New Zealand EB class locomotive

AP Godber Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington

| Type and origin

Power type| Battery electric,
later diesel electric
Builder| Goodman Manufacturing Company (1), and NZR (4)
| Specifications

Configuration:
| ​
• Whyte| 4wBE (later 4wDE)
• UIC| Bo
Gauge| 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Length| 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)
Loco weight| 12 long tons (13.4 short tons; 12.2 t)
Rebuilt 14 long tons (15.7 short tons; 14.2 t)
Prime mover| AEC Comet Mark III
| Performance figures

Maximum speed| 20 km/h (12 mph)
Power output| 23 kW (31 hp)
Rebuilt 48 kW (64 hp)
| Career

Operators| New Zealand Railways
Number in class| 5
Numbers| Original: 25 – 29
TMS: 1809, 1815, 1821 (two did not receive TMS numbers)
Locale| Frankton, Hutt, Hillside,Addington, and Otahuhu.
First run| 1925, 1929
Rebuilt 1953

The New Zealand EB class locomotive[nb 1] was a class of five battery electric (later diesel-electric) locomotives built to perform shunting duties at the workshops of New Zealand's national rail network.

## Introduction

[edit]

The first (later No. 29) was built in 1925 in the United States, and began its working life at Hamilton railway station in Frankton; then four years later it was transferred to Christchurch's Addington Workshops. That same year, four more were built at Hutt Workshops (No's 25 and 26) and Hillside Workshops (No's 27 and 28); they were stationed at main workshops around the country.[1]

## Conversion

[edit]

New batteries were required in 1937, and although conversion into diesel-electric locomotives was proposed, rebuilding was not undertaken until the early 1950s. In their new guise, the locomotives survived well into the 1970s.

## Withdrawal

[edit]

The first to be withdrawn was EB 27 in 1976, and two years later, the class leader, EB 25, was also removed from service. It has been preserved by Auckland's Museum of Transport and Technology. The other three locomotives survived long enough to receive TMS numbers – EB 26 became EB 1809, EB 28 became EB 1815, and EB 29 became EB 1821. The latter two were withdrawn in 1980, but EB1809, now stationed in Napier, was reclassified as a member of the TR class, TR1003. After it was withdrawn, it was saved for preservation and is now serviceable at the Silver Stream Railway.

## See also

[edit]

* E class locomotive, the other, earlier example of a battery-electric locomotive to operate in New Zealand

## References

[edit]

### Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Following the introduction of TMS in 1979, the class classification was capitalised, whereas previously the second letter was a smaller capital letter, that is EB

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Palmer & Stewart 1965, p. 128.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Churchman, Geoffrey B. (1995). Railway Electrification in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney & Wellington: IPL Books. pp. 42, 43. ISBN 0-908876-79-3.
* Palmer, A. N.; Stewart, W. W. (1965). Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives. Wellington: A H. & A W. Reed. ISBN 978-0-207-94500-7.

## External links

[edit]

* New Zealand Diesel and Electric Traction – E and EB classes
* 1930 photo of No.26 at Hutt Workshops

* v
* t
* e

Rail vehicles of New Zealand

Diesel locomotives|

| Mainline|

* DA (inc. DAA, DAR)
* DB (inc. DBR)
* DC (inc. DCP)
* DF (English Electric)
* DF (General Motors) inc. DFT, DFB, DFM
* DG (inc. DH of 1956)
* DI
* DJ
* DL
* DM (on order)
* DQ and QR
* DX (inc. DXB, DXC, DXR)

|

Shunt|

* DE
* DH of 1978
* DS
* DSA
* DSB
* DSC
* DSG
* DSJ
* TR

Electric locomotives|

| 1500 V DC|

* EA (later EO of 1968)
* EC
* ED
* EO of 1923
* EW

|

25 kV AC|

* EF

Battery|

* E
* EB

Diesel multiple units|

* ADK/ADB class diesel multiple unit
* ADL/ADC class diesel multiple unit

Electric multiple units|

| 1500 V DC (Wellington)|

* "English Electric" DM (inc. D trailers)
* "Ganz Mavag" EM (inc. ET trailers)
* "Matangi" FP (inc. FT trailers)

|

25 kV AC (Auckland)|

* AM (inc. AMP, AMT, AMA)

Railcars|

| RM class|

* 88 seater (also known as Fiats or twinsets)
* Clayton steam railcar
* Edison battery-electric railcar
* Red Terror railcar
* Midland railcar
* Leyland experimental petrol railcar
* McEwan Pratt petrol railcar
* Model T Ford railcar
* Sentinel-Cammell steam railcar
* Silver Fern railcar
* Standard railcar
* Thomas Transmission railcar
* Vulcan railcar
* Wairarapa railcar
* Westinghouse railcar

|

Others|

* A 88 Buckhurst petrol carriage

Steam locomotives|

* A of 1873
* A of 1906 (inc. AD)
* AA
* AB
* B of 1874
* B of 1899
* BA
* BB
* BC
* C of 1873
* C of 1930
* D of 1874
* D of 1929
* E of 1872 & 1875
* E of 1906
* F
* FA (inc. FB)
* G of 1874
* G Garratt of 1928 (inc. Pacific rebuild)
* H
* J of 1874
* J of 1939
* JA
* JB
* K of 1877
* K of 1932
* KA
* KB
* L
* LA
* M
* N
* NA
* NC
* O
* OA
* OB
* OC
* P of 1876
* P of 1885
* Q of 1878
* Q of 1901
* R
* S
* T
* U
* UA
* UB
* UC
* UD
* V
* W
* WA
* WAB
* WB
* WD
* WE
* WF
* WG
* WH
* WJ
* WS
* WW
* X
* Y

Locomotive hauled carriages|

* 50-foot carriage
* 56-foot carriage
* AC class (Grassgrubs)
* ex-British Rail Mark 2 carriage
* AK carriage
* FM class guards van
* SX carriages

Track evaluation, cranes, and maintenance|

* ETM class track evaluation car
* EL class rail cranes
* ETM class rail maintenance equipment

* Locomotives of New Zealand
* Rail transport in New Zealand
* Railway preservation in New Zealand.

*[BE]: Battery-electric
*[DE]: Diesel-electric
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