Description
Badge – Ja1271 Locomotive Number Plate, as displayed on the locomotive’s smokebox.
Ja1271 entered service in April 1956 and was in service until November 1971. It was allocated to Invercargill depot and spent its entire working life there. Although taking its share of freight work, it was often to be found on the South Island Limited working as far north as Dunedin. It was only ever recorded twice as having travelled north of that town when in NZR service. The engine had a relatively short working life; being involved in a collision in October 1970 when it was withdrawn from service considered uneconomic to repair. It was officially written off in November 1971, having run only some 416,000 miles, and from then until December 1976 it served as the hot water washout boiler at Dunedin locomotive depot. It was sold to Steam Incorporated in March 1978 and subsequently towed to Paekakariki.
On arrival at Steam Incorporated it was a sorry sight, in poor condition and with many parts missing. Over time Steam Inc carried out a painstaking restoration and on 24th October it hauled its first excursion steam train the 593km from Christchurch to Invercargill, and is still in regular servic on steam train excursions.
(Loco photograph from Wikipedia)
