NZR EW class
EW 1805 with DC 4611 near Paekakariki. Photo by Alan Wickens
Power type	Electric
Builder	English Electric, United Kingdom
UIC classification	Bo-Bo-Bo
Gauge	1067mm
Length	18.9m (articulated)
Total weight	76 tons
Electric system	1,500v DC
Collection method	Pantograph
Top speed	97 km/h
Power output	1340 kW
Career	New Zealand Railways, Tranz Metro
Number in class	7
Number	1800 - 1806
Locale	Wellington region
First run	1952
Disposition	2 preserved

The NZR EW class locomotive was a class of electric locomotive used in Wellington, New Zealand. The classification 'EW' was due to their being electric locomotives allocated to Wellington. They were built by English Electric in 1952 and hauled mainly passenger trains on the region's 1500 V DC electrification, and banked trains between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay. Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. ... English Electric logo English Electric was a 20th-century British industrial manufacturer, initially of electric motors, and expanding to include railway locomotives and aviation, before becoming part of GEC. // History 1917: Dick, Kerr & Co. ... The UIC classification is a comprehensive system for describing the wheel arrangement of locomotives. ... Eurotunnel Class 9 9702 with a freight shuttle at Coquelles terminal 2 April 2004. ... Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... The short ton is a unit of mass equal to 907. ... Overhead wire in Coventry, England Overhead wire and its suspension system in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA A railway electrification system is a way of supplying electric power to electric locomotives and multiple units. ... A pantograph is a device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. ... Tranz Metro is the commuter rail system of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. ... A locomotive (from Latin loco motivus) is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. ... Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Poneke) is the capital of New Zealand, the countrys second-largest urban area and the most populous national capital in Oceania. ... English Electric logo English Electric was a 20th-century British industrial manufacturer, initially of electric motors, and expanding to include railway locomotives and aviation, before becoming part of GEC. // History 1917: Dick, Kerr & Co. ... Electrification refers to changing a thing or system to operate using electricity. ... Paekakariki is a town in the Kapiti Coast District in the south-western North Island of New Zealand. ... Pukerua Bay is a small sea-side community at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. ...

They were the first class of locomotive in New Zealand to utilise the Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement, the other classes being the DJ class and the EF class. In both cases, this wheel arrangement was used to provide a lower axle-load due to track conditions. The EW class is different though, as the locomotive is articulated in the middle over the centre bogie where as the two newer classes have sideplay in the centre bogie. Eurotunnel Class 9 9702 with a freight shuttle at Coquelles terminal 2 April 2004. ... Locomotive wheel arrangement is how the wheels of the locomotive are arranged by type, position, and connections. ... An articulated locomotive is a steam locomotive with one or more engine units which can move relative to the main frame. ... A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. ...

During the 1960s the tunnels on this section were lowered so that DA class diesel locomotives could handle trains all the way through to Wellington. With the introduction of the EM class units in 1982, the class was further displaced. An attempt was made to use two members of the class on the Otira - Arthur's Pass electrified section in the South Island, but nothing came of this. All were withdrawn from service by 1988. Two remain preserved today, one at Ferrymead in Christchurch and one at Mainline Steam in Plimmerton, north of Wellington. Arthurs Pass Arthurs Pass is an alpine crossing of the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. ... The South Island The South Island is one of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the North Island. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Introduction The Ferrymead Railway is a New Zealand heritage railway built upon the formation of New Zealands first public railway, the line from Ferrymead to Christchurch, which opened in 1863. ... Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the third largest urban area in the country. ... Mainline Steam is a New Zealand organisation devoted to the restoration and operation of historic mainline steam locomotives. ... The township of Plimmerton surrounds one of the more congenial beaches in the northwest part of the Wellington urban area in New Zealand. ...

External links

• New Zealand Diesel and Electric Traction - Class EW