NZR 56-foot carriage
| NZR A class 56-foot carriage |
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|---|---|
A NZR 56-foot carriage in service for the Dunedin Railways at Dunedin Railway Station
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| In service | 1937 - 2014 |
| Manufacturer | New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) |
| Built at |
Otahuhu, Auckland Addington, Christchurch |
| Constructed | 1937 - 1945 |
| Operator(s) | Tranz Scenic, Dunedin Railways |
| Line(s) served | various |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 56 feet (17.07 m) |
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
The NZR 56-foot carriage is a class of 17.07 m (56 ft 0 in)-long railway passenger car formerly used on almost all long-distance rail transport in New Zealand. 88 carriages have been preserved.
The first 56 ft carriages were built in 1927, being a development of the then-standard steel-panel Aa class NZR 50-foot carriages. These first six carriages were 50 ft (15.24 m) cars with lengthened underframes at the ends, and the cars retained the same bogie spacing as the 50 ft (15.24 m) carriages. Designed for sleeper use, these cars were clad in wood initially. All were given the AA classification due to their limited running rights, and were numbered consecutively from AA 1616 to AA 1622. Later they were clad in steel and given new underframes to match the later 56 ft (17.07 m) cars.
It was not until 1937 that further 56 ft (17.07 m) cars were built, to a slightly different design. The new cars had different bogie spacing and a more rounded profile, to allow general route availability. They were classed A, with the initial batch being built at Otahuhu Railway Workshops. It took Otahuhu and Addington Railway Workshops until 1945 to complete the class. There was a large amount of variation in the body arrangement between batches. This primarily reflected the carriage's use – 2nd Class (X25480), 1st Class, 1st/2nd Class Composite (X25916) or Semi Sleeping - but there was also variations between carriages intended for North Island and South Island use. South Island 1st Class cars (X25495) were built with pressure ventilation and a coupe compartment at one end, while North Island 1st Class cars (X25485) used roof-based vents like 2nd Class cars, and did not include a coupe. Up to 12 2nd Class cars were converted into 20-bed Ambulance cars for use in World War 2 and after the war were converted for general use, six of which were converted for 1st Class use, with four receiving seats of a more modern design, that were later used for the Endeavour Express and The Connoisseur car. Eight out of 11 Semi Sleeper cars were rebuilt as 16-berth all-sleeper cars, one rebuilt as a 14-berth sleeper because it retained the original 4-berth cabin. 56-ft cars quickly became the mainstay of the passenger fleet, being used on the NZR's important trains in their red livery.
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Wikipedia