| NZR OB class | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | Baldwin Locomotive Works |
| Serial number | 9018, 9021 |
| Build date | 1888 |
| Total produced | 2 |
| Configuration | 2-8-0 |
| UIC classification | 1′C n |
| Gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 43 in (1.092 m) |
| Length | 51 ft 3 in (15.62 m) |
| Weight on drivers | 34 tons 6 cwt (76,800 lb or 34.8 t) |
| Locomotive weight | 38 tons 10 cwt (86,200 lb or 39.1 t) |
| Tender weight | 19 tons 2 cwt (42,800 lb or 19.4 t) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 3 tons 10 cwt (7,800 lb or 3.5 t) |
| Water capacity | 1,500 imp gal (6,800 l; 1,800 US gal) |
| Boiler pressure | 165 lbf/in² (1.14 MPa) |
| Firegrate area | 16.5 sq ft (1.53 m2) |
| Heating surface: Total |
1,013 sq ft (94.1 m2) |
| Cylinders | Two, outside |
| Cylinder size | 16 × 20 in (406 × 508 mm) |
| Valve gear | Stephenson |
| Valve type | Slide valves |
| Tractive effort | 15,177 lbf (67.51 kN) |
| Career | Wellington and Manawatu Railway New Zealand Government Railways |
| Number | WMR 11, 12 NZR 455, 456 |
| Locale | Wellington - Longburn section |
| Retired | 1931, 1929 |
| Disposition | Withdrawn |
The OB class was the first class of steam locomotives constructed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) in New Zealand. The class consisted of two locomotives ordered in 1888, and they entered service in September of that year as WMR No.'s 11 and 12. When the WMR and its locomotive fleet was acquired by the government and merged into the national New Zealand Railways (NZR) in 1908, the two locomotives were considered to be similar to the O class but sufficiently different to warrant the separate OB classification. No. 11 became OB 455 and No. 12 became OB 456, and they ended their days working around Napier. OB 456 was retired in September 1929, and was followed in March 1931 by OB 455, which had survived to be one of the final operating locomotives of WMR heritage, along with NC 461 and UD 465, both of which were withdrawn in the same month.
