{{Short description|Passenger train in New Zealand}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=July 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{italic title}} The '''''Culverden Express''''' was a passenger [[train]] operated by the [[New Zealand Railways Department]] between [[Christchurch]] and [[Culverden]]. It ran from 1886 until its replacement by the ''[[Picton Express]]'' in 1945 and its route followed both the [[Main North Line, New Zealand|Main North Line]] and the [[Waiau Branch]]. In the mid-1920s, the main northern terminus became [[Parnassus, New Zealand|Parnassus]], and to reflect this, the name was changed to the '''''Parnassus Express'''''.
== Introduction ==
On 8 February 1886, the railway line from Christchurch to Culverden was opened. Initially envisaged as part of the main route north to [[Marlborough Region|Marlborough]], an express passenger train began operating between the two towns. It was the most important passenger train in the northern [[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]] region and it received modern rolling stock and [[steam locomotives]], such as the [[NZR Ub class|U<sup>B</sup> class]] of 1899.<ref>{{cite book| first=J.D.| last=Mahoney| title=Kings of the Iron Road| location=Palmerston North| publisher=Dunmore Press| year=1982| page=110}}</ref> In 1919, when the railway was extended beyond Culverden to [[Waiau, Canterbury|Waiau]], the ''Express'''s operation was extended too: it ran twice daily between Christchurch and Culverden, continuing thrice weekly through to Waiau.<ref>{{cite book| first1=David| last1=Leitch| first2=Brian| last2=Scott| title=Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways| edition=revised| location=Wellington| publisher=Grantham House| year=1998| orig-year=1995| page=62}}</ref>
== A new route ==
In 1900, work began on a coastal route north of [[Waipara]], where the Main North Line turned inland to run through the [[Weka Pass]] to Culverden. This line reached [[Parnassus, New Zealand|Parnassus]] in 1912. Initially, the service to Culverden remained the main ''Express'', with carriages for Parnassus detached at Waipara and operated separately through to Parnassus. However, in the mid-1920s, Parnassus became the primary terminus, with the carriages detached in Waipara now conveyed to Culverden. The name of the train was changed to the ''Parnassus Express'' to reflect the alteration. This train was used for trials of the 'Midland Red' paint scheme to replace the Railways Department's former olive green with yellow trim livery;{{sfn|Mahoney|1982|p=105}} this paint scheme later came to be used nationwide through to the 1990s.
== Replacement ==
The ''Culverden Express'' route gradually declined in importance as Parnassus became the primary terminus and work began on the coastal route as the line to the north. The [[New Zealand Railways Road Services]] bus operations were actively encouraged, resulting in a stark decline in passenger demand on the Waipara-Culverden-Waiau route on what was now the Waiau Branch. In 1914, 20,000 passengers were carried, but by 1938, this figure was down to 3,000 annually and passenger services on the Waiau Branch were cancelled on 29 January 1939.<ref>{{cite book| first1=Geoffrey B.| last1=Churchman| first2=Tony| last2=Hurst| title=The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey Through History| location=Auckland| publisher=HarperCollins| year=1991| page=181}}</ref> The service to Parnassus continued to operate until the Main North Line was completed in full from Christchurch to [[Picton, New Zealand|Picton]] in December 1945. With the full line open, the Parnassus train was replaced by the ''Picton Express''.
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.openstreetmap.org/export/embed.html?bbox=172.5859,-42.9776,172.8268,-42.7468&layer=mapnik Tracks on OpenStreetMap] (As dotted line, may require user to zoom in) {{NZR Passenger}}
[[Category:Long-distance passenger trains in New Zealand]] [[Category:Railway services introduced in 1886]] [[Category:Railway services discontinued in 1945]] [[Category:1886 establishments in New Zealand]] [[Category:1945 disestablishments in New Zealand]]