NZR X class
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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
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 initially operated as the freight counterpart of the passenger A class, but they struggled to operate at speeds higher than 50km/h (30mph).[1] They were built as de Glehn compound locomotives, but during the 1940s, most of the class were converted to simple, superheated locomotives.[2] This increased their power but did not prolong their lives and most were officially withdrawn from service on 2 March 1957,[2] though a few had been taken out of service earlier and two were sold to the Ohai Railway Board (ORB) in 1946 that operated a private industrial line at the end of the Wairio Branch.
Preservation
When the ORB introduced diesel locomotives in 1968 X 442 was donated to the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society, and it was eventually stored at Ferrymead in Christchurch.[3] In 2002 X 442 was relocated to the Feilding and District Steam Rail Society depot in Feilding.[4] Two X class boilers are held by Mainline Steam.
References
- ^ a b c Palmer & Stewart 1965, p. 86.
- ^ 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
- 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.
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(help) - Palmer, A. N.; Stewart, W. W. (1965). Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives. Wellington: A H. & A W. Reed. ISBN 978-0-207-94500-7.
External links
- New Zealand Railways Steam Locomotives - Class X
- An X class locomotive ex-Petone Workshops with a new superheated boiler c1928