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NZR Q class (1901)
Encyclopedia
The NZR
Q class was an important steam locomotive not only in the history of New Zealand
's railway network but also in worldwide railways in general. Designed by New Zealand Government Railways
' Chief Mechanical Engineer A. L. Beattie
and ordered from the Baldwin Locomotive Works
in 1901, they were the first locomotives in the world to be built with the wheel arrangement of 4-6-2
. This wheel arrangement came to be known as the Pacific type after the voyage the completed locomotives had to make across the Pacific Ocean
to New Zealand. A few instances of the 4-6-2 wheel arrangement are known to have existed prior to 1901, but these were all reconstructions of locomotives that were originally built with a different wheel arrangement, thereby making the thirteen members of the Q class the first "true" Pacifics in the world. The Pacific style went on to become arguably the most famous wheel arrangement in the world.
coal
from the South Island
and the Waikato
.
and AB
classes; in fact, later in life, they were re-boilered with AB boilers.
and the West Coast
and the last Q class locomotive was retired in 1957. No examples of the class were preserved.
The members of this Q class should not be confused with the members of 1878's Q class. As all of the 1878 locomotives had been withdrawn by 1901, the classification was free to be used again.
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...
Q class was an important steam locomotive not only in the history of 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 but also in worldwide railways in general. Designed by New Zealand Government Railways
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...
' Chief Mechanical Engineer A. L. Beattie
A. L. Beattie
Alfred Luther Beattie , typically referred to as A. L. Beattie, was a pioneering locomotive engineer. Born in Yorkshire, England, he gained fame as the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the New Zealand Railways Department between 1900 and 1913...
and ordered from 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...
in 1901, they were the first locomotives in the world to be built with the wheel arrangement of 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
. This wheel arrangement came to be known as the Pacific type after the voyage the completed locomotives had to make across the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
to New Zealand. A few instances of the 4-6-2 wheel arrangement are known to have existed prior to 1901, but these were all reconstructions of locomotives that were originally built with a different wheel arrangement, thereby making the thirteen members of the Q class the first "true" Pacifics in the world. The Pacific style went on to become arguably the most famous wheel arrangement in the world.
Design
The Q class's design stems from the requirement for a locomotive similar to the Ub class with the inclusion of a wide firebox to burn poor quality ligniteLignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
and the Waikato
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
.
Operation
In operation, the locomotives proved to be satisfactory rather than brilliant and they suffered from occasional gear problems. They were soon displaced from the most important and difficult work by members of the ANZR A class (1906)
The A class were steam locomotives built in 1906 with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement for New Zealand's national railway network, and described by some as the most handsome engines to run on New Zealand rails. The class should not be confused with the older and more obscure A class of 1873. They were...
and AB
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...
classes; in fact, later in life, they were re-boilered with AB boilers.
Withdrawal
They saw out their final years working in OtagoOtago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
and the West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
and the last Q class locomotive was retired in 1957. No examples of the class were preserved.
The members of this Q class should not be confused with the members of 1878's Q class. As all of the 1878 locomotives had been withdrawn by 1901, the classification was free to be used again.
Further reading
- Heath, Eric, and Stott, Bob; Classic Steam Locomotives Of New Zealand, Grantham House, 1993