Canterbury Railway Society Inc

The mainline locomotives of their day, 88 of the F class locomotives were constructed by various builders in the 1870s. 25 of the class were given names from the novels of Sir Walter Scott, and these were later revived by New Zealand Government Railways during the last years of the F's service. Many of this class were purchased by industry, and saw many more years of service in this capacity.

F13 was built in 1872 by Neilson & Co, entering service in 1873. Originally Otago Railways' No. 8 "Edie Ochiltree", it was renumbered F36 in 1877 and then F13 in 1885. Based at Christchurch for many years, it was named "Peveril" in 1958. Withdrawn from service in 1964 and stored at Arthurs Pass, it was donated by the NZR to Ferrymead in 1967, and was stored in the tram barn until 1973.

After some years on display, F13 was restored to full operating order between 1982 and 1984, and was the mainstay of passenger services for a number of years. It won a National Federation of Locomotive Societies restoration award in 1988. The locomotive has travelled out onto the NZR main line on several occasions, running local services out of Oamaru in 1987, shuttle trains between Christchurch and Papanui in conjunction with the 1990 Telethon, and operating at a Lyttelton Port Open Day in 1987.

F13 was taken out of service in the mid 90s for its 10 year survey but was granted a special permit to enable it to participate in the 1999 Waipara Vintage Festival. It is now partway through an overhaul with work being done on the boiler and wheels. It is scheduled for completion after work on D140 is finished.

F12 was built by the Yorkshire Engine Company in 1874. It worked in NZR service until 1957. It was then sold to Waitaki Farmers Freezing Company for use at their Pukeuri works, near Oamaru, where it was in use until 1968. Since arriving at Ferrymead the loco has been used as a parts supply for both F13 and F111 at Ocean Beach Railway. Although recognisable as an F it is presently missing a number of components including the cab.

8 files, last one added on Dec 22, 2005