The ''Taranaki Flyer'' was the name given to a passenger

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

that was operated by the

New Zealand Railways Department The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...

between

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

and

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

from 1926 to 1965.

Introduction

The primary passenger service on the

Marton–New Plymouth Line The Marton–New Plymouth line (MNPL) is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand that links the Taranaki and Manawatū-Whanganui regions. It branches from the North Island Main Trunk railway (NIMT) at Marton and runs ...

was the

New Plymouth Express The ''New Plymouth Express'' was a passenger express train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) between Wellington and New Plymouth. It ran from 1886 until 1955 and was sometimes known as the ''New Plymouth Mail'' due to the Ra ...

between

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) 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 second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and New Plymouth. It was augmented by three slower

mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. Although common in the early days of railways, by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Typically, servic ...

s that ran south from New Plymouth daily. In 1926, patronage was sufficiently high to justify replacing one of the mixed trains with a dedicated passenger service between New Plymouth and Whanganui. This train came to be known as the ''Taranaki Flyer''.

Operation

For most of its life, the ''Taranaki Flyer'' was a carriage train hauled by

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s, and when it was introduced, it took approximately 4.5 hours to complete its journey. On 31 October 1955, the carriage trains were replaced by more economical

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a 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 coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...

s. The railcars were of the

Standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

and 88 seater types of the RM class. During the railcar period, the northbound train was no. 524 and the southbound train was no. 525.

Demise

During the 1950s, the effect of commercial airlines and private cars started to reduce patronage on New Zealand's passenger trains significantly. Although the introduction of railcars prolonged the life of many other provincial services in New Zealand, it was not successful for the ''Taranaki Flyer''. On 7 February 1959, the service ran for the last time. The final train no. 524 was handled by an 88-seater, RM 116, and a Standard railcar ran train no. 525, RM 30 ''Aotea''.

A^B 745 ''Taranaki Flyer'' Project

There is also a locomotive that has been nicknamed the ''Taranaki Flyer'', A^B class no.745. This locomotive, made in 1922 by the

North British Locomotive Company The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park Wor ...

, is currently under restoration by the

Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is a non-profit, charitable trust in New Zealand that was established in 2003 with the objective of reinstating an operating heritage railway over the Remutaka Ranges using the original route of the Wa ...

. It derailed on 16 July 1956 as a result of a washout near Hawera while hauling a freight train from Whanganui to New Plymouth. Both crew survived, but the locomotive was too expensive to recover and was buried in situ, with the repaired railway embankment built directly over it. The engine lay undisturbed until November 2001, and in 2002 it was salvaged minus tender, which was in poor condition, and taken to Waitara. In 2007, the Taranaki Flyer Society formed to restore the locomotive, and it was transported to the old railway goods shed at Stratford. The Society, however, became low on funds and lost its lease on the shed. It offered the locomotive to other preservation groups and accepted an offer from the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust. The locomotive has been based at that group's workshops in

Maymorn Maymorn, a rural area of Upper Hutt city in the Wellington region of New Zealand, consists of Rural Hill and Rural Valley Floor zones. The New Zealand census treats Maymorn as part of Te Mārua for statistical purposes. The usual resident 20 ...

since October 2013. It is currently under restoration, with the long-term objective of returning it to operation.Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust
Steam locomotive Ab 745

Introduction

Operation

Demise

A^B 745 ''Taranaki Flyer'' Project

References

Further reading

Introduction

Operation

Demise

AB 745 ''Taranaki Flyer'' Project

References

Further reading

A^B 745 ''Taranaki Flyer'' Project