To mark the beginning of the 2011 Rugby World Cup today.
During their 1956 tour of New Zealand, the Springboks from South Africa used Standard railcar RM 33 to get around, seen here at Stratford.
This tour didn't cause controversy, but as world civil rights awareness grew during the 1960s, by the 1970s the Australian government refused to allow sports teams that had been selected on a racial basis. New Zealand's Prime Minister from 1976-1984, Robert Muldoon, took a different view and actively encouraged the 1981 Springbok tour, both to bolster his support among rugby enthusiasts and to have political opponents bashed literally during street demonstrations.
In the 1990s everything changed and new South African president, Nelson Mandela, made clear that the new regime in South Africa supported the Springboks, the subject of the movie Invictus. (Jack Creber photo)
Below is the NZ railway itinerary the team members received (rugbyrelics.com)
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