Wairarapa Connection

The Wairarapa Connection is an interurban railway passenger service in New Zealand, between Masterton in the Wairarapa and Wellington. It is run by Wellington suburban operator Tranz Metro and thus is not considered to be a long-distance passenger service, even though Tranz Scenic's similar Capital Connection is.

History

Carriage trains on this route were initiated in 1964; previously, Wairarapa class railcars, the Wairarapa Mail, and steam locomotive hauled mixed trains were used on this route.

In 1964, six 56-foot former second class cars from the South Island were transferred north and fitted with Webasto kerosene-burning heaters for the service. They provided capacity for 336 passengers seated. The service was, and still is, hauled by diesel-electric locomotives. Passenger-only cars seated 56 on two-person bench-type Scarrett seats, while cars with luggage compartment (referred to as "car-vans" by virtue of their combined passenger and luggage carrying role) seated 47 on the same type of seat.

Twelve years later, four more cars, one with luggage compartment built in at one end, were added, later joined by another two, one with luggage compartment at one end also. These six cars were also 56' ex-second class cars. These later additions were thoroughly overhauled, fitted with fluorescent strip lighting, like those fitted for the Northerner and Endeavour services and painted in a new, brighter shade of red, with white roofs as opposed to silver oxide.

Of the first six cars, one car van was thoroughly refurbished with 46 seats to a design created by Addington Workshops staff for use on the Picton and Greymouth carriage trains and later, repainted two-tone blue, the Gisborne express carriage trains in 1982. The second car-van followed suit, although this one did not join the Gisborne expresses. In 1985, the third car became part of the promotional New Zealand Police train, then a non-revenue vehicle and finally, in 1993, an air-conditioned 49-seat day car for the North Island Main Trunk Northerner and Overlander night and day time passenger expresses. The last three cars, each with only one toilet and Scarrett seats for 59, joined the Gisborne-Napier services, but returned to the Masterton route following the redeployment of rolling stock in the wake of the Silver Fern railcar derailment in 1981 and the decision to run a through service between Wellington and Gisborne, once daily each way simultaneously, in 1984.

Of the second six cars, the first car-van also joined the Picton and Greymouth runs in 1982-83. In 1991, one car was thoroughly overhauled and refurbished with 50 Addington-built seats arranged in bays of four, alcove-style, like the cars on the re-introduced Southerner expresses of 1988, but with sheepskin wool seat covers, for the reinstated and revitalised Palmerston North long distance commuter run. In 1992, one car was thoroughly rebuilt into a 32-seat servery car, similar to the Southerner servery cars, including the alcove seating arrangement, but with seats of a much more recent design. The other three cars remained dedicated to the Wairarapa services.

Refurbishment

With the refurbishment of the Picton and Greymouth services and the decision to utilise the former Endeavour carriages on new Gisborne-Wellington services, former 88-seater railcars, painted a distinctive green and nicknamed "Grass Grubs", were introduced to the Wairarapa service, displaced from other runs. These vehicles proved to be far superior in passenger comfort, so much so that seats from decommissioned 88-seaters were installed into the Silver Fern railcars.

However, the underframes were not designed to be towed in the long term and they deteriorated rapidly, bringing about their demise. Along with the introduction of the EM class electric multiple units for the Wellington suburban system, saw eleven more 56 foot carriages and others from the cancelled New Plymouth - Taumarunui trains, refurbished and modified for the Wairarapa services. A wooden 50 foot bogie box wagon was refitted with bogies that would enable it to run at the faster speeds passenger trains were authorised to run at, and was painted the same shade of bright red as the cars it accompanied. In the style of the new Fastrak and Northtrak express parcels logos that emphasised the new approach and prioritising towards parcels traffic, the wagon with a logo known as Waitrak, hinting at its being dedicated exclusively to the Wairarapa services.

Additional rolling stock

In 1989, with the introduction of the Bay Express between Wellington and Napier, the three remaining Endeavour cars, two with luggage spaces at one end, became redundant, so the passenger only 54 seat car and one 46 seat car van were assigned to Wairarapa services. Also, with the streamlining of Greymouth expresses into one out and back operation, one Picton car became surplus to requirements and joined the Masterton fleet. In early 1991, the former 54-seat Endeavour car was totally rebuilt as a "big window" rear-view observation car for the TranzAlpine Express. In the same year, the former Picton/Greymouth car was refurbished similarly to Southerner cars with alcove seating arrangement and the former Endeavour car-van was also refurbished, but with the same seating arrangement, for the Palmerston North-Wellington Capital Connection. Both cars retained their Addington-built seats, which had minor modifications made to them to increase comfort.

At the end of that year, work had begun on totally rebuilding one car as the first air-conditioned "big window" rear-view observation car for the "new" Northerner/Overlander passenger trains.

Refurbishment, rebranding and new liveries

In 1993, after the successful re-introduction and rebranding of the Capital Connection service, a similar refurbishment and rebranding programme was initiated for the remaining sixteen Wairarapa carriages and, although 12 were actually overhauled, this programme lasted four years, until 1997. Six passenger-only cars and three of four car-vans were thoroughly overhauled and refurbished with a new-style seats, the same as those in the third NIMT servery car and the new air-conditioned "big window" trainsets being assembled at that time. These vehicles were fitted with cloth against the interior walls to reduce noise and fully carpeted. Carriages seated 59, as one toilet from each car was removed to increase seating capacity, while car-vans now seated 46. While overhauled in the same manner as the other nine refurbished cars, the other two cars and the remaining car-van were not fitted out with new seats and retained their Scarrett seats, reupholstered with material cloth.

The overhauls saw the introduction of the new InterCity Rail blue livery, with a 220 mm white stripe and 100 mm green band inside it running the length of each car, with "Cityrail" emblazoned on both ends of each car. In 1995, as an interim measure leading up to the phasing in of the new all-over Cato blue livery of the new Tranz Rail corporate image and name, a light blue 350 mm full-length stripe was introduced, as was a new name for Cityrail: Tranz Metro. However, from the beginning of the refurbishment of the seventh car, the new Cato blue livery was applied, along with the Tranz Metro logo, to that and the remaining cars awaiting refurbishment and overhaul.

Of the four unrefurbished cars, two were repainted and operated in the Capital Connection until that train was re-equipped with British Rail Mark 2 stock.

One car, after being outshopped in early 1994 following its refurbishment, served on the Bay Express for a while. In 1995, two of the four car-vans were equipped with generators similar to those installed in power-baggage vans utilised by long-distance passenger trains, essentially making them power-luggage vans as well. In 2002, one car was refurbished for the Wairarapa but retained original seating, albeit reupholstered. In 2003, the other car was rebuilt and refurbished for use as a "small window" air-conditioned car for the NIMT passenger trains. A third car was stripped to the underframe but retained its compartment-dividing walls for profile purposes, while the fourth was scrapped.

Withdrawal of old stock

From 1999 onward, due to age and related deterioration, gradual withdrawal from service of older carriages has occurred, and carriages from long-distance Tranz Scenic services have been utilised on the interim. These have included two former Auckland charter cars that were refurbished in 1993 that later became NIMT passenger cars offering cheaper accommodation for travellers as "no frills" cars and later fitted with air-conditioning. These two cars are now permanently allocated to the Wairarapa runs.

Two former Bay Express cars from 1995 til 2001 also assume duty on the Masterton line irregularly.

A former 1988 Southerner car turned NIMT no-frills car, later fitted with air-conditioning, is now permanently allocated to the Wairarapa runs. The sole remaining former single lavatory First Class car, which served the 1970 Southerner, 1988 Northerner and, as a "Backpackers" car, the TranzCoastal Express in 1996, was also working this service in 2003. This car, while on the TranzCoastal, was fitted with air-conditioning. This is not the first time this carriage has worked the Wairarapa services: in 1995, while still assigned to the NIMT and sporting the InterCity blue with white stripe and green band, it assumed Wairarapa duties for a time with the first car-van to receive a generator.

A former Southerner, Northerner and Lynx Express carriage also served on Wairarapa Connection services in 2006.

Replacement rolling stock

In 2006, Hillside Engineering won the contract from the Greater Wellington Regional Council to rebuild 18 former British Rail Mark 2D to Mark 2F 20 metre carriages, to replace the existing fleet. The new cars are classified SW for carriages with passenger saloon only, SWS with servery area and SWG with luggage compartment and generator for power supply. Three sets are planned and will each consist of servery car, power-baggage car and between three and five passenger-only cars, depending on the requirements of the services they are used on. The S stands for "Scenic Series" and "W" for "Wairarapa", to distinguish them from their Capital Connection counterparts, classified S. On 11 May2007, the first four rebuilt SW cars entered service, with three more of the SW carriages introduced on 18 June2007 making up a 7 carriage consist. The remaining 11 cars will enter service incrementally by the end of 2007 when all 18 cars will be used to make up three consists.

In early 2007 the longest Wairarapa Connection consist (seven cars and van), which forms the weekdays 6.30am from Masterton and 4.33pm from Wellington, had five cars replaced by ones from the now-disbanded charter fleet so that their Korean bogies can be overhauled and placed under five of the new SW cars. The charter cars run on old NZR Timken bogies so these services are limited to 80 km/h, not the 100 km/h standard carriage train speed.

In September 2007 the eight A and three AL ex Wairarapa Connection cars that had been sent to Dunedin for bogie removal and storage were sold to the Taieri Gorge Railway, who are refitting them with Timkin bogies reclaimed from their own cars which will then be disposed of.

Motive power

Initially, DA class locomotives were used to haul the carriage trains until 1978/1980, when the DC class were introduced alongside the DBR class. In the 1990s DX class locomotives have worked the trains as well.

Services

Presently, there are five services each way between Masterton and Wellington Monday to Thursday, six on Friday and two on Saturday and Sunday, identified as follows:

	Monday to Friday					Friday Only	Saturday & Sunday
Southbound	1601	1603	1605	1607	1609	1611	1613	1615
Northbound	1602	1604	1606	1608	1610	1612	1614	1616

External Links

• "Inaugural train journey marks arrival of first new Wairarapa carriages in 60 years" (Press release). Greater Wellington Regional Council. 2007-05-11. Retrieved 2007-06-20. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• "More new carriages introduced on Wairarapa line" (Press release). Greater Wellington Regional Council. 2007-06-14. Retrieved 2007-06-20. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)