NZR Ka class
Encyclopedia
The NZR
KA class of 1939 was a class of mixed traffic 4-8-4
steam locomotive
s that operated on New Zealand
's railway network
. They were built after the success of the K class
to meet the increasing traffic demands of the New Zealand Railways Department
. The locomotives first appeared with distinctive streamlining, mainly to hide their ACFI feedwater systems.
. The new locomotives incorporated a number of improvements, including a re-designed plate frame
to eliminate the cracking issues the K class were experiencing; roller bearings
on all wheels; hydrostatic lubrication throughout; and the inclusion of the ACFI feedwater system as pioneered by K 919. As the ACFI equipment was criticised for its aesthetic appearance, it was obscured with shrouding fitted to both the KA class and contemporary KB class
.
Building of the locomotives commenced in 1939, just prior to the Second World War. Main construction and assembly took place at Hutt Workshops
. Hillside Workshops largely constructed - but did not assemble - ten of the class (No.’s 940-944, 960-964) and built a further five KA boilers. The primary reason why the ten KAs were not assembled at Hillside was because there was no way of transporting complete locomotives between the North and South Islands at the time (the first Railways Department rail ferry
didn't commence until 1962). The Vulcan Foundry
, of the United Kingdom
supplied parts for fifteen locomotives, including most chassis components, tender bogie
s, and boiler foundation rings. The General Casting Corporation of Pennsylvania
, USA supplied trailing bogie and rear end framing. A company in Auckland also constructed up to 10 tenders for the class. While the imported components were intended for specific locomotives (and in some cases were stamped for the locomotives they were intended for) in practice, and due to wartime pressures, the imported components were used indiscriminately for any KA locomotives in the programme.
Nineteen locomotives were built between 1939 and 1941, but wartime circumstances meant construction of the remaining sixteen lasted from 1941 to 1950, a period much longer than NZR management anticipated. The first of the locomotives to be completed was KA 945. All but two members of the class were constructed by 1946. The final pair, No.'s 958 and 959, differed somewhat from the rest of their class due to being fitted with Baker valve gear
instead of the Walschaerts valve gear fitted to all other members, and were oil burners from new. Like some of the other later KAs, they were not built with shrouding, although the front shrouding and many front-end components had been built for KA 959 for display at an exhibition. These were ultimately used on KA 939.
and sixteen at Hutt. The conversion coincided with the removal of the shrouding, and also the replacement of the ACFI feedwater system with an exhaust steam injector.
The locomotives became a mainstay of the North Island motive power fleet, and although primarily seen on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, they also worked other lines, such as the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line
as far as Napier
and the Stratford - Okahukura Line.
At one stage, KA 944 was sent to the South Island for an overhaul at Hillside Workshops and for subsequent use on the Midland Line
along with the KB class. Although it was overhauled, it did not operate on the Midland Line due to union objections and was repatriated back to the North Island.
on 24 December 1953, New Zealand’s worst rail disaster. Although recovered from the Whangaehu River
and taken to Hutt Workshops, it was never repaired and officially written off in 1955. Although the locomotive was subsequently scrapped, the NZR recovered quite a number of components from it and re-used these on other locomotives as the need arose.
With the commencement of main line dieselisation
in 1954, the class was slowly displaced from front line service, especially as the DA class
was progressively introduced to service from 1955. Withdrawals began in 1964. The last locomotive in revenue service, KA 935, ran in 1967. KA 942 was held for a time at Hutt Workshops for possible use as a stationery boiler, but this did not proceed.
KA 935 was preserved by the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society in 1967, and was initially stored at the Waikato Railway Museum in Te Awamutu
until the site at Seaview, Lower Hutt where a railway was being established. Later KA 935 moved along with the rest of the collection to the new site at the Silver Stream Railway
in 1984, being moved there in steam behind a diesel towing the rest of the items. Since that time KA 935 has remained at Silverstream, and is currently out of service awaiting a 10-year overhaul. Due to the short nature of the Silver Stream Railway
, 935 has been converted from superheating to a saturated state by removal of the superheater elements.
KA 942 was preserved by Ian Welch in 1972, after having been laid up at Hutt Workshops as a possible addition to 3 K Class locomotives being used as a stationary boiler supply. It was moved to Steam Incorporated
and some limited work was done on restoring it, however by the mid-1980's it had been moved to Otaki for open air storage. In 1989 it was moved to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway
where it was restored to working order, and main line certified - first running from 1991, wearing its former streamline shrouding. Initially based out of Mainline Steam
's Parnell depot, it alternated between Parnell and Christchurch before being moved to Wellington in 2001 so that a comprehensive 10-year overhaul could be conducted. KA 942 returned to service in 2008.
KA 945 was preserved by Len Southward (who created the Southward Car Museum
, who had it stored in Taumaranui at first and then later at Steam Incorporated
, Paekakariki. Later he gifted
KA 945 to Steam Incorporated
, and they began slowly overhauling it to working order. In late 1984, the pace of work accelerated to have it ready in time for the return of steam to the main line in 1985, a goal which was achieved. In the 10 years that followed KA 945 ran numerous excursions all over the country, including the Crunchie Train Tour of 1993. In 1995 it was withdrawn for a 10-year overhaul, however due to a number of constraints this has not taken place yet.
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...
KA class of 1939 was a class of mixed traffic 4-8-4
4-8-4
Under the Whyte notation classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification: 2D2...
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 that operated 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 railway 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...
. They were built after the success of the K class
NZR 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...
to meet the increasing traffic demands of 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...
. The locomotives first appeared with distinctive streamlining, mainly to hide their ACFI feedwater systems.
History
Following the success of the K class, there was a need for more similar locomotives in the North IslandNorth 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...
. The new locomotives incorporated a number of improvements, including a re-designed plate frame
Locomotive frame
A locomotive frame is the structure that forms the backbone of the railway locomotive, giving it strength and supporting the superstructure elements such as a cab, boiler or bodywork. The vast majority of locomotives have had a frame structure of some kind...
to eliminate the cracking issues the K class were experiencing; roller bearings
Rolling-element bearing
A rolling-element bearing, also known as a rolling bearing, is a bearing which carries a load by placing round elements between the two pieces...
on all wheels; hydrostatic lubrication throughout; and the inclusion of the ACFI feedwater system as pioneered by K 919. As the ACFI equipment was criticised for its aesthetic appearance, it was obscured with shrouding fitted to both the KA class and contemporary KB class
NZR Kb class
The NZR KB class of 1939 was a class of mixed traffic steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's railway network. They were built by the New Zealand Railways Department after the success of the K class to meet the increasing traffic demands on the Midland Line in the South Island...
.
Building of the locomotives commenced in 1939, just prior to the Second World War. Main construction and assembly took place at Hutt Workshops
Hutt Workshops
The Hutt Railway Workshops is a major railway engineering facility in the Lower Hutt suburb of Gracefield in the Wellington region of New Zealand’s North Island...
. Hillside Workshops largely constructed - but did not assemble - ten of the class (No.’s 940-944, 960-964) and built a further five KA boilers. The primary reason why the ten KAs were not assembled at Hillside was because there was no way of transporting complete locomotives between the North and South Islands at the time (the first Railways Department rail ferry
Interislander
The Interislander is a road and rail ferry service across New Zealand's Cook Strait, owned and operated by state-owned rail operator KiwiRail.The Interislander travels between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island, forming a road and rail link between New Zealand's two main...
didn't commence until 1962). The Vulcan Foundry
Vulcan Foundry
Vulcan Foundry was a British locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire .-History:It was originally opened in 1832 as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches and crossings, and other ironwork following the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway...
, of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
supplied parts for fifteen locomotives, including most chassis components, tender bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s, and boiler foundation rings. The General Casting Corporation of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA supplied trailing bogie and rear end framing. A company in Auckland also constructed up to 10 tenders for the class. While the imported components were intended for specific locomotives (and in some cases were stamped for the locomotives they were intended for) in practice, and due to wartime pressures, the imported components were used indiscriminately for any KA locomotives in the programme.
Nineteen locomotives were built between 1939 and 1941, but wartime circumstances meant construction of the remaining sixteen lasted from 1941 to 1950, a period much longer than NZR management anticipated. The first of the locomotives to be completed was KA 945. All but two members of the class were constructed by 1946. The final pair, No.'s 958 and 959, differed somewhat from the rest of their class due to being fitted with Baker valve gear
Baker valve gear
Baker valve gear was the main competitor to Walschaerts valve gear for steam locomotives in the United States. Strictly speaking it was not a valve gear but a variable expansion mechanism adapted to the Walschaerts layout replacing the expansion link and sliding die block...
instead of the Walschaerts valve gear fitted to all other members, and were oil burners from new. Like some of the other later KAs, they were not built with shrouding, although the front shrouding and many front-end components had been built for KA 959 for display at an exhibition. These were ultimately used on KA 939.
In service
The KA class was solely based in the North Island, and upon entering service, the first members were placed on heavy freight and express passenger service. They saw extensive use on these tasks during wartime. The shrouding, while cleaning up the appearance of the locomotives, was open at the top and began gathering soot and dust that affected the working environment in the cab. After the war, a coal shortage also occurred and NZR decided to convert a large number of locomotives to oil burning. The KA class were a prime candidate due to the large size of the grate. Conversion to oil burning occurred from 1947 and 1953, with nineteen of the class done at Otahuhu WorkshopsOtahuhu Workshops
Otahuhu railway workshops were a major rolling stock maintenance and repair facility of the New Zealand Government Railways Department, in the south Auckland suburb of Otahuhu in New Zealand's North Island...
and sixteen at Hutt. The conversion coincided with the removal of the shrouding, and also the replacement of the ACFI feedwater system with an exhaust steam injector.
The locomotives became a mainstay of the North Island motive power fleet, and although primarily seen on the North Island Main Trunk Railway, they also worked other lines, such as the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line
Palmerston North - Gisborne Line
The Palmerston North – Gisborne Line is a secondary main line railway in the North Island of New Zealand. It branches from the North Island Main Trunk Railway in Palmerston North and runs east through the Manawatu Gorge to Woodville, where it meets the Wairarapa Line, and then proceeds to...
as far as Napier
Napier, New Zealand
Napier is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about About 18 kilometres south of Napier is the inland city of Hastings. These two neighboring cities are often called "The Twin Cities" or "The Bay Cities"...
and the Stratford - Okahukura Line.
At one stage, KA 944 was sent to the South Island for an overhaul at Hillside Workshops and for subsequent use on the Midland Line
Midland Line, New Zealand
The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira tunnel.-Freight services:...
along with the KB class. Although it was overhauled, it did not operate on the Midland Line due to union objections and was repatriated back to the North Island.
Withdrawal and disposal
One member of the class, KA 949, was wrecked in the Tangiwai disasterTangiwai disaster
The Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953 was the worst rail accident in New Zealand history. An 11-carriage overnight express from Wellington to Auckland fell into the Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, ten kilometres west of Waiouru. The bridge carrying the North Island Main Trunk Railway over the...
on 24 December 1953, New Zealand’s worst rail disaster. Although recovered from the Whangaehu River
Whangaehu River
The Whangaehu River is a large river in central North Island of New Zealand. Its headwaters are the crater lake of Mount Ruapehu on the central plateau, and it flows into the Tasman Sea eight kilometres southeast of Wanganui.-Length:...
and taken to Hutt Workshops, it was never repaired and officially written off in 1955. Although the locomotive was subsequently scrapped, the NZR recovered quite a number of components from it and re-used these on other locomotives as the need arose.
With the commencement of main line dieselisation
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
in 1954, the class was slowly displaced from front line service, especially as the DA class
NZR DA class
The NZR Da diesel-electric mainline locomotive class ran on the New Zealand railway system between 1955 and 1989. With 146 locomotives, it was the most numerous class to operate in New Zealand, just five more than the AB class steam locomotive....
was progressively introduced to service from 1955. Withdrawals began in 1964. The last locomotive in revenue service, KA 935, ran in 1967. KA 942 was held for a time at Hutt Workshops for possible use as a stationery boiler, but this did not proceed.
Preservation
Three of the KA class have been preserved:KA 935 was preserved by the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Railway & Locomotive Society in 1967, and was initially stored at the Waikato Railway Museum in 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...
until the site at Seaview, Lower Hutt where a railway was being established. Later KA 935 moved along with the rest of the collection to the new site at 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...
in 1984, being moved there in steam behind a diesel towing the rest of the items. Since that time KA 935 has remained at Silverstream, and is currently out of service awaiting a 10-year overhaul. Due to the short nature 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...
, 935 has been converted from superheating to a saturated state by removal of the superheater elements.
KA 942 was preserved by Ian Welch in 1972, after having been laid up at Hutt Workshops as a possible addition to 3 K Class locomotives being used as a stationary boiler supply. It was moved to Steam Incorporated
Steam Incorporated
Steam Incorporated, often abbreviated to Steam Inc., is a railway heritage and preservation society based at the Paekakariki Railway Station, Paekakariki at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast, approximately 50 minutes north of Wellington on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Unlike...
and some limited work was done on restoring it, however by the mid-1980's it had been moved to Otaki for open air storage. In 1989 it was 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...
where it was restored to working order, and main line certified - first running from 1991, wearing its former streamline shrouding. Initially based out of Mainline Steam
Mainline Steam
Mainline 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...
's Parnell depot, it alternated between Parnell and Christchurch before being moved to Wellington in 2001 so that a comprehensive 10-year overhaul could be conducted. KA 942 returned to service in 2008.
KA 945 was preserved by Len Southward (who created the Southward Car Museum
Southward Car Museum
The Southward Car Museum is an automobile museum housing a collection of over 250 vehicles, as well as three aircraft, located on Otaihanga Road, Otaihanga, just north of Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island...
, who had it stored in Taumaranui at first and then later at Steam Incorporated
Steam Incorporated
Steam Incorporated, often abbreviated to Steam Inc., is a railway heritage and preservation society based at the Paekakariki Railway Station, Paekakariki at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast, approximately 50 minutes north of Wellington on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Unlike...
, Paekakariki. Later he gifted
KA 945 to Steam Incorporated
Steam Incorporated
Steam Incorporated, often abbreviated to Steam Inc., is a railway heritage and preservation society based at the Paekakariki Railway Station, Paekakariki at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast, approximately 50 minutes north of Wellington on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Unlike...
, and they began slowly overhauling it to working order. In late 1984, the pace of work accelerated to have it ready in time for the return of steam to the main line in 1985, a goal which was achieved. In the 10 years that followed KA 945 ran numerous excursions all over the country, including the Crunchie Train Tour of 1993. In 1995 it was withdrawn for a 10-year overhaul, however due to a number of constraints this has not taken place yet.
Class register
| Number | Builder | Introduced | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 930 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 931 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 932 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 933 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 934 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 935 | NZR Hutt | Donated by NZR to Wellington Branch of the NZR&LS. Preserved by 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... ; stored awaiting a boiler overhaul (10-year). |
||
| 936 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 937 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 938 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 939 | NZR Hutt | Tender from this locomotive preserved by Mainline Steam, Parnell | ||
| 940 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 941 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 942 | NZR Hutt | Purchased 1972 by Ian Welch for Mainline Steam Mainline Steam Mainline 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... and named Nigel Bruce; restored and certified for main line use. Usually partially streamlined/shrouded, since November 2010 the locomotive has been de-streamlined and temporarily renumbered 949 for use in a documentary about the Tangiwai Disaster. |
||
| 943 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 944 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 945 | NZR Hutt | Purchased from NZR by Len Southward for Southward Car Museum Southward Car Museum The Southward Car Museum is an automobile museum housing a collection of over 250 vehicles, as well as three aircraft, located on Otaihanga Road, Otaihanga, just north of Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast of New Zealand's North Island... ; donated to Steam Incorporated Steam Incorporated Steam Incorporated, often abbreviated to Steam Inc., is a railway heritage and preservation society based at the Paekakariki Railway Station, Paekakariki at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast, approximately 50 minutes north of Wellington on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Unlike... , restored and in use on the main line from 1985; currently stored dismantled, awaiting overhaul. |
||
| 946 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 947 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 948 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 949 | NZR Hutt | Wrecked in the Tangiwai disaster Tangiwai disaster The Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953 was the worst rail accident in New Zealand history. An 11-carriage overnight express from Wellington to Auckland fell into the Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, ten kilometres west of Waiouru. The bridge carrying the North Island Main Trunk Railway over the... on 24 December 1953; officially written off March 1955. |
||
| 950 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 951 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 952 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 953 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 954 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 955 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 956 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 957 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 958 | NZR Hutt | Baker Valve Gear | ||
| 959 | NZR Hutt | Baker Valve Gear | ||
| 960 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 961 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 962 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 963 | NZR Hutt | |||
| 964 | NZR Hutt |