A & G Price
Encyclopedia
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. The firm currently has 135 employees.
Price manufactured 22 carriages and wagons in the early 1870s, and manufactured two locomotives in the 1880s for private industry, the first being a 0-4-0ST Saddle Tank type locomotive. The Thames Branch
railway line opened in 1898, and Price won a tender to make locomotives for the NZR in 1903 and 1906 (Wright page 106). Later in the 1950s and 1960s they manufactured a number of diesel shunting locomotives for the NZR, the NZR TR class
, and some for private users.
In 1990 A & G Price regauged 24 of the Silver Star carriages to metre gauge (1000 mm) for running in Malaysia Singapore and Thailand as the Eastern and Oriental Express
.
Incomplete list
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....
, established in 1868. In 2004 a precision formed yacht keel division was formed to make the Maximus canting keel. The firm currently has 135 employees.
A & G Price and railways
A & G Price was the largest New Zealand non-railways locomotive manufacturer, both in terms of output and in terms of supply of rolling stock to the New Zealand Government Railways and other firms.Price manufactured 22 carriages and wagons in the early 1870s, and manufactured two locomotives in the 1880s for private industry, the first being a 0-4-0ST Saddle Tank type locomotive. The Thames Branch
Thames Branch
The Thames Branch railway line connected Thames, New Zealand, with Hamilton and was originally part of the East Coast Main Trunk Railway. Part of the line between Morrinsville and Waitoa remains open and is in use as the Waitoa Industrial Line, connecting to the Fonterra Dairy Factory at...
railway line opened in 1898, and Price won a tender to make locomotives for the NZR in 1903 and 1906 (Wright page 106). Later in the 1950s and 1960s they manufactured a number of diesel shunting locomotives for the NZR, the NZR TR class
NZR TR class
The NZR TR class is a class of diesel shunting locomotives built by many different manufacturers. Many of these locomotives have been withdrawn, but some are still in service. The first locomotives of this class were built by the Drewry Car Co in 1936, and had 52 kW or 90 kW petrol engines...
, and some for private users.
In 1990 A & G Price regauged 24 of the Silver Star carriages to metre gauge (1000 mm) for running in Malaysia Singapore and Thailand as the Eastern and Oriental Express
Eastern and Oriental Express
The Eastern & Oriental Express carries passengers in luxury between Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The train travels through dense rainforests and towering mountains past golden temples; rubber plantations and fields of frangiapani, tapioca, sunflowers and mango orchards; and remote towns and...
.
Locomotive types designed & built by A & G Price
Incomplete List- 1885 0-4-0ST type (1)
- WFNZR Wf classThe NZR WF class were steam locomotives 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...
(15) - ANZR A class (1906)The A class were steam locomotives built in 1906 with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement for New Zealand's national railway network, and described by some as the most handsome engines to run on New Zealand rails. The class should not be confused with the older and more obscure A class of 1873. They were...
(50) - 1912 16-wheeler 0-4-4-4-4-0T type (4), similar to the Johnston 16-wheeler
- 1912 Price C 0-4-4-0T type (2), similar to the Climax A Type
- 1912 Price D 0-4-4-0T type (1), a smaller lighter version of the Price C
- ABNZR Ab classThe 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...
(20) - BBNZR Bb classThe BB class of steam locomotives comprised 30 engines operated by New Zealand Railways in the North Island of New Zealand. Similar in design and appearance to the preceding B and BA classes, the first BB class locomotive entered service in February 1915, with the last to commence operations doing...
(30) - WABNZR Wab classThe WAB class locomotives were steam locomotives designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways Department. Their wheel arrangement is described by the Whyte notation 4-6-4T. The locomotives were designed by NZR chief draughtsman S.H. Jenkinson as tank versions of the AB class 4-6-2 Pacific...
(8) - 1923 Price E 0-4-4-0T type (4), similar to the Climax B Type
- 1924 Price Ca 0-4-4-0T type (1), a Price C but with Heisler style bogies
- 1925 Price Cb 0-4-4-0T type (4), an updated version of the Price C
- 1926 Price Ar 0-4-4-0T type (1), a Meyer locomotiveMeyer locomotiveA Meyer locomotive is a type of articulated locomotive. The design was never as popular as the Garratt or Mallet locomotives. It can be best regarded as 19th Century competition for the early compound Mallet and also the Fairlie articulated designs....
type - 1927 Price Cba 0-4-4-0T type (1), an improved developent of the Ca and Cb types
- 1937 Price E 0-4-4-0T type (1), an improved version of the previous E type
- 1939 Price Rail Tractor (10), a small petrol-mechanical design
- 1943 Price V 0-4-4-0T type (1), similar to the Heisler locomotiveHeisler locomotiveThe Heisler locomotive was the last variant of the three major types of geared steam locomotive, Charles L. Heisler receiving a patent for the design in 1892 following the construction of a prototype in 1891. Somewhat similar to a Climax locomotive, Heisler's design featured two cylinders canted...
- Price Model 1 through Model 22, various diesel types, many of which were supplied to the NZR
- Price Rail Tractor (1), last locomotive constructed, for yard use at A & G Price.
Preserved locomotives
- A 423 Te Awamutu Locomotive Museum (now Glenbrook Vintage RailwayGlenbrook Vintage RailwayThe 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...
) - A 428 Weka Pass RailwayWeka Pass RailwayThe Weka Pass Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway based in Waipara, North Canterbury. It is operated on a 12 km length of the former Waiau Branch railway between Waipara and Waikari. The railway is operated by an incorporated society whose members come from all walks of life and are largely...
- AB 699 Pleasant Point RailwayPleasant Point Museum and Railwaythumb|right|Pleasant Point Museum and Railway YardThe Pleasant Point Museum and Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway located in the small country town of Pleasant Point in southern Canterbury, New Zealand, inland from Timaru. Its main terminal is located at Pleasant Point station, which was...
- BB 144 Mainline SteamMainline SteamMainline Steam is a New Zealand organisation devoted to the restoration and operation of historic New Zealand Railways mainline steam locomotives. Regular day excursions and multi-day tours are operated over rail lines throughout New Zealand...
, Auckland - WAB 800 Te Awamutu Locomotive Museum (now at Glenbrook Vintage RailwayGlenbrook Vintage RailwayThe 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...
) - WF 393 Ferrymead RailwayFerrymead RailwayThe Ferrymead Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway built upon the formation of New Zealand's first public railway, the line from Ferrymead to Christchurch, which opened in 1863. On the opening of the line to Lyttelton on 9 December 1867, the Ferrymead Railway became the Ferrymead Branch and...
- TR 170 (TR 724 TMS) Wairarapa Railway Restoration SocietyWairarapa Railway Restoration SocietyThe Wairarapa Railway Restoration Society is a railway heritage and preservation community group in the town of Carterton, in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand's North Island...
(Stored offsite) - Diesel-mechanicals 2ft gauge ex-Ohai Mines one at the Blenheim Riverside RailwayBlenheim Riverside RailwayThe Blenheim Riverside Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway located in Blenheim, New Zealand and runs down the Taylor River which winds its way through the middle of the town...
, another at Totara Springs Christian Camp railway