NZR Na class
Encyclopedia
The NA class was a class of two steam locomotive
s that operated on the privately owned Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) and then the publicly owned national rail network
in New Zealand
. Ordered by the WMR to operate on its line up the west coast of the North Island
north of Wellington
, the first was built in 1894 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works
and entered service that year as WMR No. 14. In 1896, a second locomotive that was slightly more powerful was ordered from Baldwin, and it entered service in October 1897. The engines were similar to the two members of the N class
ordered in 1891, except they were heavier and more powerful. They were Vauclain
compound locomotive
s.
In 1908, the WMR was incorporated into the national network and the government's Railways Department reclassified the engines as the sole members of the NA class: No. 14 became NA 459 and No. 15 became NA 460. They operated for roughly another two decades; NA 459 spent its final days working in Frankton
near Hamilton
and was withdrawn from service in March 1929, while NA 460's last depot was Cross Creek at the Wairarapa
end of the Rimutaka Incline and it was withdrawn in July 1929.
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 the privately owned Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) and then the publicly owned 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...
in 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...
. Ordered by the WMR to operate on its line up the west coast of the North Island
North 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...
north of Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, the first was built in 1894 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
and entered service that year as WMR No. 14. In 1896, a second locomotive that was slightly more powerful was ordered from Baldwin, and it entered service in October 1897. The engines were similar to the two members of the N class
NZR N class
The N class were 12 steam locomotives that operated on the national rail network of New Zealand. They were built in three batches, including one batch of two engines for the private Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, the WMR, by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1885, 1891, and 1901...
ordered in 1891, except they were heavier and more powerful. They were Vauclain
Vauclain compound
The Vauclain compound was a type of compound steam locomotive that was briefly popular around 1900. Developed at the Baldwin Locomotive Works, it featured two pistons moving in parallel, driving a common crosshead and controlled by a common valve gear using a single, complex piston...
compound locomotive
Compound locomotive
A compound engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure cylinder, then having given up heat and losing pressure, it exhausts directly into one or more larger...
s.
In 1908, the WMR was incorporated into the national network and the government's Railways Department reclassified the engines as the sole members of the NA class: No. 14 became NA 459 and No. 15 became NA 460. They operated for roughly another two decades; NA 459 spent its final days working in Frankton
Frankton, Waikato
Frankton is a central suburb of the city of Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the site of the city's passenger railway station, a major industrial-commercial stretch of State Highway 1, and a commercial shopping area.- Tornado :...
near Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
and was withdrawn from service in March 1929, while NA 460's last depot was Cross Creek at the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
end of the Rimutaka Incline and it was withdrawn in July 1929.
