Culverden Express

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 and the Waiau Branch. In the mid-1920s, the main northern terminus became Parnassus, and to reflect this, the name was changed to the Parnassus Express.

On 8 February 1886, the railway line from Christchurch to Culverden was opened. Initially envisaged as part of the main route north to Marlborough, an express passenger train began operating between the two towns. It was the most important passenger train in the northern Canterbury region and it received modern rolling stock and steam locomotives, such as the U^B class of 1899. In 1919, when the railway was extended beyond Culverden to Waiau, the Express's operation was extended too: it ran twice daily between Christchurch and Culverden, continuing thrice weekly through to Waiau.

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 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; this paint scheme later came to be used nationwide through to the 1990s.

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