NZR KB class

what is it?

The NZR KB class of 1939 was a class of six mixed traffic steam locomotives built for New Zealand Railways Department (NZR), that operated on New Zealand's railway network. After the success of the K class, the KB class were built to meet the increasing traffic demands on the Midland Line in the South Island. The locomotives had a wheel arrangement of 4-8-4 and first appeared with distinctive streamlining, mainly to hide their ACFI feedwater systems.

who runs it

base stats

• power 1 MWpower output
• built 6made in total

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 87 years ago, in 1939.
• 🚗1 MW is about 12 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
• 📏21 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
• ⌛Served for 30 years (1939–1969).

steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.

spec sheet

built

1939

in service from

1939

retired

1969

status

preserved

number built

6

kind

Steam

traction

steam

origin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

builders

New Zealand Railways Department, Hillside Engineering, Hutt Workshops

operators

Mainline Steam, New Zealand Railways Department

top speed

—

power

1 MW

gauge

1,067 mm Cape gauge

wheel arrangement

4-8-4

length

21 m

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.