0-6-4 Steam Locomotives in New Zealand

Class R Single Fairlie (Locobase 5182)

Data from John Garner's comprehensive site at [] ... (October 2002; last accessed 12 June 2025). See also Charles Rous-Marten, "The New Zealand Railways- 3 ft 6 in Gauge-Single-Boiler Fairlie Engines", entry 18530, English mechanic and world of science, Volume 33, whole number 836 (1 April 1881). Works numbers were 1217-1231 in 1878 and 1232-1234 in 1879.

A Single Fairlie with the trailing bogie given lateral (the axles moving side to side), radial (the bogie swinging side to side around a pivot), and rolling motion freedom. As Garner points out, this made these engines rather unsteady at speed. He notes, however, that on occasional express passenger service, they delivered "surprisingly good results". One of the class reached 53 mph (85 kph), which must have been at least scary. Overall, the engines proved flexible capable of scaling 2-3% grades at 20-25 mph (32-40 kph).

An upgrade included larger water tanks flanking a new boiler that offered 21% more heating surface area , increasing to 741.3 sq ft (68.87 sq m), a larger grate (14 sq ft/1.30 sq m), and a higher pressure setting.of 160 psi (11 bar).

This class was followed by the longer S class (Locobase 5183). The NZR sold the first of the Rs to be withdrawn to the PWD. Altogether, four left the roster in 1919 (at least 40 years after they entered service) and all of the rest followed in the 1920s.

R28, the one surviving member of the class, appeared likely to undergo restoration to operational status. Oriignally displayed in the open, R28 later came under cover. Early pronections of re-entry to service in 2018; no later estimates have been published.

Class S Single Fairlie (Locobase 5183)

Data from John Garner's comprehensive site at [] ... (October 2002; last accessed 12 June 2025). See also See also Charles Rous-Marten, "The New Zealand Railways- 3 ft 6 in Gauge-Single-Boiler Fairlie Engines", entry 18530, English mechanic and world of science, Volume 33, whole number 836 (1 April 1881) pp. 89-90; and "NZR S class" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 12 June 2025. Works numbers were 1279-1282 in 1880 (road 212-213, 217-218) and 1283-1285 in 1881 ( oad 215, 214, 216).

These were larger, longer Single Fairlies than the earlier Rs, with all the length added between the drivers and the trailing bogie. One supposes that their reputation for good riding came from the damping effect of this extra length. In any event, that quality and a roomy cab (evident in photographs) made them popular with their crews, wrote Garner.

Ten years after the last delivery, the NZR sold the 215-217 to the Western Australia Goverment Railways as their I class road 125-127. (Wikipedia claims the sale concluded by NZR's chief mechanical engineer T F Rotherham went through despite a motive power shortage on his railway.)