A brief history of passenger trains in New Zealand: 1955-1968

The next installment of the Train Vicar continues the series on the history of passenger rail in New Zealand. In particular, this time we look at the articulated railcars built by Drewry with Fiat engines. Because none of these railcars survived, I had to use quite a bit archive footage.
Archives New Zealand / @archivesnz
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision www.ngataonga.org.nz/

[@kiwikeith7633]

I have travelled in a Fiat powered Rail-car, Masterton and Upper Hutt from Wellington. One Fiat car burned down near Featherston in the Late 1970's - I knew someone who had to walk down the track from it. In the 1950's I caught a regular scheduled train from Main Street, Palmerston North to Wellington. It stopped at Paekakariki to change to Diesel, and for travellers to swamp the tea-rooms for a pie and a tea in a very heavy strong cup. My last Steam memory was in my car along the Waikanae straight racing a steam train at full speed - it is a grand memory.

[@silvanski]

Interesting series. I love trains but didn't know much about NZL rolling stock.

[@danieleyre8913]

Those FIAT railcars would have to be one of the biggest debacles in NZ history and among the reasons for the decline of interurban rail transit in NZ.
Ordered in the 1950s, cost a bomb, were found within a year to be faulty and malfunctioning, cost another bomb to fix, and were then plagued by reliability issues for the rest of their lives. And needed retirement only 20-25 years after they were built!
They should not have needed retirement until the end of the 20th century.

[@Pullisto]

A shame the re engine program got halted for the twinsets. Leyland or Cummins would have worked well, they both had ideal flat engines of the right output by the 60s.

[@josnagels8038]

Poor decisions, managed decline, lost opportunities so sad for NZ rail. It can be - must reversed, as with Rail we will have a better future than be entrapped with total Road Dependency- an economic drain