#2223
NZR EC class
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by English Electric· from 1928· class of 6 New Zealand electric locomotives
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. NZR EC class locomotive 01: Matthew25187 ( talk )· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The NZR EC class was a class of electric locomotive used in Christchurch, New Zealand. They replaced steam locomotives on trains through the Lyttelton rail tunnel between Lyttelton and Christchurch.
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 98 years ago, in 1928.
- 888 kW is about 10 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 8 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 12 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 41 years (1929–1970).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1928
- in service from
- 1929
- retired
- 1970
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 6
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- English Electric
- operators
- New Zealand Railways Department, Lyttelton Line
- top speed
- 85 km/h
- power
- 888 kW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 1500 V DC overhead lines
- length
- 12 m
- weight
- 50 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q6956198, Wikipedia: NZR EC class (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.