Ferrymead Railway Steam Locomotives

WD Class Baldwin 2-6-2T No. 357

Wd Class 2-6-4T No. 357

Wd357 is the sole operational survivor of 111 Baldwin Locomotive Works locomotives that were used in New Zealand.  In fact for a number of years Wd357 was the sole surviving Baldwin railway locomotive of any class (several other Baldwins have since been recovered from locomotive dumps).

One of 18 of a class built in 1901, Wd357 is one of four originally allocated to South Island service. The Wd class was versatile, working all types of trains in regular service with New Zealand Government Railways until 1935, when she entered service with the Timaru Harbour Board, working its quarry until 1966.

Wd357 was donated to Canterbury Railway Society in 1967, and became the first locomotive in steam at Ferrymead Railway on 11 March, 1967.

W Class New Zealand Railways 2-6-2 No. 192

W Class NZR 2-6-2 No. 192

W192 is a 2-6-2 tank engine and was built in Christchurch in 1887. She has a place in New Zealand railway history as the first locomotive built by the Government Railway Workshops at Addington and is one of only two of that class that were built. W192 worked mainly in the South Island, hauling coal trains on the West Coast.

Cb Class 0-4+4-0 Geared Locomotive No. 113


Cb Class 0-4+0-4 Geared Loco No. 113

Built by A & G Price at their Thames Works in 1924, it is an example of a geared locomotive used on bush logging tramways. It is powered by a two cylinder marine steam engine situated in the cab beside the driver, coupled through a two speed gearbox to a universal shaft and gear drives to the wheels. The locomotive was donated to Ferrymead by the New Forest Sawmilling Company of Ngahere in the 1960s. Repaired and first steamed at Ferrymead in 1975, it was further overhauled in 1981 and painted blue.

Because of its slow speed it has mainly been used as a work train and novelty passenger service engine and also hauled a number of dining trains that operated in the late 1980s. After a recent overhaul it was repainted red.

It won a National Federation of Railway Societies restoration award in 1984.

C Class New Zealand Railways 2-6-2 No. 864

C864

C864 was built by New Zealand Government Railways at Hillside Workshops in Dunedin  in 1931. She is one of 24 built as heavy shunting engines for use at major freight terminals of both islands. They were also used on short haul trains and saw service on many of the branch lines that used to exist in the Christchurch area.

C864 was purchased by the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand  Railway and Locomotive Society in 1971, and was moved to Ferrymead the following year. After some minor work the locomotive began running in June, 1972, with further repairs in 1976-77. For many years it was the main operating locomotive on the Railway.

Because of higher running costs, in recent years the locomotive has only run on special days, including various steam shuttles between Christchurch and Ferrymead. It visited the Weka Pass Railway in conjunction with the National Federation of Railway Societies Convention in 1989 and operated further shuttle services in 1990.

D Class No. 140

D140

Locomotive D140 has a long association and played a part in the development of Canterbury, serving as part of the early New Zealand Railways locomotive fleet until it was taken out of service and sold in 1920.

F Class 0-6-2T No. 13 (and No. 12)

F Class 0-6-2T No. 13

The mainline locomotives of their day, 88 of the F class locomotives were constructed by various builders in the 1870s. 25 of the class were given names from the novels of Sir Walter Scott, and these were later revived by New Zealand Government Railways during the last years of the F's service. Many of this class were purchased by industry, and saw many more years of service in this capacity.

F13 was built in 1872 by Neilson & Co, entering service in 1873. Originally Otago Railways' No. 8 "Edie Ochiltree", it was renumbered F36 in 1877 and then F13 in 1885. Based at Christchurch for many years, it was named "Peveril" in 1958. Withdrawn from service in 1964 and stored at Arthurs Pass, it was donated by the NZR to Ferrymead in 1967, and was stored in the tram barn until 1973.

After some years on display, F13 was restored to full operating order between 1982 and 1984, and was the mainstay of passenger services for a number of years. It won a National Federation of Locomotive Societies restoration award in 1988. The locomotive has travelled out onto the NZR main line on several occasions, running local services out of Oamaru in 1987, shuttle trains between Christchurch and Papanui in conjunction with the 1990 Telethon, and operating at a Lyttelton Port Open Day in 1987.

F13 was taken out of service in the mid 90s for its 10 year survey but was granted a special permit to enable it to participate in the 1999 Waipara Vintage Festival. It is now partway through an overhaul with work being done on the boiler and wheels.  It is scheduled for completion after work on D140 is finished.

F12 was built by the Yorkshire Engine Company in 1874. It worked in NZR service until 1957. It was then sold to Waitaki Farmers Freezing Company for use at their Pukeuri works, near Oamaru, where it was in use until 1968. Since arriving at Ferrymead the loco has been used as a parts supply for both F13 and F111 at Ocean Beach Railway. Although recognisable as an F it is presently missing a number of components including the cab.

Wf Class 2-6-4T No. 393

Wf393

A tank version of the C class 2-6-2 locomotive, Wf393 was built at the Thames, New Zealand works of A&G Price Ltd. in 1904. A total of 41 of this class were constructed both by the New Zealand Government Railways workshops and by Price mainly for suburban services. This class was also used on the isolated Nelson-Glenhope line and during World War II a number were sold to Tasmanian Railways.

Throughout their long life these locomotives worked on most parts of the NZR system, and proved a very versatile engine. Wf393 was withdrawn from service in 1967, and donated by the Minister of Railways at that time to the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society. The locomotive has been stored since arrival and is now displayed in the Steam Shed at Ferrymead.

Heisler 0-4+4-0 Geared Locomotive No. 14699

14699 was built by Stearns Manufacturing Co in the USA in 1922 and was purchased by the Bartholomew Land & Timber Company of Rotorua.

It is the second example of a geared logging locomotive at Ferrymead, with two cylinders inclined in a V under the boiler. These drive a shaft connected through universal joints and gears to the axles of the two 4-wheel bogies. Though not a speedy engine, their great hauling capacity made them ideally suited to lumber haulage railways.

In 1951, 14699 was purchased by Ogilvie & Co of Greymouth for use on their bush tramway. It was subsequently sold to the New Forest Sawmilling Company who donated it to the Canterbury Railway Society in 1966. It was operated at Ferrymead for awhile and is now stored.

Barclay 0-4-2T No. 1894

Built in 1926 by Andrew Barclay & Son, this tiny 10 ton locomotive spent its entire life on the bush tramway system of the Lake Brunner Sawmilling Company. It was retired in 1961 and donated by the then managing directory of the company, Mr A Brownlee, to the Canterbury Railway Society.

The locomotive was dismantled for overhaul in the front garden of a Christchurch house before it eventually was moved to Ferrymead. It is currently dismantled and stored.

Bagnall 0-4-0T No 1857

Bagnall 0-4-2T No. 1857

Built by Bagnall & Son in 1909, this diminutive (7.9 tonne) saddle tank locomotive was used by the Christchurch Gas Coal and Coke Company at the Christchurch Gas Works. The loco was used to shunt wagons of coal delivered to the works by the NZR until 1970, when it was donated to the Canterbury Railway Society.

As restoration of the loco was not high on the list of priorities, it was leased to the Pleasant Point Railway in 1979. However the Bagnall was not restored while at Pleasant Point and returned some 15 years later to Ferrymead, where it has since been stored in a dismantled condition.

Manning-Wardle 0-4-0T No. 1841

Manning-Wardle 0-4-0T No. 1841

Built by Manning-Wardle at their Leeds, UK works in 1914, No. 1841 was one of a pair of small 12-ton locos imported by the Christchurch Meat Company Ltd. One was used at their Islington works near Christchurch and the other at their Imlay works near Wanganui. 1841 remained in service until 1975 when it was donated to Ferrymead, and used as part of the passenger service fleet.

The locomotive continued in service at Ferrymead into the 1980s, venturing out onto the fledgling Weka Pass Railway in 1983. It was eventually withdrawn and awaits major boiler work and is currently on display.

Kb Class New Zealand Government Railways 4-8-4 No. 968

Kb Class NZR 4-8-4 No. 968

Kb968 was constructed by New Zealand Government Railways at their Hillside Workshops in Dunedin in 1939. A development of the earlier K and Ka classes, the Kb was fitted with a booster bogie under the cab, which increased the tractive effort by 6,000lb. Originally six of these locomotives were built, complete with streamlined casing around the front of the boiler. This was removed in 1948.

For most of their lives, these locomotives hauled heavy freight and passenger trains on the Springfield-Arthurs Pass sections of the Midland Line through the Southern Alps, although they did on occasion venture onto the South Island Main Trunk.

Withdrawn in 1969, this locomotive was purchased with the assistance of donations from the schoolchildren of Canterbury, and was moved to the Ferrymead site in 1978. Because of its appetite for coal, Kb968 was steamed only on rare occasions.

Kb968 is now leased to the Mainline Steam Trust who are considering overhauling it for excursion service.