The NZR D class of 1929 comprised one 0-4-0

0-4-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...

 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...

 that was built for the 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...

 by the Clayton Wagons Ltd in Lincoln, England.

History

Originally, D 1 was purchased for railcar type service but it was not successful. It had a White-Forster type boiler designed for a working pressure of 300 psi, had four vertical cylinders housed in the rear of the cab and was high geared. At a normal engine speed of 400 rpm, the unit was calculated to develop 200 horsepower. The engine drove a central transverse jackshaft through reduction gearing, the drive from the jackshaft being transmitted to the wheels through conventional side rods.

Working Life

On arrival in New Zealand, D 1 was found to be more than 25 percent heavier than the specified maximum of 20 tons and after trials in Wellington was allocated for use as a shunting engine at the Otahuhu workshops. However it never proved satisfactory and was written off in 1936 and scrapped and D 1 did not survive to be preserved.