The NZR W
H class was a class of three
steam locomotives
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 ...
built by
Manning Wardle
Manning Wardle was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Precursor companies
The city of Leeds was one of the earliest centres of locomotive building; Matthew Murray built the first commercially s ...
in 1884 for service on
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
's private
Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company
The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR or W&MR) was a private railway company that built, owned and operated the Wellington-Manawatu railway line between Thorndon in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and Longburn, near Palmers ...
(WMR). They did not acquire their W
H classification until 1908 when WMR was nationalised and incorporated into the
New Zealand Government Railways (NZR). A total of five locomotives were purchased by the WMR but two had been sold by the time NZR took over the company.
Introduction
The first locomotives purchased by the WMR were five 2-6-2T light tank locomotives, to be used for construction work and then for local traffic. The WMR engineer in charge of construction
Harry Higginson sent his requirements to the WMR’s agent in London Sir
Julius Vogel
Sir Julius Vogel (24 February 1835 – 12 March 1899) was the eighth premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works. He was the first Jewish prime mi ...
in 1883. Mr Bromley drew up detailed drawings and specifications, and a tender was awarded in January 1884 to
Manning Wardle
Manning Wardle was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Precursor companies
The city of Leeds was one of the earliest centres of locomotive building; Matthew Murray built the first commercially s ...
of Leeds, England. The first locomotive was tested at Leeds by Mr Bromley, who was killed in a railway accident at Bulhouse while returning to London.
Service
No. 1 & 2 arrived at Wellington on the ''SS Aorangi'' on 15 September, and Nos. 4 & 5 on the ''SS Ionic'' arrived on 28 January 1885. No. 1 was tested at the Petone NZR workshops, and found to have tight bearings, with Higginson rebutting rumours printed in the ''Evening Post'' that it was of unsatisfactory design and manufacture. At least one locomotive arrived fitted with Howell’s copper coated steel tubes which were a failure and had to be replaced with copper tubes (according to WMR annual reports).
Their centre drivers were
flangeless; and the smokeboxes were too short (possibly because of the coal used) so were extended within a couple of years. The extension improved their performance, if not their appearance. The first engine was eagerly awaited in September 1884, as the formation to Johnsonville was ready for tracklaying and ballasting, but the WMR had unsuccessfully tried to hire a locomotive from the Government in August 1884. The last two were shipped to Wanganui after erection at Wellington to provide much-needed motive power at the isolated Longburn end.
These engines were expected to haul 70 tons up the 1 in 40 grade to Johnsonville; and two in tandem could be used to Johnsonville, with only one proceeding to Paekakariki. For the easier run to Longburn a faster tender locomotive was required, and three engines similar to the
NZR V class
The New Zealand V class steam locomotive was used on New Zealand's railway network from 1885 onwards. They were operated by New Zealand Government Railways and the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company.
Introduction
The heavy increase in traff ...
were ordered in 1883. The tank engines were averaging about 24,000 miles each in 1887-88 but about 17,000 miles each in 1889. By 1892, half of the running of Nos. 2, 3 & 5 was for track maintenance work (some 25,000 miles) and half for shunting and Wellington-Paekakariki banking. No. 5 required repairs in 1887-88 and 1892.
Disposals
Two locomotives, WMR Nos. 3 and 5 (Manning Wardle Nos. 922 and 924), were sold to the Timaru Harbour Board in 1901. No. 5 was sold for £1000, and arrived in Timaru on 26 February 1901. No. 3 was reassembled at Addington, and reached Timaru on 22 April 1901. They were written off by WMR at the end of the 1900-01 financial year (No. 5) and in the 1901-02 financial year (No. 3). The mileage to 29/2/1908 (but presumably only for WMR service) is given as 219,999 miles (No. 3) and 211,602 miles (No. 5). Later, one was sold to the
Mount Somers Tramway in the 1930s, and the other scrapped.
Later service
Three remaining locomotives, WMR Nos. 1, 2 and 4 (Manning Wardle Nos. 920, 921, and 923) were taken over by the NZR in 1908, and classified as the W
H class. The NZR numbers were Nos. 447 (305,825 miles), 448 (319,724 miles), and 449 (346,162 miles) respectively; with the WMR mileage to 29 February 1908 given in brackets.
References
Bibliography
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External links
Steam locomotive 449, Wh class, ca 1901 - National Library
{{NZR Locomotives
Wh class
2-6-2T locomotives
Manning Wardle locomotives
Railway locomotives introduced in 1885
3 ft 6 in gauge locomotives of New Zealand
Scrapped locomotives