#3072
New Zealand EW class locomotive
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by English Electric· from 1952· class of 7 New Zealand electric locomotives
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Electric Locomotives Near Paekakariki: The original uploader was J.christianson at English Wikipedia .· CC BY-SA 2.5
what is it?
The New Zealand EW class locomotive is a type of electric locomotive used in Wellington, New Zealand. The classification "EW" was due to their being electric locomotives allocated to Wellington. For two decades until the introduction of the DX class diesel locomotives in 1972 they were the most powerful locomotives in New Zealand.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 74 years ago, in 1952.
- 1.3 MW is about 16 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 13 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 18.9 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 38 years (1952–1990).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1952
- in service from
- 1952
- retired
- 1990
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 7
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- English Electric, Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
- operators
- New Zealand Railways Department, New Zealand Railways Corporation
- top speed
- 97 km/h
- power
- 1.3 MW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- overhead lines
- wheel arrangement
- Bo′Bo′Bo′
- length
- 18.9 m
- weight
- 76 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q9048363, Wikipedia: New Zealand EW class locomotive (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.