K 900 and NZR’s K, Ka & Kb class 4-8-4 locomotives

K 900 and NZR's K, Ka & Kb class 4-8-4 locomotives. ISBN 978-1-927329-15-3. NZD $20.00. Postage free within New Zealand. Overseas postage charged at cost.

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“K 900 and NZR’s K, Ka & Kb class 4-8-4 locomotives” by Richard Croker & Sean Millar. ISBN 978-1-927329-15-3. NZD $20.00. Postage free within New Zealand. Overseas postage charged at cost.

For information on how to buy, please click on one of the following two links:
(How to buy, NZ customers) — (How to buy, overseas customers)

“A good account of New Zealand Railways’ big steam power” New Zealand Railway Observer.

“Nicely presented and welcoming” New Zealand Railfan.

52 pages of which 20 including the covers are printed in full colour. A4 format, staple bound.

K 900 holds a special place in New Zealand railway history as the first of 71 NZR 4-8-4’s. The early success of these large, locally-built locomotives was a tremendous morale-booster in the prevailing gloom of the Great Depression. Kiwis who knew little else about the country’s railways knew of the K. As one of the world’s greatest railway journalists put it following a visit – “In New Zealand ‘K’ means just one thing”.

This well-illustrated book tells the story of K 900, its classmates and the closely-related Ka and Kb classes, from their initial inception right through to the eventual preservation of a lucky few, including K 900 itself at MOTAT, Ka 935 at the Silverstream Railway, Ka 942 with Mainline Steam and Ka 945 with Steam Incorporated.

CHAPTERS

INTRODUCTION

ORIGINS

SERVICE

COLOUR SECTION

PRESERVATION OF K 900

Ka & Kb CLASSES

APPENDICES