The NZR W^D class was a class of

tank locomotive A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender (rail), tender. Most tank engines also have Fuel bunker, bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a #Tender ...

built by

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 ...

to operate on New Zealand's national rail network. Essentially a more advanced version of 1898's W^B class, the eighteen members of the W^D class were ordered in 1901 and most entered service that year, though three were not introduced until the start of 1902. Based in locations all around the country, from

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in the north to

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in the south, the W^D class were suitable for a variety of trains from freight to suburban passenger services. Withdrawal of the class began with W^D 356 in January 1933, with the final three, 327, 359, and 360, written off in March 1936. A number were not actually scrapped or dumped but were sold to work on private industrial lines.

Industrial use

Although designed as a large suburban tank locomotive, four W^D class locomotives were sold for industrial use after withdrawal by NZR. W^D 316 and W^D 356 were sold in April 1934 and January 1933 to Wilton Collieries Ltd. for use on their

private line In telecommunications, a private line is typically a telephone company service that uses a dedicated, usually unswitched point-to-point circuit, but it may involve private switching arrangements, or predefined transmission physical or virtual p ...

between Ngauruwahia and Glen Massey; both were listed as unserviceable by 1935 and were sold for scrap. W^D 317 was sold in December 1934 to the

Ohai Railway Board The Ohai Railway Board (ORB) was a short railway in Southland, New Zealand. The railway line itself still exists as the Ohai branch line, but the ORB was dissolved in 1990, and in 1992 the Southland District Council sold the board's assets to ...

for use on their private railway between Ohai and Wairio. This locomotive remained in working order up until 1944, when it was placed in storage and scrapped in 1952. W^D 357 was withdrawn in March 1935 and placed in storage before it was sold to the Timaru Harbour Board in 1938. It remained in use at Timaru until 1964, when it was donated to the

New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society The New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Inc is a society of railway enthusiasts, based in Wellington. It was incorporated in 1958. The society archives are in the ''Thomas McGavin Building'' on Ava railway station's former goods yard i ...

's Canterbury Branch for preservation on the

Ferrymead Railway Ferrymead Heritage Park is an outdoor museum in Christchurch, New Zealand. First known as the ''Museum of Science and Technology'' and later ''Ferrymead Historic Park'', it was founded in 1964 by a collection of local heritage enthusiast group ...

Preservation

W^D 357, preserved at Ferrymead Railway, is still fitted with its original boiler and is currently in storage pending overhaul to working order. During the 1990s, the remains of W^D 356 were discovered at Konini, near

Pahiatua Pahiatua () is a rural service town in the south-eastern North Island of New Zealand with a population of . It is between Masterton and Woodville, New Zealand, Woodville on New Zealand State Highway 2, State Highway 2 and along the Wairarapa Lin ...

. It had been dumped for erosion protection during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

; the frames of the locomotive had been separated into three sections, comprising the front, centre and trailing sections and buried along the riverbank. The front and centre sections were salvaged by Hugh McCracken and moved to

Steam Incorporated Steam Incorporated, often abbreviated to Steam Inc., is a railway heritage and preservation society based at the Paekākāriki railway station, Paekākāriki at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast, approximately 50 minutes north of Wellington o ...

's depot at Paekakariki. The remains of the locomotive were moved to the

Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust The Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust is a non-profit, charitable trust in New Zealand that was established in 2003 with the objective of reinstating an operating heritage railway over the Remutaka Range The Remutaka Range (also spe ...

's workshops at Maymorn in 2006, pending restoration.

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