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Home | Locomotive | NZR AB class
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Reputedly the first engine able to generate one horsepower for every 100 pounds of weight, the AB class was efficient and versatile, and the engines were easy to maintain and operate. Members of the class worked almost every part of the New Zealand rail network, and were used for both freight and passenger trains. The AB class was easily able to pull an express passenger train at speeds of 100 km/h (254 cm), or haul 700-tonne goods trains on easy grades.They, along with the earlier 'F' class were known as the 'Maids of all work.' A distinctive feature of the AB class's design is their Vandebuilt tenders, which gave them their cylindrical back. Several features of the class, notably their boilers, were used on other NZR locomotives. The AB class were superseded on principal express trains and heavy freight trains by the K class of 1932 and the J class of 1939, and were relegated to secondary duties. However they were still to be seen running relief expresses during the busier parts of the year. The majority of the class was withdrawn from NZR services during the 1960s, as diesel traction replaced steam, with a few members of the class lasting to the end of steam itself in 1971. Two were retained to operate the Kingston Flyer, possibly New Zealand's most famous heritage railway. The Flyer has now passed into private ownership and it is still run by AB 778 and AB 795. Five more have been preseved by various other preservation societies. The WAB class of 1917 was essentially a tank locomotive version of the AB class. |
