The NZR NA class was a class of two steam locomotives that operated on the privately owned Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) and then the publicly owned New Zealand Railways (NZR). 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 locomotives.[1]

NZR NA class
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number13913, 15054
Build date1894, 1896
Total produced2
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte2-6-2
 • UIC1′C1′ n
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Driver dia.49 in (1.245 m)
Length50 ft 10 in (15.49 m)
Adhesive weight25 long tons 4 cwt (56,400 lb or 25.6 t)
25 long tons 4 hundredweight (25.6 t; 28.2 short tons)
Loco weight35 long tons 4 cwt (78,800 lb or 35.8 t)
35 long tons 4 hundredweight (35.8 t; 39.4 short tons)
Tender weight19 long tons 2 cwt (42,800 lb or 19.4 t)
19 long tons 2 hundredweight (19.4 t; 21.4 short tons)
Total weight54 long tons 10 cwt (122,100 lb or 55.4 t)
54 long tons 10 hundredweight (55.4 t; 61.0 short tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity3 long tons 0 cwt (6,700 lb or 3 t)
6 long tons 0 hundredweight (6.1 t; 6.7 short tons)
Water cap.1,500 imp gal (6,800 L; 1,800 US gal)
Firebox:
 • Grate area16.7 sq ft (1.55 m2)
Boiler pressure180 lbf/in2 (1,241 kPa)
Heating surface957 sq ft (88.9 m2)
SuperheaterNone
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 effort9,700 lbf (43.15 kN)
Career
OperatorsWellington and Manawatu Railway, New Zealand Government Railways
NumbersWMR 14, 15
NZR 459, 460
LocaleFrankton, Wairarapa, Wellington - Longburn section
Withdrawn1929
DispositionWithdrawn

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 They operated for roughly another two decades; NA 459 spent its final days working in Frankton near Hamilton and was withdrawn from service in March 1929, while NA 460's last depot was Cross Creek at the Wairarapa end of the Rimutaka Incline and it was withdrawn in July 1929.

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References

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Bibliography

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  • 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.