The ''Scenic Daylight'' was a daytime

express train An express train is a type of passenger train that makes few or no stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, providing faster service than local trains that stop at many or all of the stations along their ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, introduced on 17 December 1960 between

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

and

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

along the North Island Main Trunk Railway, replacing the '' Daylight Limited''. The service was steam-hauled initially but from 1963 it was diesel-hauled. The service was itself replaced in 1968 by the Blue Streak railcar service.

Introduction

The '' Daylight Limited'' operated primarily at the Christmas and Easter peak seasons; only the overnight '' Night Limited'', and Express, ran outside peak travel periods. However, as

dieselisation Dieselisation (US: dieselization) is the process of equipping vehicles with a diesel engine or diesel engines. It can involve replacing an internal combustion engine powered by petrol (US: gasoline) fuel with an engine powered by diesel fuel, ...

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

railway lines progressed swiftly in the 1950s and 1960s, the decision was taken to replace the Daylight Limited with a diesel-hauled service that ran on Monday and Saturday from mid-December to the end of January.

Operation

The ''Scenic Daylight'' typically consisted of DA class diesel-electric locomotives and NZR 56-foot carriages that had been built around

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. As dining cars had been removed from New Zealand's railways as an economy measure during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and not re-introduced until the launch of the '' Southerner'' in 1971, the train made refreshment stops in Frankton and

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

. It also stopped for refreshments at Paekakariki, Palmerston North, and Taihape. The train also stopped at Marton, Ohakune and Te Kuiti. Due to the power of the DA locomotives, the service operated to a faster timetable than the ''Daylight Limited'', taking 12¾ hours, leaving Auckland at 8.30am and Wellington at 8.45am and arriving at 9.15 and 9.25pm respectively.

Replacement

In 1968 an RM class 88-seater

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) 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 coa ...

was refurbished and repainted in a distinctive blue scheme that led to it being nicknamed the ''Blue Streak''. It initially operated an unsuccessful service between

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

and Auckland in early 1968, and was transferred to the Auckland-Wellington run on 23 September 1968. This service did not actually replace the Scenic Daylight, it was in addition to it. It initially ran from Wellington to Auckland on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and returning the next day. The Blue Streak service was in turn replaced by the daily (except Sunday) Silver Fern railcar service from 18 December 1972.

Introduction

Operation

Replacement

References

External links

Further reading