NZR E Class (1906) - Rimutaka Incline Service

Rimutaka Incline Service

In a trial between Upper Hutt Railway Station and Summit Railway Station, the non-Incline portion of the route over the Rimutaka Range, E 66 successfully hauled forty-five wagons up the 1 in 35 grade. This was the equivalent of a load that would have required two WF class locomotives. The locomotive soon began work on the Incline as intended and was based at Cross Creek Railway Station at the foot of the Incline. It was rated to haul up to 80 tons on the Incline, 15 tons higher than the maximum permitted of the H class, and in a trial it successfully hauled 103 tons from Cross Creek up to Summit. However, it was much more costly to operate than the H class and thus ran only two-thirds the annual mileage of the H locomotives. E 66 consumed 167 pounds of coal per mile, while an H used 117 pounds, and its operating cost was 54.10 pence per mile compared to 37.73 pence for an H. Furthermore, E 66's crews complained of excessive heat in the cab, especially through tunnels.