Gibbons and Harris
Gibbons & Harris was a manufacturer of narrow-gauge steam locomotives in Auckland , New Zealand from 1905 to 1912 .
history
The steam engines of these locomotives were based on the design of ship winches that Gibbons & Harris knew from many ship repair work. The boilers were obtained from other mechanical engineering companies. The locomotives had an average life expectancy of 25 years.
Locomotive No. 1 from 1905
The 0-4-0T No. 1 locomotive was the first locomotive built by Gibbons & Harris for Robert Pearce Gibbons, a brother of one of the founders and a noted Northland contractor and sawmill owner. The locomotive had horizontal cylinders under the smoke chamber and drove through spur gears to the front axle. The drive was brought to the rear axle via a pair of coupling rods.
Technical specifications
- Track width : 3 '6 "(1,067 mm)
- Length: 12 '11 "(3,937 mm)
- Wheelbase: 4 '9 "(1,448 mm)
- Weight: 6 tons
- Boiler pressure: 120 psi (8.3 bar)
- Cylinder: 6 "× 6" (152 mm × 152 mm)
- Wheel diameter 30 "(762 mm)
Locomotive No. 3 from 1905
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The 0-4-0T locomotive no. 3 was a small two-axle vehicle whose technical data essentially corresponded to those of locomotive no. It weighed about 6 tons. The two-cylinder engine was mounted horizontally below the smoke box and connected to the front axle via spur gears. Side bars coupled the front and rear drive wheels.
Locomotive No. 5 from 1912
The 0-4-0T locomotive no. 5 was a slightly longer two-axle vehicle with the same wheelbase and was used by RP Gibbons. It is still preserved and is being overhauled for the Te Aroha Mountain Railway in Te Aroha for operation on a museum bus tram.
Technical specifications
- Track width: 3 '6 "(1,067 mm)
- Length: 15 '3½ "(4,661 mm)
- Wheelbase: 4 '9 "(1,448 mm)
