The Endeavour was a long-distance passenger train service between Wellington and Napier (and for part of its history, Gisborne) in the North Island of New Zealand.
The Endeavour was introduced on Sunday, 6 November 1972 as a carriage train to replace the morning railcar service between Wellington and Napier.
[1] The 88-seater railcars used on this route were deteriorating due to age and were unreliable, and the success of the Southerner inspired the creation of the Endeavour.
In its first incarnation, it was hauled by a DA class diesel electric locomotive and had a consist of a guard's van, five passenger carriages and a buffet car.
The new train ran roughly to the railcar timetable, taking five and a half hours between Wellington and Napier.
A sixth second-class carriage had been similarly fitted with 35 first-class seats to the newer 1950s design and, because of the increasing popularity of the Endeavour, was regularly added to this train to help carry extra passengers, especially in holiday times.
On Monday 20 March 1978 a Napier-Gisborne return rail service was re-introduced, using a pair of AC class "Grassgrub" carriages.
Some of the 56-foot class carriages had been moderately refurbished with fluorescent strip lighting and a newer type of window, but still with bench seats.
Like the Produce Express (the name given to the Grass Grubs used while Endeavour carriages assumed duty on the NIMT) before it, steel box wagons were towed along at the rear for parcels traffic.
[6] On Tuesday 7 March 1988, Cyclone Bola struck the east coast of the North Island, causing significant damage to the line between Napier and Gisborne.