The NZR U class was a class of two
4-6-0
A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abse ...
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s built by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
in 1904 for the
Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company. When that company was nationalised in 1908, they passed into the ownership of the
New Zealand Railways and received the designation U.
Introduction
The two locomotives were the final new
motive power ordered by the independent Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company.
Specification
Weighing with a tender of , they could haul express trains easily at on track that was flat or only a light grade. The coupled driving wheels were large for the period, and were the largest to run in New Zealand. Their working steam pressure was , and they had
diameter cylinders with
piston strokes.
The handsome U
D locomotives were more than capable of making up lost time, with mile-a-minute runs recalled with pride by Manawatu railway employees. Due to their power, the locomotives were capable of hauling mail trains without the need for a banking locomotive from Paekakariki south to Pukerua Bay, and were used principally on mail trains north of Paekakariki.
Withdrawal
Although they were fast and powerful, the U
D locomotives were unable to survive a programme of standardisation undertaken between 1925 and 1935 to eliminate small locomotive classes that were costly to maintain in favour of large, homogeneous types that provided economies of scale. They were written off in 1929.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
Koputaroa">Photo of 1910 derailment at Koputaroa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nzr Ud Class
UD class
4-6-0 locomotives
Baldwin locomotives
Scrapped locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1904