NZR X class
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TheNew Zealand X classwas a pioneering class of eighteen4-8-2steam locomotivesbuilt forNew Zealand Railways Department(NZR) and designed byA. L. Beattiethat operated on thenational rail networkofNew Zealand.In 1908, a heavy and powerful locomotive was required to haul traffic on the newly completed mountainous central section of theNorth Island Main Trunk Railway,and as a logical progression of the4-6-2Q classdesign, the4-8-2wheel arrangement was created for the X class.[1]
Overview
[edit]When the first X was completed in 1908 at NZR'sAddington WorkshopsinChristchurch,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 theUnited Statesand 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 theChesapeake and Ohio Railwayfirst coined the name in reference to its 4-8-2s of 1911 that were built to operate in theAllegheny 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 (26.3 kg/m) rather than 70 lb/yd (34.8 kg/m); and their trains were restricted to 25 mph (40 km/h) for passenger trains or 20 mph (32 km/h) for goods trains; a source of frustration to general manager Hiley who would have liked to run them 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 passengerA class,but they struggled to operate at speeds higher than 50 km/h (31 mph).[1]They were built asde Glehncompound locomotives,but during the 1940s, most of the class were converted to simple,superheatedlocomotives.[3]This increased their power but did not prolong their lives and most were officially withdrawn from service on 2 March 1957,[3]though a few had been taken out of service earlier and two were sold to theOhai Railway Board(ORB) in 1946 that operated a private industrial line at the end of theWairio Branch.
Preservation
[edit]When the ORB introduced diesel locomotives in 1968, X 442 was donated to theNew Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society,and it was eventually stored atFerrymeadin Christchurch.[4]In 2002 X 442 was relocated to theFeilding and District Steam Rail Societydepot in Feilding.[5]Two X class boilers are held byMainline Steam.
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^abcPalmer & Stewart 1965,p. 86.
- ^Pierre 1981,pp. 203–205.
- ^abPalmer & Stewart 1965,p. 121.
- ^Cavalcade125 1988,p. 7.
- ^"X 442 Information".Feilding and District Steam Rail Society.Retrieved23 March2019.
Bibliography
[edit]- Barry, Colin; Brouwer, John; Dash, Colin; Dickenson, Peter; Shalders, Bruce (1988).Cavalcade 125.Ferrymead 125 Committee.Retrieved22 March2019.
- Heath, Eric;Stott, Bob(1993).Classic Steam Locomotives of New Zealand.Grantham House.ISBN1869340361.
- Palmer, A. N.; Stewart, W. W. (1965).Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives.Wellington:A H. & A W. Reed.ISBN978-0-207-94500-7.
- Pierre, W.A. (Bill) (1981).North Island Main Trunk: An Illustrated History.Auckland:A.H. & A.W. Reed.ISBN0-589-01316-5.
External links
[edit]- New Zealand Railways Steam Locomotives - Class X
- An X class locomotiveex-Petone Workshopswith a new superheated boiler c1928