Class I (class G before 1900) NZR type single bolster wagons

Class I (class M before 1900) NZR type single bolster wagons

This class consisted of 200 wagons built in 1893-1894 to a design which originated in New Zealand as their class N. They were 11'-0" long and originally had a single swivelling bolster.

They arrived in two batches. Numbers 583-683 arrived in 1893 followed by 695-794 in 1894 from Bristol Carriage and wagon Co. They were intended and used in pairs for timber traffic.

In 1908/9 fifteen wagons were up-rated to carry 10 tons and may have been reclassified IX but the numbers of the wagons involved are not known.

A rather battered NS746 converted from I 746 to a flat wagon towards the end of its life.

Some of the class seem to have been sold to contractors or scrapped very early on with nine having gone before 1900. Many of the class were converted to IM class coal box wagons or replaced by new GC class open wagons in the years after the First World War. This may have been due to the construction of the QA class bogie bolster wagons just before the war and a fall in demand for timber trucks after the end of the conflict. The size of the class was gradually reduced during the thirties until only six were left in stock after 1937. However some of the written off wagons still existed as "Jetty stock" and these were reinstated from 1942 under new numbers. From 1948 the bolsters were removed on the surviving wagons which were used as runners or shunters' flats. In recognition of this some were reclassified N and later NS. It is not absolutely clear whether all of the reinstated wagons were of the 11'-0" type or whether any ex type GSR wagons were reinstated. Therefore I have highlighted the "new" wagons in red in the list below which shows the fate of the class. Two of these ex jetty wagons re-used the numbers of written off I class wagons but it is not clear whether these were the same wagons reinstated under there old numbers. It seems unlikely.

Before 1900	583, 602, 608, 634, 670, 677, 735, 760, 764 written off or sold.
1909	697, 737, 738, 748, 785 sold to Smith & Timms (Port Hedland)
1911	744, 758 to PWD Carnavon
1912	618, 629 to PWD Broome
1914	604, 661, 718 temporarily to Railway Mill
1919	617, 772 replaced by new M class
1920	652, 705, 710, 756 to PWD 585, 587, 593, 596, 598, 610, 628, 644, 674, 701, 703, 706, 707, 720, 722, 761, 766, 769, 775, 784, 794 to IM
1921	589, 591, 595, 600, 606, 613, 615, 620, 623, 625, 627, 632, 635, 640, 645, 646, 648, 653, 654, 655, 657, 665, 668, 672, 699, 715, 721, 723, 725, 726, 730, 731, 733, 734, 740, 742, 746, 749, 751, 755, 759, 762, 765, 767, 768, 770, 776, 782, 783, 786, 787, 789, 792 to IM
1922	597 to IM
1923	604 destroyed at Mill 669, 788 transferred to Railway Mill
1924	590, 592, 601, 605, 609, 611, 612, 621, 624, 626, 630, 633, 637, 639, 641, 642, 643, 650, 651, 656, 660, 662, 663, 664, 666, 673, 675, 678, 679, 681, 696, 704, 708, 711, 712, 719, 727, 728, 732, 736, 741, 745, 747, 750, 763, 777, 778, 781, 793 replaced by new GC
1925	603, 790 replaced by new GC
1926	695 replaced by new GC
1927	599, 614, 659, 702, 716, 773 to PWD 607 replaced by new GC
1928	588, 709, 752, 774 replaced by new GC
1929	619, 647, 698, 700, 724 to JETTY 348, 347, 343, 352, 345 616, 714 to Jetty stock (numbers not known) 746 ex IM 622 replaced by new GC 771 replaced by new M 667 replaced by new MA
1931	610, 699, 715, 721, 751 ex IM
1934	742, 767 ex IM 680, 715 written off
1935	584, 586, 636, 649, 682, 717, 729, 739, 779, 791 written off 594, 631, 638, 699 to JETTY 303, 158, 304, 155 respectively
1936	610, 661, 713, 721 written off 671, 676, 757, 780 to Harbour and lights Dept Hopetoun
1937	658, 669, 718, 754, 788 to Railway Mill and written off
1941	753 to N
1942	227, 277, 289 ex jetty wagon stock
1943	338, 339, 350, 394, 399, 458, 459, 464, 490, 492, 500, 511, 515, 522, 527 ex jetty wagon stock. I492 was JETTY 352
1944	274, 564, 588, 693 ex jetty stock
1947	394 written off
1950	459, 464. 490, 515, 527 written off
1953 1955 1959	289, 399, 492 , 767 to N 500 written off 350 written off
1960	227, 339, 564 to NS
1961	511 written off 338 to NS
1962	743, 751 written off 522, 742, 746 to NS
1964	274, 458, 693 to NS
1968	588 written off
1972	277 written off