miles to
the gallon. Their capital cost had been £17,857 each.
The Vulcan railcars have had their share of mishaps and misfortunes
Apart from the Otago l Central derailments of April 1957, already
mentioned there have been several altercations with slips and the
occasional boulder on the track (On May 6, 1947, 'Rm" 53 \\as
gutted by fire about 1.5 miles west of Poerua between Moana and Otira
while working the Greymouth-Christchurch service. Passengers and mails
were off-loaded safely, hut a small quantity of luggage was damaged.
This car was completely rebuilt and re-engined and returned to service
in June 1950.
Fire also gutted "Rm" 57 on June 29, 1955, between Avoca
and Staircase, again while working the evening service to Christchurch
and rebuilding was completed in 1958 at the Addington Workshops.
On April 23 1957, Nos. 50 and 58 \were working the evening Ross-Christchurch
service when gear trouble was encountered while climbing through the
Otira Tunnel. After three stops in attempts to remedy matters, the
brakes failed to hold and the cars ran backwards into the runaway
siding at Otira. No 58 was derailed over the end of the siding hut
there were no serious injuries. This accident resulted in a complete
overhaul and revision of inspection and maintenance procedures for
railcars.
No major alterations were made to the design of these railcars since
they were built, but one change that may be noted was the removal
of seats 49 and 50 and their replacement by a small compartment for
use by the guard. This appears to have been done in the mid-1950's.
Another alteration made a little later was to rearrange the drivers'
controls to match the arrangement in the 88-seat cars.
When originally placed in service, the Vulcan railcars were painted
in the standard all-over red livery with Grey roof and black undergear,
but beginning with No. 52 in November 1951 they were thereafter turned
out after overhauls in carnation red with the silver stripes and silver
roofs that became so familiar.
