NZR C class (1930)
Encyclopedia
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
.
The twenty-four C class locomotives were built by the New Zealand Railways (NZR) themselves in their own workshops, twelve each from the Hutt (Petone
) and Hillside (Dunedin
) Workshops. The first of the twenty-four entered service in October 1930 and the last was operating by November of the next year. The locomotives were superheated
and bore technical similarities to the WF class
of tank locomotive
s but featured numerous modern features of the time, and with their sloped tender
, they would not have looked out of place on an American railway.
began operating, and their sheer power meant they could haul even heavier trains than other locomotives before. It soon became apparent that these trains required a shunter even more powerful than the C, and for this reason, ten members of the BB class
were modified for shunting duties.
However, the K class was not ubiquitous like the AB class
and there was still plenty of work for the C class locomotives to perform. All twenty-four members worked for over three decades, with the first two withdrawn in July 1963. A total of ten were withdrawn by the end of 1963 and the remainder were progressively removed from service over the next few years. Only three were left at the start of 1968, and in May, C 846 and C 864 were both retired, with the latter saved for preservation by the Ferrymead Railway
and it is currently being overhauled. The last to be withdrawn was C 847 in October 1968 and it passed into the possession of the Silver Stream Railway
. It is currently operational and in use by the Railway.
Shunt (railway operations)
Shunting, in railway operations, involves the process of sorting items of rolling stock into complete train sets or consists. The United States terminology is "switching"....
duties on New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's national rail network
Rail transport in New Zealand
Rail transport in New Zealand consists of a network of gauge railway lines in both the North and South Islands. Rail services are focused primarily on freight, particularly bulk freight, with limited passenger services on some lines...
. It is sometimes known as the big C class to differentiate it from the C class of 1873
NZR C class (1873)
The C class consists of a number of tank locomotives built to operate on New Zealand's national rail network during its infancy. It is sometimes referred to as the little C class or the original C class to distinguish it from the C class of 1930....
.
History and construction
In the 1920s, train loads were getting heavier as mainline locomotives became more powerful and increasingly capable of pulling larger loads, but the locomotives assembling and shunting these trains in railway yards were struggling to cope with the weight. Some old mainline locomotives that had been displaced by the newer locomotives were modified to perform shunting duties, but this was not an adequate solution. Therefore, the C class of heavy, powerful shunting locomotives was designed.The twenty-four C class locomotives were built by the New Zealand Railways (NZR) themselves in their own workshops, twelve each from the Hutt (Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
) and Hillside (Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
) Workshops. The first of the twenty-four entered service in October 1930 and the last was operating by November of the next year. The locomotives were superheated
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
and bore technical similarities to the WF class
NZR Wf class
The 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...
of tank locomotive
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...
s but featured numerous modern features of the time, and with their sloped tender
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...
, they would not have looked out of place on an American railway.
Operation, withdrawal, and preservation
Employed in both islands, the C class satisfied the shunting requirements placed upon it and occasionally also worked local freight services. Not long after its introduction, the very powerful K classNZR K class (1932)
The NZR K class of 1932 was a class of mixed traffic 4-8-4 steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's railway network. The locomotives were developed following the failure of the G class Garratts...
began operating, and their sheer power meant they could haul even heavier trains than other locomotives before. It soon became apparent that these trains required a shunter even more powerful than the C, and for this reason, ten members of the BB class
NZR Bb class
The 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...
were modified for shunting duties.
However, the K class was not ubiquitous like 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...
and there was still plenty of work for the C class locomotives to perform. All twenty-four members worked for over three decades, with the first two withdrawn in July 1963. A total of ten were withdrawn by the end of 1963 and the remainder were progressively removed from service over the next few years. Only three were left at the start of 1968, and in May, C 846 and C 864 were both retired, with the latter saved for preservation by the Ferrymead Railway
Ferrymead Railway
The 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...
and it is currently being overhauled. The last to be withdrawn was C 847 in October 1968 and it passed into the possession of the Silver Stream Railway
Silver Stream Railway
The Silver Stream Railway is a heritage railway at Silverstream in the Hutt Valley near Wellington, New Zealand. It regularly operates preserved New Zealand Railways Department locomotives along a restored section of the Hutt Valley Line before a deviation was built in 1954.- History :The...
. It is currently operational and in use by the Railway.