NZR N class
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| NZR N class | |
| Power type | Steam |
|---|---|
| Builder | Baldwin Locomotive Works |
| Build date | 1885, 1891, 1901 |
| Configuration | 2-6-2 |
| Gauge | 3' 6" ft, 1067 mm |
| Length | 50' 2" (1891 batch) |
| Total weight | 50.7 t (1891 batch) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Tender capacity | 5000 gals water, 7.5 tons coal |
| Boiler pressure | 140 lbf/in² (962 kPa) (1891 batch) |
| Top speed | 103.6 km/h (64.4 mph)[1] |
| Career | Wellington and Manawatu Railway (2), New Zealand Government Railways (10) |
| Number in class | 12 |
| Number | 27, 30, 34, 36, 37, 42, 351-354, 453 (ex-WMR No. 9), 454 (ex-WMR No. 10) |
| Locale | Auckland, Hawke's Bay, Wellington (both NZR and WMR lines), Wairarapa, West Coast |
| Retired | November 1926 - March 1934 |
| Current owner | Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust |
| Disposition | Withdrawn, one preserved |
The N class was a class of twelve steam locomotives that operated on the national rail network of New Zealand. They were built in three separate batches (including one batch of two engines for the private Wellington and Manawatu Railway, the WMR) by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1885, 1891, and 1901.
Contents |
[edit] Construction
Despite the Long Depression of the 1880s, the young New Zealand railway network continued to expand and additional motive power was required. The New Zealand Railways Department had normally ordered locomotives from England up until this time, though it had previously bought locomotives from United States manufacturers (such as the Rogers K class), and in 1885, it called upon Baldwin, whose first contribution to the New Zealand locomotive fleet was the T class, to construct the six locomotives that would become the founding members of the N class. These six engines began running in New Zealand between October and December 1885.
Six years later, the Wellington and Manawatu Railway required additional motive power to handle the growing traffic on their line from Wellington up the North Island's west coast to Longburn, just south of Palmerston North. Its typical supplier of equipment was Baldwin, who offered the WMR a locomotive rather similar to the six already operational N class engines on the government's network. The WMR chose to order two such locomotives and they entered service as No. 9 and No. 10. Their design proved to be more efficient than that of the 1885 batch, and in an attempt to match these efficiencies, the government converted N 27 into a Vauclain compound but met with little success.
In 1901, the government chose to order four more additional locomotives, and the similarities in their design led to them also being classified as members of the N class upon their introduction to service.
[edit] Subclasses
Two sub-classes of the N class existed. Although similar in design, their differences were sufficient to warrant separate classification. Both were originally WMR locomotives: No.'s 14 and 15 were a heavier and more powerful version of the N class and became known as the NA class, while WMR No.'s 5 and 18 had wider fireboxes and were classified as the NC class.
[edit] Operation
The N class were rather unremarkable amongst New Zealand's fleet of locomotives. Their position in history is, in general, a relatively obscure one. The 1901 batch were built to operate around Auckland, while the 1885 class could be found operating services in the Hutt Valley and the Wairarapa. In 1908, the WMR was nationalised and incorporated into the government's network, and the two ex-WMR Ns continued to work on their home route until World War I, when they were transferred to Westland to operate the mail trains between Greymouth and Otira, making full use of their speed. In the 1920s, the two were modified to perform shunting duties, with alterations including the addition of a tender cab and side ladders on the tender.
[edit] A world record
The most outstanding operational feat by an N class locomotive - and the accomplishment that saved the class from total obscurity - occurred on 20 July 1892. WMR No. 10 departed Wellington with a special test train, and once free of the hilly terrain south of Paekakariki, it gradually picked up speed on the flat trackage of the Kapiti Coast and Horowhenua. The locomotive ran comfortably at speeds of 50-55 mph, and between Levin and Shannon, it reached a speed of 64.4 mph (103.6 km/h). At the time, this was the world speed record for a train operating on the 3 foot 6 inch (1,067 mm) narrow gauge, and it secured WMR No. 10's fame as a graceful and extremely fast engine.
[edit] Withdrawal
By the 1920s, the age of the N class locomotives was beginning to become apparent and retirement was seriously considered. The first two were withdrawn in November 1926; one of these was ex-WMR No. 9 (N 453) on 13 November 1926, and its boiler was re-used when WB 300 was overhauled, making the WB distinctive from its classmates. Three more were retired in March 1927 and N 27, the first member of the class to operate in New Zealand, followed in November of that year. Record-setting WMR No. 10/NZR N 454 was also meant to be withdrawn in 1927 but was given a reprieve. This didn't last long; its crews formally complained about its aging and poor condition and it effectively ceased service on 30 January 1928. It was then stripped of useful parts and sat in Greymouth yard until it was officially written off on 31 March 1928. Instead of saving this famous locomotive, the government chose to dump it in the Waimakariri River as a means of stabilising the riverbank. Over the course of the next six years, the remaining members were progressively withdrawn, with the last taken out of service in March 1934.
[edit] Preservation
None of the members of the N class were saved for preservation as they were withdrawn at least two decades before the preservation movement had even seriously begun. However, the skeleton of WMR No. 9/NZR N 453 was re-discovered near Arthur's Pass, dumped in the Bealey River, and it was recovered in stages between 2003 by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust. The ultimate aim of the Trust is to restore the engine to full operational condition. On 27 February 2007, No. 9 returned to its old home of Paekakariki and is now based at the depot of Steam Incorporated, where it will undergo restoration under an agreement between the WMR Trust and Steam Inc.
Railway enthusiasts have also attempted to find the remnants of WMR No. 10 but have not yet had success.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Baldwin Steam Trust's list of Baldwin locomotives that operated in New Zealand - includes the N class
- Drawing of a WMR N, by Derek Brown
- Drawing of an NZR N, by Derek Brown
- Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust's official page on the restoration of WMR No. 9
[edit] Reference
- Heath, Eric, and Stott, Bob; Classic Steam Locomotives Of New Zealand, Grantham House, 1993
