NZR RM Class (88 Seater) - Blue Streaks

Blue Streaks

In 1968, at the suggestion of Hamilton City Council, an 88-seater was refurbished for a new fast service between Hamilton and Auckland aimed at the businessman, and it started on Monday, 8 April 1968. It was fitted with carpet and reupholstered fabric-covered seats, and was painted in a new two-tone colour scheme that prompted the nickname 'Blue Streak'. The seating was reduced to 84 to accommodate a servery area from which light meals and assorted alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks could be purchased. This initial service was unsuccessful, with patronage well below levels needed to be profitable.

It was decided to introduce the railcar to a daytime service between Auckland and Wellington in conjunction with the Scenic Daylight carriage train. This service, which started on Monday 23 September 1968, was highly successful and prompted the conversion of two further cars to 82 seats each to accommodate larger servery areas and, later, the purchase of the dedicated Silver Fern railcars for this service.

Initially, the Blue Streak railcar ran from Wellington to Auckland on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Auckland to Wellington until a second railcar was refurbished for the Christmas 1968-New Year 1969 period and a third for the 1969 Easter holidays. The service proved so popular that it was not uncommon to see two Blue Streaks running in multiple in one direction, with the third paired up with an unrefurbished red 88-seater in the other, and the Scenic Daylight carriage train ceased operating.

On Thursday 18 December 1972, the Blue Streaks were replaced by the new Silver Fern railcars and transferred to the Wellington to New Plymouth service, replacing Standard railcars. They continued on this service until Friday 30 July 1977. By that time they were no longer serviceable, patronage had continued to decline and the service was replaced with buses.

Long distance passenger trains of New Zealand
Operational
North Island
  • Capital Connection
  • Northern Explorer
  • Wairarapa Connection
South Island
  • Coastal Pacific
  • Seasider
  • TranzAlpine
Historic
North Island
  • Bay Express
  • Blue Fern
  • Blue Streak
  • Overlander
  • Daylight Limited
  • Endeavour
  • Geyserland Express
  • Kaimai Express
  • Kiwi Lager Express
  • Napier Express
  • New Plymouth Express
  • New Plymouth Night Express
  • Night Limited
  • Northerner
  • Northland Express
  • Rotorua Express
  • Scenic Daylight
  • Silver Star
  • Silver Fern
  • Taneatua Express
  • Taranaki Flyer
  • Thames Express
  • Waikato Connection
  • Wairarapa Mail
South Island
  • Culverden Express
  • Kingston Flyer
  • Lynx Express
  • Picton Express
  • Southerner
  • South Island Limited

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