NZR Wf class
Encyclopedia
The NZR
WF class were steam locomotive
s designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways Department
. Their wheel arrangement
is described by the Whyte notation
2-6-4T and the first members of the class entered service in 1904. The locomotives were tank engines
designed by the Railways Department's Chief Mechanical Engineer A. L. Beattie
, and were mainly built for suburban duties such as those between Christchurch
and Lyttelton
. They also saw main-line service in the Taranaki region, but most of the class members were assigned to branch line
and local services throughout the country. Two were experimentally converted to oil burners in 1909-1910. The tests were satisfactory, but as coal was much cheaper than oil at the time, no further conversions took place.
There were 41 in the class; built by Addington Workshops
(10), Hillside Workshops (16), and A & G Price
of Thames
(15).
Eight of the locomotives were sold to the Tasmanian Government Railways
between 1939 and 1944 and classified as the DS class.
The C class of 1930
is a tender locomotive
variant of the WF class.
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...
WF class were steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways Department
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
Wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...
is described by the Whyte notation
Whyte notation
The Whyte notation for classifying steam locomotives by wheel arrangement was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte and came into use in the early twentieth century encouraged by an editorial in American Engineer and Railroad Journal...
2-6-4T and the first members of the class entered service in 1904. The locomotives were tank engines
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...
designed by the Railways Department's Chief Mechanical Engineer A. L. Beattie
A. L. Beattie
Alfred Luther Beattie , typically referred to as A. L. Beattie, was a pioneering locomotive engineer. Born in Yorkshire, England, he gained fame as the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the New Zealand Railways Department between 1900 and 1913...
, and were mainly built for suburban duties such as those between Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
. They also saw main-line service in the Taranaki region, but most of the class members were assigned to branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
and local services throughout the country. Two were experimentally converted to oil burners in 1909-1910. The tests were satisfactory, but as coal was much cheaper than oil at the time, no further conversions took place.
There were 41 in the class; built by Addington Workshops
Addington Workshops
The Addington Railway Workshops was a major railway facility established in the Christchurch suburb of Addington in May 1880 by the New Zealand Railways Department. The workshops were previously in Carlyle Street and closed in 1990.-Description:...
(10), Hillside Workshops (16), and 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...
of Thames
Thames, New Zealand
Thames is a town at the southwestern end of the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand's North Island. It is located on the Firth of Thames close to the mouth of the Waihou River. The town is the seat of the Thames-Coromandel District Council....
(15).
Eight of the locomotives were sold to the Tasmanian Government Railways
Tasmanian Government Railways
The Tasmanian Government Railways was the former Government of Tasmania managed operator of mainline railways in Tasmania, Australia...
between 1939 and 1944 and classified as the DS class.
The C class of 1930
NZR C class (1930)
The C class consisted of twenty-four steam locomotives built to perform shunting duties on New Zealand's national rail network. It is sometimes known as the big C class to differentiate it from the C class of 1873.-History and construction:...
is a tender locomotive
Tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, so tenders are necessary to keep the locomotive running over long distances. A locomotive...
variant of the WF class.