My dad sent me a photo - I assume he took it (perhaps not, I'll check...)


Ka-951

His comments:


Any Kiwis have any information about this loco or class?

Per, great that you found some info!

Damon, do you know when the pic was taken?

Ok guys, here's some info on the Ka series of locomotives:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_Ka_class

You will note that it was Ka 949 that perished at Tangiwai. 151 people died in NZ's worst rail accident. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangiwai_disaster

Some specs on the Ka locos

Length 69’ 8”
Width 8’ 5”
Height 11’ 6”
Weight 148 tons
Tractive force 32,740 pounds
Water capacity 5000 gallons
Working steam pressure 200psi
Track gauge 3’6”
Fuel oil capacity 1570 gallons
Wheel arrangement 4-8-4
Power output around 1500 HP

And to add more interest to all of this, NZR is on 1067mm gauge (3' 6") which some may consider to be a narrow gauge.
But that same gauge is "standard" for much of Japan, Queensland(Australia), South Australia, Western Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Finland?, Argentina etc.

regards
Kimball

That's interesting Kimball, I've only used Australian rail in Victoria and NSW, so thought all of Australia was the larger (standard) gauge (4' 8 1/2").


The 3'6" gauge was used here because of the mountainous terrain through the central North Island, and parts of the South Island.

I think the Tranzalpine still runs, at least you can do an online booking: - http://www.tranzscenic.c...ervices/tranzalpine.aspx

Of course, as Macca previously posted, NZ Rail has been brought back by the NZ Government recently.

Looks like a mean machine. What are the 2 vertical flanges on the front of the loco? Are these for aerodynamics? Did this thing actually take off and fly?

Love the huge headlight; would have been a better model for the Polar Express stories.

Here's a better picture, of Ka942 with streamlining.




And for good luck, here's a neat picture of a J class steam loco, J1234




And here's a couple of pictures of Ka935, the loco that is stored across the road from our clubrooms, that I got to at least climb into.

Edited by moderator 11 January 2011 13:45:21(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

It certainly does:
TranzAlpine
Christchurch to Greymouth

Greymouth is an interesting spot. Monteith's brewery are there -- fine beer!
Also get one of Barry's Burgers with Kumara chips...yum

Yes Damon, all of NZ uses the 3'6" gauge, so the Main Trunk line, as we call it, is 3'6".

If your dad is still into Marklin Damon,I'm sure he would be welcome to pay us a visit at our clubrooms. We are based in Lower Hutt, about 20kms from Wellington.

Welcome to Clan Kiwi Per. As part of the initiation, we will take you to a bridge high above a river, and throw you off
with nothing more than a large rubber band attached to your legs!! (called a bungie jump). [:0][:0]

Go the 'Canes (you need to learn that one for the Oath of Allegiance).

BTW, if Märklin was ever short of a new item to model, they could do worse than to make a model of the mighty Ka.

The Ka class of locos is held in the same esteem by Kiwis that the Germans hold for the Class 44 Jumbos, I would say.

Unlikely, he's lived in Brisbane about 45 years now -- from before I was born, in fact.
He did go to Silverstream College in Upper Hutt, though.

David, yes - St Patrick's. He always called it just "Silverstream".
I only became aware that it was actually called "St Patrick's" last night
Off topic again...[:0][:0][:0]

Those flanges or shields at the front of the locomotive, while probably part of the streamlining frames, were also used to hide the Westinghouse brake pumps. If exposed, the front would look rather ugly.
The New York Central did the same on their J3a 4-6-4.
A reasonable picture here - http://madisonrails.railfan.net/nyc/j3a_700.jpg
or in model form:
http://www.fineartmodels.com/ed...s_140_t-j3ahudson_01.jpg

regards
Kimball

Great pics! What a steamer

Stephan, see Macfire's post for your answer, but to summarise:

K Class 30 built. K900 - 929. 136 tons. 3 preserved including the protorype at MoTaT)
Ka Class 35 built Ka930 - 964. 146 tons. 3 preserved.
Kb Class 5 built Kb965 - 970. 146 tons. 1 preserved.

Life's short
Do both [:p][:p]

Nice colour picture, Macfire.

Kiwi topic Dave
Not really off topic, more parallel.
We (including Per after the oath of allegiance) can bring up rugby as we wish.

Now Beer - Speight’s or Macs please [:p]

How about a Monteith’s Pilsner? An excellent beer!

Back on topic...[:(]

Are there HO scale models of the fabulous Ka?
Regardless of 3-rail or 2-rail...?

None ready-made as far as I am aware.
Check these out:

From here:
http://downunder.railfan.net/others.html
is
http://downunder.railfan.net/jg.html



Kb Class.
A Nine Mill Scale model built by John Gardener of Christchurch.



K900 & Ka945
From David Weedon's Module at:
http://homepages.paradis...murg/gallery/layouts.htm

Check out Gary Gloag's layout at:
http://homepages.paradis...llery/layouts.htm#ggloag

Fantastic layout showing the treacherous Manawatu Gorge scene of the Ka de-railment mentioned in pers reply.

Thanks to Damon I found this thread, and it's most interesting.

There waere some good links. I especially liked Purellum's pointers to the two Ka's and Wellington Terminus. The trams met right outside - the Lambton Quay route and the Featherstone St route. There were lines to Thorndon and Musgrave street too. Many of those trams did I catch every day to/from primary school.

I was unaware the Ka951 had been retrieved from a previous crash. The picture was, now I think of it, actually taken at Levin because there are no steep hills in the background of a train on the north-bound track. The shadows are about right for a mid-day stop of the Wellington-New Plymoth Express. That would have been within days+- of the Tangiwai Disaster. The rest of the film had pictures of the Royal visit decorations and some snaps of the Queen and Phillip being received at town hall, Wellington.

The Wellington-Auckland overnight express was called the "Limited" as there was a fixed capacity for an express to get over the rugged central highlands and it could be hard to get a seat often. The two trains usually passed at or near National Park, one from the south gradually climbing up the mountain and the other having just struggled up the Spiral south of Taumaranui to gain height.

I actually had the good fortune, once, to travel on the rare 'Daylight Limited' from 7am to 7pm - a service resorted to only at peak periods, like Xmas. What a great way to see the country it was. Pity the wash-out hadn't occurred in daylight - The crew would've seen it in time, most likely.

I imagine the Tangiwai train would have been going faster than stated in the newspaper report. I worked with an ex-NZRail engine driver who told me that with a J class engine pulling freight on the stretch between Palmerston and Dunedin, thru the hills and tunnels, he would get the speed up on the downhill stretches to 70mph+ so the fireman didn't have to work so hard on the up gradients! The fireman would curse him if he even blew the whistle, as it meant extra shovels of coal to keep up pressure. This was disturbing news to me as there were a lot of unguarded level crossings on that stretch and I had had a narrow squeak there once, myself.

It was he who told me there were no Ka's in the South Island but there were 2 of the slightly heavier Kb's (that I didn't know existed) on the pull over the Southern Alps.

Queensland adopted the 3'6" gauge because of it's population distribution. Altho 90% is wide-open flat as a tack country, it was the east of the Dividing Range where settlement occurred and grew that the rail had to go to. That meant tight curves and the occasional steep climb. Narrow gauge was the best answer. The standard gauge ends at Brisbane 50 miles from the border w NSW. I once saw the 'Flying Scotsman' in the yard at Yeerongpilly among the standard rail stuff. It was on some kind of visit. I wonder if they flew it out? :-)

As for Silverstream being St. Pat's - we rarely called it 'St Pat's' because the original St Pat's was still going in Wellington 17m away and it would've been confusing with two of the same name. In 1931 they stopped taking boarders at the 'Old Coll' and it became a day school only. Boarders went to Silverstream from then on. Thanks for the invite to see the museum. I doublt I will get to see it, but one never knows!

Cheers and thanks for the memories.
Murray

Bigdaddynz, I suddenly clicked where the hospital is. It's down the raod on the other side of the rail, just this side of the bridge. :-) My memory of it anyway. It was still in use by the military when I was at school, I think. 1950-53. A mass of (typical army) temporary huts - rather like some at the school - intended for a short life and still alive 60 years later!
Some of the trams were quite modern - they had a model called the 'Fiducia' (?) which were introduced for the Wellington World Exhibition in 1940. Not a good year to pick, I'm afraid. Still, on a really busy morning, I can recall some trams from the early part of last century turning up at Wadestown terminus with open sides and brakes operated by the driver cranking a wheel up front. And that was some steep hill to come down fully laden with people on a frosty road.

Murray
____________________________________________________________________
The Silverstream Railway now runs where the main old line used to run,
before they put the double tracked commuter line in in the mid
1950's. Our clubrooms are in the old Silverstream Hospital complex,
across the road from the Silverstream Railway. The Hospital is now
owned by a Christian Retreat. They are slowly demolishing a lot of
the old derelict wards, and putting up new buildings, but for now we
remain in one of the better condition old wards.
_______________________________________________________________________

Welcome to the forum, Murray.

Yes, Welcome to the Fold, Murray.
God I am really showing my age here...
Trams I remember well. The mainstay of our transportation system and we could catch Miramar or Seatoun trams depending whether mum fancied a walk over the hills to Karaka Bay or not.
I used trams regularly to get home from school at Marist Miramar. I remember the first trolly bus ride after they were replaced. I thought they were palacial but realised the significance of the ending of the tram era.
Other memories include passing the old Rongotai aerodrome with silver Lockheed Lodestars and Electras with DH Herons and biplane Rapides as well as local Wellington Aero Club types.
The aerodrome could not take the DC-3's.
I also remember steam engines at Wellington station. The family always maintained that I would have been too young to remember. This happened before I was 3 years old. But then I reminded them of the time I ran away from home - only my nappy falling down and catching my ankles prevented a clean get away - I was 18 months at the time and I remember THAT clearly....