NZR OC class

The OC class, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) in New Zealand, consists of a solitary steam locomotive. Ordered in 1896 as an externally similar but more powerful version of the OA class locomotive ordered in 1894, it entered service in June 1897 as No. 16. It was a Vauclain compound locomotive.[1]

NZR OC class
OC class 2-8-0 steam locomotive NZR number 458
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number15055
Build date1896
Specifications
Configuration:
  Whyte2-8-0
  UIC1'D
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Length51 ft 8 in (15.75 m)
Adhesive weight36.7 long tons (37.3 t; 41.1 short tons)
Total weight62.8 long tons (63.8 t; 70.3 short tons)
Firebox:
  Firegrate area
16.7 sq ft (1.55 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,379 kPa)
Heating surface1,050 sq ft (98 m2)
High-pressure cylinder11 in × 20 in (279 mm × 508 mm)
Low-pressure cylinder18 in × 20 in (457 mm × 508 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort15,110 lbf (67.21 kN)
Career
OperatorsWellington and Manawatu Railway
New Zealand Railways Department
Number in class1
NumbersWMR 16
NZR 458
RetiredJuly 1930

In 1908, the WMR and its locomotive fleet was purchased by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) and incorporated into the national rail network, and although No. 16 bore a likeness to members of the O class, it was sufficiently different that it warranted separate classification. Technical differences were sufficient that it was not classified with the visually similar WMR No. 13/NZR OA 457, and it became OC 458. It is known to have operated on the line from the Hutt Valley through the Rimutaka Range to the western end of the Rimutaka Incline, and its final depot was at Cross Creek at the eastern end of the Rimutaka Incline in the Wairarapa. It was withdrawn from service in July 1930.

References

Bibliography

  • 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.


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