NZR X class
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_steam_locomotive_588,_4-8-2_type._ATLIB_257736.png) X class 588, photographed leaving Petone Workshops circa 1913. Godber Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The New Zealand X class was a pioneering class of eighteen 4-8-2 steam locomotives built for New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) and designed by A. L. Beattie that operated on the national rail network of New Zealand. In 1908, a heavy and powerful locomotive was required to haul traffic on the newly completed mountainous central section of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, and as a logical progression of the 4-6-2 Q class design, the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement was created for the X class.[1]
Overview
[edit]When the first X was completed in 1908 at NZR's Addington Workshops in Christchurch, it was the very first 4-8-2 tender locomotive built in the world. The 4-8-2 design went on to be popular in the United States and was nicknamed the "Mountain" type; one theory suggests this name stems from the mountainous terrain that inspired the X's design,[1] while another suggests the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway first coined the name in reference to its 4-8-2s of 1911 that were built to operate in the Allegheny Mountains.
The X class were restricted to the 93 miles (150 km) Taumarunui to Taihape section for some years, as the track north and south was 53 lb/yd (26 kg/m) rather than 70 lb/yd (35 kg/m) and their trains were restricted to 25 mph (40 km/h) for passengers and 20 mph (32 km/h) for freight. This caused frustration to general manager Hiley who wanted them used over the entire NIMT (they had had to be partially dismantled for their initial journey to Taihape).[2]
The X class initially operated as the freight counterpart of the passenger A class, but they struggled to reach speeds higher than 50 km/h (31 mph).[1] They were built as de Glehn compound locomotives, but during the 1940s most of the class were converted to simple-expansion superheated locomotives.[3] This increased their power but did not prolong their lives and most were officially withdrawn on 2 March 1957.[3] However, a few had withdrawn before this and two were sold in 1946 to the Ohai Railway Board (ORB), which operated a private industrial line at the end of the Wairio Branch.
Preservation
[edit]When the Ohai Railway Board introduced diesel locomotives introduced diesel locomotives in 1968, X 442 was donated to the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society, and it was eventually stored at the Ferrymead Railway in Christchurch.[4] In 2002, X 442 was relocated to the Feilding and District Steam Rail Society depot in Feilding.[5] Two X class boilers are held by Mainline Steam Heritage Trust.
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b c Palmer & Stewart 1965, p. 86.
- ^ Pierre 1981, pp. 203–205.
- ^ a b Palmer & Stewart 1965, p. 121.
- ^ Cavalcade125 1988, p. 7.
- ^ "X 442 Information". Feilding and District Steam Rail Society. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
Bibliography
[edit]- Barry, Colin; Brouwer, John; Dash, Colin; Dickenson, Peter; Shalders, Bruce (1988). Cavalcade 125. Ferrymead 125 Committee. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- Heath, Eric; Stott, Bob (1993). Classic Steam Locomotives of New Zealand. Grantham House. ISBN 1869340361.
- Palmer, A. N.; Stewart, W. W. (1965). Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives. Wellington: A H. & A W. Reed. ISBN 978-0-207-94500-7.
- Pierre, W.A. (Bill) (1981). North Island Main Trunk: An Illustrated History. Auckland: A.H. & A.W. Reed. ISBN 0-589-01316-5.
External links
[edit]- New Zealand Railways Steam Locomotives - Class X
- An X class locomotive ex-Petone Workshops with a new superheated boiler c1928
