NZR A class (1873)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| NZR A class (1873) | |
 A67 at Ocean Beach Railway |
|
| Power type | Steam |
|---|---|
| Builder | Dübs & Co. (12), Yorkshire Engine Company (2) |
| Build date | 1873 (12), 1875 (2) |
| Configuration | 0-4-0T |
| Gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Driver size | 30 in (762 mm) |
| Wheelbase | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Length | 18 ft 0 in (5.49 m) |
| Total weight | 11 long tons (11 t/12 ST) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 0.4 long tons (0.41 t/0.45 ST) |
| Boiler pressure | 120 psi (0.83 MPa) |
| Fire grate area | 4.2 sq ft (0.39 m²) |
| Heating surface: Total | 269 sq ft (25.0 m²) |
| Cylinders | Two, outside |
| Cylinder size | 8 × 15 in (203 × 381 mm |
| Tractive effort | 3,072 lbf (13.66 kN) |
| Career | Public Works Department, NZGR |
| Number in class | 14 |
| Locale | New Zealand |
| Preserved | Four (62, 64, 66, 67) |
| Disposition | Four preserved, ten scrapped |
The A class was the second class of steam locomotive (after 1872's F class) ordered to work on New Zealand's national railways. It should not be confused with the more numerous A class 4-6-2 tender locomotives of 1906. Initially ordered by the Public Works Department for use in the construction of lines, the A class was a small tank locomotive with a wheel arrangement of 0-4-0T. An initial twelve were constructed by Dübs & Co. in 1873 and two more were built in 1875 by the Yorkshire Engine Company. They were not just used by the Public Works Department; the New Zealand Government Railways also utilised the class to operate revenue services on smaller branch lines. None existed in government service by 1905, but their small size made them perfect for use on bush tramways and small private industrial sidings. Many members of the class survived for years in private use, and although all are now retired from commercial service, four have survived to be preserved by railway enthusiasts and two of the four are currently in full operational condition. One of these preserved locomotives, A 67, was the first in a cavalcade of locomotives at the celebration of the hundredth birthday of the Dunedin Railway Station.
[edit] External links
- Photo of an A Class loco at the opening of the Waimate Branch, 1877
- Information on the four preserved A class locomotives from the Weka Pass Railway: A 62, A 64, A 66, and A 67
[edit] References
- Heath, Eric, and Stott, Bob; Classic Steam Locomotives Of New Zealand, Grantham House, 1993
- A class 0-4-0T. New Zealand Railways Steam Locomotives. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
 |
This New Zealand rail-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
