NZR NC class

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Nc class (locomotive))
Jump to navigation Jump to search
NZR NC class
Nc Class steam locomotive NZR 462, 2-6-2 type. ATLIB 276918.png
NZR 462, circa 1909
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number19797, 23594
Build date1901, 1904
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-6-2
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Driver dia.49 in (1.245 m)
Length54 ft 10 in (16.71 m) #18
Adhesive weight27.7 long tons (28.1 t; 31.0 short tons)
Loco weight39.7 long tons (40.3 t; 44.5 short tons)
Tender weight23.8 long tons (24.2 t; 26.7 short tons)
Total weight63.5 long tons (64.5 t; 71.1 short tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		25 sq ft (2.3 m2) #5
20.4 sq ft (1.90 m2) #18
Boiler pressure180 psi (1,241 kPa) #5
200 psi (1,379 kPa) #18
Heating surface1,091 sq ft (101.4 m2) #5
1,124 sq ft (104.4 m2) #18
CylindersFour (Vauclain compound)
High-pressure cylinder10 in × 20 in (254 mm × 508 mm)
Low-pressure cylinder17 in × 20 in (432 mm × 508 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort9,720 lbf (43.24 kN) #5
10,800 lbf (48.04 kN) #18
Career
OperatorsWellington and Manawatu Railway, New Zealand Government Railways
Number in class2
NumbersWMR 5, 18
NZR 461, 462
LocaleWellington - Longburn section, Wairarapa Line
RetiredSeptember 1928, March 1931
DispositionWithdrawn

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 locomotives.

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.

External links[edit]

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Millar, Sean (2011). The NZR Steam Locomotive. Wellington: New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. ISBN 978-0-908573-89-9.
  • Palmer, A. N.; Stewart, W. W. (1965). Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives. Wellington: A H. & A W. Reed. ISBN 978-0-207-94500-7.
  • Stewart, W. W. (1974). When Steam was King. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. ISBN 978-0-589-00382-1.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NZR_NC_class&oldid=952041161"