NZR G class (1874)
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| NZR G Class (1874) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 G Class steam locomotive, NZR 55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The NZR G Class was a class of four saddle tank locomotives from English builders Black Hawthorn in the early 1870s. Like the similarly sized D class, they were an attempt to produce a passenger version of the highly successful F class.[1]
The G class was ordered by the Canterbury Provincial Council. They were derived from the F class, replacing the lead driving axle with a four-wheel bogie. It was hoped that the leading wheels would allow them to run speed passenger services at higher speeds. However the class suffered from poor adhesive weight, a driver stating that "it took the 'G' all its time to push its front bogie along, let alone pull a load".[2] They were followed by the L Class which were more successful as a faster F Class.
Service
In the early 1890s the locomotives were progressively transferred to the Picton section, where they were out of the way of the busy Hurunui-Bluff section. Their maximum load on the 1 in 37 gradient from Picton was six 4-wheel wagons.[3]
