| NZGR Ka 942 at Huntly, New Zealand on December 13, 1962, scanned from a 3.5 X 5.5 Agfa print by J. A. T. Terry, Chuck Zeiler collection. According to an article by Roy Sinclair in the June 1986 issue of Trains Magazine, the first Ka class 4-8-4 (Number 900) was designed and built in New Zealand in 1932. It was originally designed as a 4-8-2, but the firebox grate area worked out to 47.7 square feet, requiring a four-wheel trailing truck. Opposition to the design came from the Locomotive Engine Drivers, Firemen and Cleaners Association (EFCA), which expressed concern that the idea of hand-firing that amount of firebox area up a 2% grade would exceed the capacity of the fireman. Some firemen even stepped down, leaving vacancies for untrained novices, who wondered why they had bothered to supply a seat for the fireman at all. The first Ka left Wellington on November 22, 1932 ahead of the regular locomotive on the Auckland Express. During the trials, it was thought that the smoke and exhaust might not clear the cab while the locomotive was at speed, and a smoke-deflecting cowl was fitted to the stack. However it was removed when it was found unnecessary. |