NZR's Early Car-vans 2

NZR's EARLY CAR-VANS

Part 2 The 44ft and 46ft 7in

Class 'A' low Roofed Bogie Cars

Author John Agnew

The full article can be found in New Zealand Railfan, Issue 58, March 2009, pages 23 - 27. John has given permission for the whole article to be available to readers, it will eventually be accessible at this link

This article-summary aims to list the key facts, reference specific items of rolling stock mentioned, and describe the drawings and photographs that are presented in the full article.

The Developments

• Car_A300(W) was the New Zealand's first Bogie Carriage, a conversion of Car_C140 with American bogies. The work was done at Petone Workshops in 1877.
• mid 1878, Addington Workshops was working on converting British 6-wheel cars to bogie cars to improve the ride.
• mid 1878, Clemenson's patent Radiating Axles were fitted to some cars at Addington and Hillside
• 30 Clemenson's 6-wheeled carriages imported in 1879 were the last British carriage imports
• 13 Gilbert Bush & Co clerestory-roofed carriages and one Baggage Car imported from USA in 1879 (3 cars and the van ordered for Rakaia and Ashburton Forks Railway, 10 cars allocated to Hurunui - Bluff Railway)
• From 1882, Addington Workshops started building 43ft and 44ft versions
• From 1882, C class cars were being converted to bogie cars using (Blueprint) BP_919.
• During the 1884 -1885 period 14 longer (46'-7") cars were constructed to drawing PWD_9133
• The only two C class rebuilds that were 44ft long and converted to car-vans (one in 1895 the other in 1897) were allocated 1 to each island.
  • Car_A311 had been allocated to Wellington and was converted to a car-van at Petone Workshops in 1895 to a variation of BP_919
  • Car_A241 had been allocated to Dunedin and converted to a car-van in 1897 at Hillside
• Eleven of the twelve S.I. 46'-7" carriages constructed to drawing PWD_9133 (not car_A147), were converted at either Addington or Hillside during 1897-99, becoming 3 compartment composite car-vans.
• The variation of window arrangements are due to earlier conversions of window spaces to accommodate additional wall bracing to strengthen the walls.

the 44ft and 46ft-7in Low roofed bogie cars and car-vans of class 'A'

Car No	District	Length	Origins	Built	BP	to car-van	Last use
car_A39	Dun	46'-7"	car_C39 +½ car_C35	12/10/1885 Add	9133	9/11/1897	car_E1173
car_A44	Dun	46'-7"	car_C44 +½ car_C78	24/07/1885 Add	9133	15/12/1897	w/o 05/11/1960

Images accompanying this Article

1. Drawing NZR_919A showing arrangement of car_A311 as converted at Petone Workshops by 16/09/1895
2. Photograph by I. T. Johnstone of car_A311 at Lambton Station, 1933.
3. Drawing based on PWD_9133 and dated 21/01/1882 showing a 46ft 7in car conversion
4. Photograph Showing ether car_A44 or car_A120 at Waimahaka, behind Loco_F159 probably on line opening day 18/06/1899
5. Photograph of one of the 11 46'-7" car-vans allocated to the Dunedin/Invercargill section showing no platform gates. taken at Dunedin 1905.
6. Photograph from Otago Witness taken at Invercargill March 1905 showing a 46'-7" car-van, possibly car_A145, outside the Invercargill South Signal Box
7. Photograph from J. A. T. Terry Collection of a derailed train at Mussel Bay on the Port Chalmers Branch including what is thought to be car-van_A120