NZR K Class (1877)
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The NZR K class of 1877 was the first example of
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
n-built locomotives to be used on New Zealand's rail network. Their success coloured locomotive development in New Zealand until the end of steam.


History

In 1877, the new Chief Mechanical Engineer of the NZR, Allison D. Smith, required additional motive power for the fledgling Government system. It had been intended to order more J Class locomotives that were of English design. American civil engineer Walton W. Evans had been promoting the advantages of United States-built engines to railways of South America and further abroad. His efforts, having secured an order of two locomotives for Australia's Victorian Railways the previous year, had enticed Smith (see
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), and an order was placed with the
Rogers Locomotive Works Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. Between its founding in 1832 and its acquisition in 1905, the company built more than 6, ...
of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, for two tender locomotives with a
2-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The type is somet ...
wheel arrangement. The initial two Rogers locomotives were ordered prior to Smith's appointment as Locomotive Engineer on 10 April 1877 (he had been manager of the Wellington section), and were ordered through Evans. The locomotives were described by R.D. Grant as having the design hallmarks of Roger's Superintendent William H. Hudson, with his truck design innovations and his patented compensated springing throughout from the front bissel truck to the driving wheel springs and to the rear swinging truck. Upon their arrival to New Zealand, the locomotives attracted attention with their bar frames, Gothic-style wooden cabs, locomotive bell, ornate embellishments and rakish appearances, which were at odds with the traditional English locomotive appearance in New Zealand at the time and were described by journalist Charles Rous-Marten as "a watch with all its works outside". One Christchurch paper suggested that they needed a glass case to protect them from the weather. They looked flimsy because of the bar
frames A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...
rather than the heavier plate frames of the J's. In addition, this first pair, K 87 "Lincoln" and K 88 "Washington", reputedly wore a brightly coloured livery of green, blue, yellow, red, purple, and gold in addition to their Russian Iron boiler jackets. The Baldwin and Rogers locomotives reflected the styling adopted in the 1870s by American builders with elements from the Renaissance Revival and Neo-Baroque architectural styles, and with Islamic Moorish (from Alhambra) influences. Bold colours and painted decorations were used.


In service

After arrival in the South Island at Lyttelton, the locomotives were quickly put into service. K 87 "Lincoln" quickly distinguished itself by hauling the first
bogie A bogie ( ) (or truck in North American English) comprises two or more Wheelset (rail transport), wheelsets (two Railroad wheel, wheels on an axle), in a frame, attached under a vehicle by a pivot. Bogies take various forms in various modes ...
-carriage passenger train, and both the locomotives soon earned a reputation as fast and free runners with mild coal consumption. K 88 "Washington" hauled the first train between
Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
and
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in 1878 on the newly opened
Main South Line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the ...
, assisted by the
Double Fairlie A Fairlie locomotive is a type of articulated locomotive, articulated steam locomotive that has the driving wheels on bogies. It was invented by Robert Francis Fairlie. The locomotive may be double-ended (a double Fairlie) or single ended (a s ...
"Josephine" south of Oamaru until "Josephine" had to be taken off the train due to mechanical issues – caused by how K 88 was being driven. Six more of the class was ordered from the
Rogers Locomotive Works Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. Between its founding in 1832 and its acquisition in 1905, the company built more than 6, ...
, numbered 92 to 97 before K's 87 and 88 had entered service – the former being ordered in January 1878 while the latter entered service in March that year, such was Allison Smith's faith in the class he had ordered. The railway authorities regarded the first two K's as "infinitely superior to the English locomotives" operating at the same time. The second batch of locomotives entered service in the South Island and were almost identical to the first two engines, albeit with no names and a more conventional livery (it is likely K 87 and K 88 had been repainted by this time as well). In 1883, the K class was the only engine class officially permitted to run at in ordinary service. As more powerful locomotives arrived on the railway system, increasingly from the American
Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...
, the K class became relegated from the top expresses down to express trains on secondary lines. Two of the K's, K 93 and K 96, were transferred to the North Island during this time. Starting after 1900 the class received new NZR-built boilers to replace their Rogers-built wagon-top boiler. The South Island locomotives gained boilers with a
Belpaire firebox The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium in 1864. Today it generally refers to the shape of the outer shell of the firebox which is approximately flat at the top and s ...
, while the North Island pair received round-top boilers. All new boilers were pressed to , compared to their original . By this time, the class had also received Westinghouse brake equipment. It was during this time that some of the K class, having been relegated to the Kingston-Gore branch, gained a reputation for the Kingston-Invercargill express train which earned the name "
Kingston Flyer The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train in the South Island of New Zealand at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. It used 14 kilometres of preserved track that once formed a part of the Kingston Branch. Originally, Kingston Flyer was a pa ...
".


Withdrawal and disposal

The K class was gradually withdrawn from service in the early 1920s. Both the North Island examples, plus K 87 "Lincoln" had been withdrawn as early as 1922. The others remained in operation for a few more years, with K 92 and K 95 not withdrawn until 1927. As was customary at the same time, the locomotives were not immediately scrapped but set aside for disposal. All remaining South Island engines lasted long enough to be dumped as embankment protection starting in 1926.


Preservation

Three of the Rogers K class have so far been exhumed and entered into preservation. The first and most notable of these locomotives is K 88 ''Washington'', which was removed from the river by the Southland Vintage Car Club on 19 and 20 January 1974. There were a number of loose plans regarding the locomotive's future but these came to nothing. The locomotive wreck was nearly put back into the riverbank until
The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum The Plains Vintage Railway & Historical Museum is a heritage railway and recreated historic village in the Tinwald Domain, Tinwald, New Zealand, Tinwald, New Zealand. The railway (operating as The Plains Railway) runs on approximately three kilo ...
proposed to restore it back to working order. Starting in July 1974 they completed restoration on the 7 November 1981, proving that restoring other buried locomotive was feasible. It was recommissioned on the 25 November the following year. However on 24 September 1987 K 88's boiler (which was recovered from the Oreti River) was condemned, and it was not until 30 March 2002 that K 88 was once again in working order, this time with a new Belpaire-style all-welded boiler and wearing an approximation of the original colourful livery. The other two locomotives also unearthed are K 94, removed by a private owner and moved to The Plains Railway on 21 April 1986 (currently unrestored in storage with no active plans for restoration) and K 92, recovered in 1985 by the Fiordland Vintage Machinery Club for their Museum's railway on the shores of
Lake Te Anau Lake Te Anau () is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of , making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand (after Lake Taupō) and the largest in the South Island. It is the ...
. Partially restored in
Te Anau Te Anau is a town in the Southland, New Zealand, Southland List of regions in New Zealand, region of the South Island of New Zealand. In Māori language, Māori, Te-Anau means the Place of the Swirling Waters. It is on the eastern shore of Lake ...
, the venture fell through before the locomotive had been fully completed and it was subsequently put up for sale, with the restoration being completed in Dunedin. Purchased by Colin Smith in 1998, the K 92's restoration was completed with intent to recreate the old "
Kingston Flyer The Kingston Flyer is a vintage steam train in the South Island of New Zealand at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu. It used 14 kilometres of preserved track that once formed a part of the Kingston Branch. Originally, Kingston Flyer was a pa ...
" trains of the early 1900s at the
Waimea Plains Railway The Waimea Plains Railway was a secondary railway line (not a branch line) that linked the towns of Lumsden and Gore in northern Southland, New Zealand. It skirted the Hokonui Hills, and operated as a through route between 31 July 1880 and ...
. While waiting for the railway to be completed, K 92 visited a number of railways in the South Island, with some of the more notable visits being those to the Kingston Flyer route, where it triple headed with the two AB class locomotives present there. It also visited K 88 at the Plains Railway, where both locomotives were used together extensively.


See also

* NZR Q class of 1877 * NZR K class of 1932 * NZR KA class *
NZR KB class The NZR KB class of 1939 was a class of six mixed traffic steam locomotives built for New Zealand Railways Department (NZR), that operated on New Zealand's railway network. After the success of the K class, the KB class were built to meet th ...
*
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


The Plains Railway, owner of two Rogers K class locomotives


{{NZR Locomotives K class (Rogers) 2-4-2 locomotives Rogers locomotives 3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of New Zealand 1′B1′ n2 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1877 Passenger locomotives