| Driving Wheels | 3ft 0ins |
| Weight | 15 tons |
| Boiler Pressure | 130psi |
| Cylinders | Outside – 9½in x 18in |
| Tractive Effort | 4,693 lbf |
This locomotive was built by Neilson & Company in Glasgow in 1878 and entered service with New Zealand Railways (NZR) in April the following year. It was one of 35 class locomotives built as class D engines that were all withdrawn from service by the end of 1927.
The first eight members of the class which were supplied by Neilson & Company in 1874. Five more were supplied by Dübs in 1878 and then four from Neilson in 1878 and seven in 1880. Scott Brothers of Christchurch built ten in 1887 and one in 1890.
Interestingly these were the first class of locomotive built by Scott Brothers for the NZR and were one of only two New Zealand manufacturers to supply steam locomotives to NZR. The other was A & G Price of Thames.
The class was not particularly powerful and was employed on light duties, sometimes achieving speeds of 45 mph on level track They often saw service on commuter trains between Christchurch and Lyttelton until superior locomotives took their place. They were utilised at other major locations on the South Island’s east coast.
After being shipped to New Zealand, the engine worked in various South Island locations on the New Zealand Railways system, from Christchurch to Bluff, along with stints in Timaru, Oamaru and Gore.
The locomotive was fitted with a new boiler in 1913 and it stayed in service for another five years.
In September 1918 the locomotive was sold to the New Zealand Refrigerating Company for use as a shunter at the Pukeuri Freezing Works, north of Oamaru. The company had been formed in 1881 by John Roberts who started slaughtering livestock at the Burnside Works built which was opened in 1883 in Green Island Dunedin. From there carcasses were frozen and shipped to the wholesale market at Smithfield in London.
In 1905 the Christchurch Meat Company of Islington bought New Zealand Refrigerating Company Limited and from August 1916 adopted the Christchurch Meat Company name for the whole business.
The locomotive worked at the plant in Pukeuri until it was made redundant in the early 1970s when it was placed on a plinth in the yard.
In 1985 the management of the company (by then Waitaki International Limited0 donated the locomotive to the Pleasant Point Museum and Railway on condition that it was restored to full working order. The locomotive was transported to the Pleasant Point Museum and Railway site at Timaru in March 1985 where the restoration work started.
After over two years of work the locomotive was able to operate again in May 1987.
The locomotive was the first class D locomotive to be fully restored. It was overhauled again between 2006 and 2008 but has continued to operate. Since then.
Six other class D locomotives have been preserved.in New Zealand
Neilson & Company
- Works number 1847 – 143
- Works number 2563 – 170
- Works number 2564 – 6
- Works number 2565 – 221
Dübs
- Works number 1164 – 50
Scott Brothers
- Works number 31 – 137
Preserved Outside Britain – By Country
Preserved British Steam Locomotives 