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New Zealand Railways KA 945

(GS-4 not included).

KA 945 is the highest-numbered of the three preserved KA’s. She was built at New Zealand Railway’s Hutt Workshops in 1939, as the first of her class. The KA’s were built out of order - numerical order - that is, hence why KA 945 was the first instead of KA 930.

Anyway, as with the rest of her class, 945 was originally fitted with the ugly ‘streamlining’ meant to hide the ACFI feedwater heater and its associated equipment. This ‘streamlining’ was removed in 1947 - two years after World War 2 - and replaced by an exhaust steam injector, as the e.s.j was a cheaper option than continuing with the ACFI feedwater heater. According to her page on the Steam Incorporated website, 945 was never fitted with a cross-compound air pump, unlike some other KA’s.

Throughout her entire working life, the engine was allocated to Taumraunui depot and hauled both passenger and freight trains on the NIMT, particularly on the most demanding section of the route between Taumarunui and Taihape. In July 1961, 945 was involved in a derailment at Hihitahi when she ran into a large boulder that was hidden by a landslide. She suffered a bent frame in the process. That frame is still bent today.

After being repaired, KA 945 was put back into service. As with several other steam engines, this one hauled several excursion trains during the final years of steam in the 1960’s. Her last run in NZR service was on September 30th, 1967. On that day she hauled an excursion from Taumarunui to National Park and back, but wasn’t officially written off until December 1967.

Thankfully this wasn’t the end for KA 945, as she was soon acquired by Len Southward for his Southward Car Museum. The engine remained in Taumarunui yard until June 1975, two years after Southward approached Steam Incorporated to see if the engine could be housed at the shed in Paekakariki. Mr. Southward bought the locomotive with the intention of displaying her at his car museum in Paraparaumu, although this idea never came to fruition. KA 945 arrived at her new home in June 1975.

Mr. Southward donated his KA to Steam Incorporated in 1983, who soon got to work restoring the engine to working order. This was completed in time for steam’s return to the mainline in April 1985. KA 945 - helped along by JA 1250 - made a grand entrance onto the mainline excursion scene, and resulted in Steam Incorporated winning the A&G Price restoration award.

In May 1991, KA 945 was given the honour of hauling the regularly-scheduled Bay Express train from Wellington to Napier and back. This was to celebrate the completion of the railway through the Manawatu Gorge. In February 1992, the engine hauled more excursions in connection with the BP Pan-Pacific Car Rally in Palmerston North, a job in which she was helped out by other preserved locomotives; J 1234, JA 1250, DA 1431 and F 163. In September 1992, KA 945 made history by being the first of her class to run on the Masterton to Woodville line.

In 1993, the engine went on a big tour of both the North and South Islands, as part of an effort to promote the Cadbury Crunchie Bar. I’ve done a separate re-skin which depicts 945 in her ‘Crunchie Tour’ condition.

KA 945 was taken out of service for overhaul in 1995, after 10 years of running. At the time Steam Incorporated hoped to only have her out of service for three years, but there were more things needing attention than they expected. This - combined with the society not being in the best financial state at the time - meant KA 945 was set aside until things got better. But it was decided to restore AB 608 instead of the KA, which continued to sit in Paekakariki’s shed awaiting her return to service.

The overhaul of KA 945 finally commenced in 2014, and work is still ongoing even today. Whenever her return to the mainline might be, she is sure to be a big crowd-puller.