NZR Wab class
Encyclopedia
The WAB class locomotives were steam locomotives designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways Department
. Their wheel arrangement is described by the Whyte notation 4-6-4
T. The locomotives were designed by NZR chief draughtsman S.H. Jenkinson as tank
versions of the AB class
4-6-2
Pacific locomotive. Initially, the locomotives were separated into two classes, designated WAB for mainline work and WS for suburban work.
The first locomotives, WS 686 and WAB 687, were built from the boilers, frames and engine units initially destined for AB 666 and AB 667. These entered service in 1917, WS 686 in Wellington
and WAB 687 at Taumarunui
in the central North Island
. Fourteen WS class locomotives were built between 1917 and 1925: one at Addington workshops (686), five at A & G Price Ltd, Thames (799-803) and eight at Hillside workshops, Dunedin (764-771). All the WS class were converted to WAB in 1932-4. Sixteen WAB class were built between 1918 and 1926: one at Addington (687), 12 at Hillside (786-795) and three at A&G Price (796-798). Between 1947 and 1957 11 WAB class were converted to AB class.
The remaining locomotives were kept in service until the last days of steam, operating short-haul main line freight services and fast suburban services, particularly in Auckland
. WAB 794 was sold to the Ohai Railway Board in Southland
for running heavy coal trains.
The locomotives were progressively withdrawn in the 1960s.
WAB 794 is preserved at Feilding, and has been used on main line excursions and also on the regular Wellington - Auckland Overlander service.
WAB (former WS) 800 is owned by the Waikato Branch of New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society
and was stored for many years at the Te Awamutu
Railway Museum. Following negotiation of a lease agreement, the engine has been moved to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway
for eventual restoration to working order.
AB (former WAB) 795 is preserved at Kingston
, for use on the "Kingston Flyer
".
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
. Their wheel arrangement is described by the Whyte notation 4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
T. The locomotives were designed by NZR chief draughtsman S.H. Jenkinson as tank
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
versions of the AB class
NZR Ab class
The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North...
4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
Pacific locomotive. Initially, the locomotives were separated into two classes, designated WAB for mainline work and WS for suburban work.
The first locomotives, WS 686 and WAB 687, were built from the boilers, frames and engine units initially destined for AB 666 and AB 667. These entered service in 1917, WS 686 in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and WAB 687 at Taumarunui
Taumarunui
Taumarunui is a town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on State Highway 4 and the North Island Main Trunk Railway....
in the central North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. Fourteen WS class locomotives were built between 1917 and 1925: one at Addington workshops (686), five at A & G Price Ltd, Thames (799-803) and eight at Hillside workshops, Dunedin (764-771). All the WS class were converted to WAB in 1932-4. Sixteen WAB class were built between 1918 and 1926: one at Addington (687), 12 at Hillside (786-795) and three at A&G Price (796-798). Between 1947 and 1957 11 WAB class were converted to AB class.
The remaining locomotives were kept in service until the last days of steam, operating short-haul main line freight services and fast suburban services, particularly in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. WAB 794 was sold to the Ohai Railway Board in Southland
Southland Region
Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region and is also a district within that region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island / Rakiura...
for running heavy coal trains.
The locomotives were progressively withdrawn in the 1960s.
Preserved locomotives
Only three examples of the class remain, with two in their original form as WABs.WAB 794 is preserved at Feilding, and has been used on main line excursions and also on the regular Wellington - Auckland Overlander service.
WAB (former WS) 800 is owned by the Waikato Branch of New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society
New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society
The New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Inc is a society of railway enthusiasts, based in Wellington.The Society publishes a magazine, the New Zealand Railway Observer and a newsletter Turntable. The Society publishes books on railway subjects. There are currently about 25 books available,...
and was stored for many years at the Te Awamutu
Te Awamutu
Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it...
Railway Museum. Following negotiation of a lease agreement, the engine has been moved to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway
Glenbrook Vintage Railway
The Glenbrook Vintage Railway is a steam railway in Glenbrook, New Zealand. One of New Zealand's premiere rail heritage sites, it is not a museum as such, but rather a fully self-supporting, operating steam railway, built almost entirely by volunteer labour...
for eventual restoration to working order.
AB (former WAB) 795 is preserved at Kingston
Kingston, New Zealand
Kingston is a small town at the southernmost end of Lake Wakatipu on the border of Otago and Southland, in New Zealand's South Island. It is 47 kilometres south of Queenstown by a road which winds between the lake to the west and The Remarkables mountains to the east...
, for use on the "Kingston Flyer
Kingston Flyer
The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train operating in the South Island of New Zealand at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. It uses 14 kilometres of preserved trackage that once formed a part of the Kingston Branch.-History:...
".
Class register
| Number | Builder | Introduced | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 686 | NZR Addington | |||
| 687 | NZR Addington | |||
| 763 | NZR Hillside | |||
| 772 | NZR Hillside | |||
| 786 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn October 1968 |
||
| 787 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn April 1966 |
||
| 788 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn March 1969 |
||
| 789 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn March 1969 |
||
| 790 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn February 1966 |
||
| 791 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn October 1967 |
||
| 792 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn July 1969 |
||
| 793 | NZR Hillside | Converted to AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn March 1969 |
||
| 794 | NZR Hillside | Sold to Ohai Railway Board; withdrawn 1968. Preserved by Feilding and District Steam Rail Society Feilding and District Steam Rail Society The Feilding and District Steam Rail Society, also known as Feilding Steam Rail, is a railway preservation society located in Feilding in the Manawatu region of New Zealand... , operating with mainline certification |
||
| 795 | NZR Hillside | Converted as AB class NZR Ab class The NZR AB class was a class of 4-6-2 Pacific tender steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's national railway system. Originally an improvement on the 1906 A class, 141 were built between 1915 and 1927 by NZR's Addington Workshops, A & G Price Limited of Thames, New Zealand, and North... ; withdrawn July 1969 Preserved (as AB) by Kingston Flyer Kingston Flyer The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train operating in the South Island of New Zealand at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. It uses 14 kilometres of preserved trackage that once formed a part of the Kingston Branch.-History:... |
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| 796 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |
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| 797 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |
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| 798 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |
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| 799 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |
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| 800 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |
Stored at Glenbrook Vintage Railway Glenbrook Vintage Railway The Glenbrook Vintage Railway is a steam railway in Glenbrook, New Zealand. One of New Zealand's premiere rail heritage sites, it is not a museum as such, but rather a fully self-supporting, operating steam railway, built almost entirely by volunteer labour... . |
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| 801 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |
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| 802 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |
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| 803 | A & G Price A & G Price A & G Price Limited is an engineering firm and locomotive manufacturer in Thames, New Zealand, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel... |