NZR Nc class
Encyclopedia
The NZR NC class was a class of two steam locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works
built for service on New Zealand
's private Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR). They did not acquire their NC classification until the publicly owned New Zealand Railways Department
(NZR) purchased the WMR and its locomotive fleet.
The first member of the NC class was ordered in 1901 and entered service in May 1902 as WMR No. 5. Another locomotive built to a very similar design was ordered in 1904 and entered service that same year as WMR No. 18. When the locomotives passed into NZR ownership in 1908, they were considered to be similar enough to be classified together, and while they also bore strong similarities to the members of the N class
, they were sufficiently different that a separate classification of NC was used. Their main distinguishing feature was a wider firebox. They were Vauclain
compound locomotive
s.
The two engines served NZR for just over two decades. No. 18, now NC 462, was retired in September 1928, while No. 5, now NC 461, remained in service until March 1931. Their final region of operation is believed to be the Wairarapa
, and they are known to have worked the line from the Hutt Valley up the western slope of the Rimutaka Range
to the western end of the Rimutaka Incline. Together with OB
455 (ex-WMR No. 11) and UD
465 (ex-WMR No. 20), NC 461 was one of the last surviving locomotives of WMR heritage. All three were withdrawn in March 1931.
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...
built for service 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 private Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR). They did not acquire their NC classification until the publicly owned 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...
(NZR) purchased the WMR and its locomotive fleet.
The first member of the NC class was ordered in 1901 and entered service in May 1902 as WMR No. 5. Another locomotive built to a very similar design was ordered in 1904 and entered service that same year as WMR No. 18. When the locomotives passed into NZR ownership in 1908, they were considered to be similar enough to be classified together, and while they also bore strong similarities to the 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...
, they were sufficiently different that a separate classification of NC was used. Their main distinguishing feature was a wider firebox. 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.
The two engines served NZR for just over two decades. No. 18, now NC 462, was retired in September 1928, while No. 5, now NC 461, remained in service until March 1931. Their final region of operation is believed to be 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...
, and they are known to have worked the line from the Hutt Valley up the western slope of the Rimutaka Range
Rimutaka Range
The Rimutaka Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington.The ridge is at its most pronounced in the southern part of the island, where it consists of the Ruahine,...
to the western end of the Rimutaka Incline. Together with OB
NZR Ob class
The OB class was the first class of steam locomotives constructed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway in New Zealand. The class consisted of two locomotives ordered in 1888, and they entered service in September of that year as WMR No.'s 11 and 12...
455 (ex-WMR No. 11) and UD
NZR UD class
The NZR UD class was a class of two 4-6-0 steam locomotivesbuilt by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1904 for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company...
465 (ex-WMR No. 20), NC 461 was one of the last surviving locomotives of WMR heritage. All three were withdrawn in March 1931.
External links
- Photo of Nc loco on Trainweb
- Baldwin Steam Trust's list of Baldwin locomotives used on the WMR - includes the NC class
- Drawings of the Nc class locomotives from Derek Brown: WMR No. 5/NZR NC 461 and WMR No. 18/NZR NC 462
