The NZR P class was a class of two
ST locomotives built to work on the government-owned
national rail network of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in 1876. They were initially ordered by the
Otago Provincial Council
The Otago Province was a Provinces of New Zealand, province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.
The capital of the province was Dunedin. Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the provin ...
, but they were soon incorporated into the national locomotive fleet when the provinces were abolished. Other examples of the P class were built for industrial service and never came under the ownership of the
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining Rail transport in New Zealand, New Zealand's railway infrastruc ...
, though one worked on the
Kaitangata Line.
History
The two P class locomotives owned by the Railways Department were known as ''Kiwi'' and ''Weka'' and they soon passed to the ownership of others, allowing the P classification to be
used again in 1885. ''Weka'' was the first to leave the ownership of the Railways Department in 1882, when it was acquired by the
Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company
The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR or W&MR) was a private rail transport, railway Railway company, company that built, owned and operated the Wellington–Manawatu Line, Wellington-Manawatu railway line between Thorndon, New Zeal ...
, who used it for construction and maintenance purposes until 1898. It then came into the possession of the Manawatu County Council's
Sanson Tramway
The Sanson Tramway in the Manawatū region of New Zealand operated from 1885 until 1945. Owned by the Manawatu County Council, it connected with the national railway network at Himatangi on the Foxton Branch. It was never part of the nationa ...
, who operated it until 1922, when it passed into the ownership of Mangawhero Sawmilling Co at Karioi
and was ultimately scrapped in 1932. ''Kiwi'' left the Railways Department's ownership a few years after ''Weka'', just before the arrival of the second P class in 1885. It worked for a number of sawmilling companies throughout the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
for over half a century, but was derelict in 1956.
See also
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NZR A class (1873)
The NZR A class of 1873 consisted of three types of steam locomotives used on New Zealand's railway network of similar specification but differing detail. The first and most numerous were from the Dübs and Company, the next from the Wellington ...
*
NZR C class (1873)
The NZR C class tank locomotives operated on New Zealand's national rail network during its infancy. They are sometimes referred to as the little C class or the original C class to distinguish them from the C class of 1930.
Introduction
With ...
*
NZR D class (1874)
NZR D class steam tank locomotives operated on New Zealand's national railway network. The first entered service in 1874 all had been withdrawn by the end of 1927, which allowed the D classification to be used again in 1929.
Introduction
...
*
NZR P class (1885)
*
Locomotives of New Zealand
Locomotives of New Zealand is a complete list of all locomotive classes that operate or have operated in Rail transport in New Zealand, New Zealand's railway network. It does not include locomotives used on List of New Zealand railway lines#Bus ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
History of some P class members
P class
0-6-0ST locomotives
C n2t locomotives
Scrapped locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1876
3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of New Zealand
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