NZR Q class (1901)

The 1901 -built vehicles of category Q of the New Zealand National Railways (New Zealand Government Railways, NZR ) were Tender steam locomotives with the wheel arrangement 2'C1 ' (Pacific ). The class designation Q had been previously awarded to a series of 1'B2' tank locomotives, but it was 1901 already retired (see NZR Q class (1878 ) ).

The locomotives are regarded as possible origins of the term Pacific because they were shipped from the United States across the Pacific. Also they were the first "real" Pacifics at all, because all previously built machines with this wheel arrangement were experimental locomotives or for reasons of weight to a barrel axis added Ten Wheeler ( wheel arrangement 2'C ).

The draft built by Baldwin locomotives came from the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the NZR, AL Beattie. Basis of the design was the requirement for a wide firebox to burn brown coal of poor quality. Only with a trailing axle, it was possible completely to order such firebox behind the dome wheels, while the firebox of 2'C predecessor class Ub was wedged between the drive wheels.

The locomotives proved to be very useful, and the Railroad bought followed numerous other Pacifics. Almost 34 % of all steam locomotives of NZR were finally of this type, a value that did not reach some other path. The class with the highest number was 141 copies in 1915 introduced class Ab

The locomotives of the class Q were first used with express trains on the routes Auckland - Rotorua and Dunedin Oamaru until they were crowded out because of increasing draw weight of heavier machines. In the course of their service life, they received new boilers, which corresponded to those of the class from. The phasing out of the last locomotives used in Otago and in the West Coast began in 1941 and was completed in 1957.

No copy has been preserved.