NZR N^C class

The NZR N^C class was a class of two steam locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works built for service on New Zealand's private Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR). They did not acquire their N^C classification until the publicly owned New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) purchased the WMR and its locomotive fleet.

NZR NC class
NZR 462, circa 1909
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 19797, 23594 Build date 1901, 1904
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-2 Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Driver dia. 49 in (1.245 m) Length 54 ft 10 in (16.71 m) #18 Adhesive weight 27.7 long tons (28.1 t; 31.0 short tons) Loco weight 39.7 long tons (40.3 t; 44.5 short tons) Tender weight 23.8 long tons (24.2 t; 26.7 short tons) Total weight 63.5 long tons (64.5 t; 71.1 short tons) Fuel type Coal Firebox:  • Firegrate area 25 sq ft (2.3 m2) #5 20.4 sq ft (1.90 m2) #18 Boiler pressure 180 psi (1,241 kPa) #5 200 psi (1,379 kPa) #18 Heating surface 1,091 sq ft (101.4 m2) #5 1,124 sq ft (104.4 m2) #18 Cylinders Four (Vauclain compound) High-pressure cylinder 10 in × 20 in (254 mm × 508 mm) Low-pressure cylinder 17 in × 20 in (432 mm × 508 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 9,720 lbf (43.24 kN) #5 10,800 lbf (48.04 kN) #18
Career Operators Wellington and Manawatu Railway, New Zealand Government Railways Number in class 2 Numbers WMR 5, 18 NZR 461, 462 Locale Wellington - Longburn section, Wairarapa Line Retired September 1928, March 1931 Disposition Withdrawn

The first member of the N^C class was ordered in 1901 and entered service in May 1902 as WMR No. 5. Another locomotive built to a very similar design was ordered in 1904 and entered service that same year as WMR No. 18. When the locomotives passed into NZR ownership in 1908, they were considered to be similar enough to be classified together, and while they also bore strong similarities to the members of the N class, they were sufficiently different that a separate classification of N^C was used. Their main distinguishing feature was a wider firebox. They were Vauclain compound locomotives.

The two engines served NZR for just over two decades. No. 18, now N^C 462, was retired in September 1928, while No. 5, now N^C 461, remained in service until March 1931. Their final region of operation is believed to be the Wairarapa, and they are known to have worked the line from the Hutt Valley up the western slope of the Rimutaka Range to the western end of the Rimutaka Incline. Together with O^B 455 (ex-WMR No. 11) and U^D 465 (ex-WMR No. 20), N^C 461 was one of the last surviving locomotives of WMR heritage. All three were withdrawn in March 1931.