NZR KA Class No. 949

The NZR No. 949 was a 4-8-4 KA class steam locomotive that operated on New Zealand's railway network. in 1953, the locomotive was involved with an event known as the Tangiwai disaster.On December 24, 1953, it was scheduled to pull the 3 p.m. Wellington-to-Auckland Express No. 626, consisting of 5 second-class carriages, 4 first-class carriages, a guard's van, and a postal van, bringing the total up to 11 coaches. However, it never made it to Auckland. Shortly after 10:20 p.m., the Ka949 crashed into the Whangaehu River, after a lahar from the nearby Mt. Ruapehu volcano wiped out the bridge, taking all the five second-class carriages and one first-class carriage with it. 151 passengers and crew died in the wreckage. Shortly after that, Ka949 was taken to Hutt workshops and scrapped, though several components survived and were used on other steam engines as the need increased.
All that remains of No. 949 is the locomotives number plate which is currently on display in the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
==Gallery==
File:Loco 949 Tangiwai.png|Number plate from KA 949, on display in the Auckland War Memorial Museum
File:Ka 949 Tangiwai.JPG
File:Tangiwai 66 years later by animerailfan.jpg|A Drawing of the Train crashing into the Whangaehu River. (Drawing made by AnimeRailfan2019)
==References==
*Archived at archive.org. Retrieved 5 November 2012
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:NZR Locomotives
Category:Four-coupled locomotives
Category:4-8-4 steam locomotives
Category:New Zealand Locomotives
Category:4-8-4 locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:New Zealand Railway
Category:Locomotives
Category:Wrecked trains
Category:Locomotives Involved in Rail Disasters
Category:Built in 1939
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives