#0565
NZR P class
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company· from 1885· class of 10 New Zealand 2-8-0 locomotives built in 1885
what is it?
The P class is a class of steam locomotives built to haul freight trains on the national rail network of New Zealand. The class consisted of ten individual locomotives ordered from the British company of Nasmyth, Wilson and Company in 1885, but miscommunications about the weight limitations imposed on the locomotives meant they did not start work until 1887. This debacle came at a time when the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) was suffering from a lack of motive power to work on its rapidly expanding network and was part of what prompted a shift towards American and home-grown manufacturers.
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 141 years ago, in 1885.
- 15.2 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 45 years (1885–1930).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1885
- in service from
- 1885
- retired
- 1930
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 10
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- Nasmyth, Wilson and Company
- operators
- New Zealand Railways Department
- top speed
- 32 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 2-8-0
- length
- 15.2 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q6956228, Wikipedia: NZR P class (1885) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.