Steam Incorporated, often abbreviated to Steam Inc., is a railway heritage and preservation society based at the Paekākāriki railway station, Paekākāriki at the southern end of the Kāpiti Coast, approximately 50 minutes north of Wellington on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Unlike some societies who operate on preserved sections of closed branch lines, Steam Incorporated owns a depot ("The Engine Shed") beside one of the country's most important railway lines, the North Island Main Trunk railway, and restores heritage locomotives and rolling stock for use on excursions on the regular national rail network.
History Paekākāriki's close association with the railway began in 1886 when the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company's line from Wellington to Longburn opened. Paekākāriki railway station was a large station despite the settlement's small size, as it was ideally located as a locomotive changeover point – powerful engines were required to tackle the difficult grades between Wellington and Paekākāriki, while lighter and more nimble ones were better suited to the gentle grades and straight track through the Kāpiti Coast and Horowhenua to Manawatū.
The New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) took over the Wellington and Manawatu Railway in December 1908, but Paekākāriki's status as an important depot remained unchanged. In 1940, the line from Wellington to Paekākāriki was electrified and Paekākāriki's depot was altered: it became the changeover point from electric to steam motive power, or electric to diesel from the 1950s onwards. Paekākāriki also was an important goods transfer point between NZR and its "Rail Air" service that operated out of Paraparaumu across Cook Strait, before the inter-island rail ferries were introduced. A large shed was constructed at Paekākāriki by the United States Marines stationed in the area for use with the Rail Air service during World War II.
In the late 1960s with steam traction coming to an end, the locomotive depot in Paekākāriki was closed and the diesel locomotives that replaced steam were based out of Wellington instead. The main engine shed was demolished along with several other buildings, but the Rail Air Shed, two signal boxes, amenities building and a turntable remained when Steam Incorporated acquired the site. New sheds were constructed to replace those demolished, and the Rail Air Shed and amenities buildings were acquired when it became available. While initially leasing a portion of the site, Steam Incorporated now owns the whole former depot site including the 70 ft turntable, to which the railways retain a right of access.
Steam Incorporated As steam traction started to disappear from the NZR network, a group of enthusiasts united to preserve steam locomotives with the express intention of running them on the mainline network. At the time, all locomotives that had been preserved were solely for use on heritage railways or for static display as the NZR sold locomotives on the proviso that they would never again run on the NZR network, it was a radical concept.
Steam Incorporated was formed on 18 November 1972, and locomotives were purchased by the society or for the society by members. Until 1985, NZR had decreed that no steam locomotives were to run on mainlines. NZR then allowed one mainline excursion a year. In October 1988, following the success of the Ferrymead 125 celebrations, NZR agreed to lift the ban and charged enthusiasts to use the network. As a result, Steam Incorporated were able to run excursions on the network from their Paekākāriki base. In 1988, Steam Incorporated also acquired two DA class locomotives recently withdrawn by NZR.
List of locomotives
Key: In Service In Service, Main Line CertifiedUnder Overhaul/RestorationStoredStatic DisplayScrapped Number Builder Builder's Number Year built Arrived at Steam Inc Notes AB 608 NZR Addington Workshops 163 1915 1993 First AB built. Owned by the NZR&LS, previously statically displayed at Ferrymead. Leased to Steam Incorporated, 1993. Main line certified. Named Passchendaele DA 1410 General Motors A800 1955 1988 Transferred back to Paekakariki from the Glenbrook Vintage Railway in June 2015. Main line certified. DA 1431 General Motors 57-135 1957 1988 Painted in unique livery for NZ Sesquicentennial, 1990. Main line certified. DA 1471 General Motors A2017 1963 2012 Formerly part of the NZ Rail Heritage Collection. Leased to Steam Inc in 2004 but returned in 2007; brought outright in 2012 after storage at Hutt Workshops. Currently under restoration. DC 4375 Clyde Engineering 79/900 (Clyde Engineering makers No.) 1979 2021 Ex-Da 1540 built by General Motors Canada in 1967 then rebuilt by Clyde Engineering and numbered Dc 1585 in 1979 with cab numberboards only pre-TMS and Later-TMS 4375 on longhood for a brief time until 1980. Arrived at Paekakariki on 1 April 2021. Restoration completed on 8 August 2025, mainline certified. DS 202 Drewry 2526 1955 1985Oldest shunter in Steam Inc's fleet. Used for various shunting duties around the society's depot. Operational. J 1234 North British Locomotive Company 24557 1939 1974 Restored for main line use 1992. Formerly leased to the Glenbrook Vintage Railway. Transferred back to Steam Inc in June 2015. Awaiting an overhaul. JA 1271 NZR Hillside Workshops 394 1956 1978 Acquired as stripped hulk. Comprehensively restored to working order in 1997. Currently main line certified. K 917 NZR Hutt Workshops 294 1934 2001 Used as a static boiler supply at Hutt Workshops prior to preservation. Stored as an incomplete hulk with the tender from K 928, originally brought as a spare boiler for KA 945.KA 945NZR Hutt Workshops32819391981Purchased by Sir Len Southward in 1967. Stored in Taumaranui until 1975 and later donated to Steam Inc. in 1981. Overhauled to working order in April 1985. Withdrawn in May 1995 for 10 year inspection. Stored until 2014, currently undergoing major overhaul back to working order.ORB2Mitsubishi147619671992Built for the Ohai Railway Board in 1967. Withdrawn in 1992 and purchased by Reid McNaught, who brought it to Steam Inc. Operational.TR 160A&G Price, Thames18219582015Withdrawn from service in Kawerau in 2002. Transferred to Pahiatua in 2004 and stored there until 2015, when it was transferred to Paekakariki by road. Restored to running order, the locomotive is used for shunting duties around the depot.WF 386NZR Addington Workshops66/0519051978Withdrawn 1958. Saved for Preservation and moved to Taumarunui for 20 Years. Purchased by Steam Incorporated in 1978. Dismantled awaiting restoration.
In Addition:
J 1211 and KA 942, now of Mainline Steam were originally stored at Paekakariki before restoration in the Auckland area. WMR #9/N 453 owned by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Trust is currently based at Steam Incorporated, with some work having been carried out towards its restoration. NRZ 15A class Garratt 398, owned by the Flying Fifteen Locomotive Society arrived at Steam Incorporated in May 2011. The locomotive is being prepared for long-term storage, however, the group have eventual plans to run it on the mainline. 1909-built 0-4-0T Barclay #1181, acquired from Len Southward in the 1970s was owned by the group until it was sold in 2012 to a private owner for restoration, based at the Silver Stream Railway. A&G Price rail tractor NO 152 was bought by Steam Incorporated in 1978. It was rendered surplus to the group's requirements in 1994 and is now with the Ormondville Rail Preservation Group. DSA 305 was purchased by Steam Incorporated in 1986 from the NZR. It was used until 1994 when it was sold to the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway, and has since been on-sold to a private owner at Cable Bay. The remains of WB 292 and WB 299, owned by Hugh McCracken, were stored at Paekakariki from 1989 until 2013 when they were moved to the Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust depot at Maymorn for restoration.
Rolling stock
Steam Incorporated owns one of New Zealand's largest fleets of heritage passenger carriages certified for mainline operation on the regular national network. Originally painted in a unique chocolate brown livery with yellow lining to differentiate them from the carriages in service on regular trains, the paint was found to fade and look shabby, and when Tranz Rail, NZR's successor repainted their carriages in a blue livery in the early 1990s, Steam Incorporated reverted to the "Midland Red" paint scheme that had been used for most passenger carriages in New Zealand ever since the 1920s. Steam Incorporated own a variety of carriage types, such as five wide-bodied AA class 50 ft wooden passenger carriages with balcony ends. In 2008, these carriages were repainted in "Pullman Green" for use in the North Island Main Trunk Railway centenary celebrations. In addition, Steam Incorparted have a number of 50-foot and 56-foot steel-clad passenger carriages, one of which has been converted for use as a buffet/souvenir car. The active fleet stands at twelve fully restored and mainline certified carriages, with one currently under restoration, one awaiting mainline certification and nine stored (4).
Along with passenger carriages, the society owns a number of guards vans and former goods wagons, some of which are certified for mainline operation as locomotive service wagons.
Carriages Key:In ServiceIn Service, Main Line CertifiedUnder Overhaul/RestorationStoredStatic DisplayScrapped Pre-TMS number TMS number Builder Type Year built Year arrived Notes A 1859 A 56916 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Last 56-foot First Class car in original Main Trunk condition. Equipped with pressure ventilation. Purchased by Keith Magnussen in 1983, later donated to Steam Incorporated. Stored awaiting restoration. A 1868 AS 56073 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Ex-Auckland charter fleet, used as a servery car. Purchased from KiwiRail Scenic Journeys in 2013. Currently under restoration. A 1870 A 56105 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Surplus ex-Auckland suburban service in 1996. Sold to Waitara Railway Preservation Society, and stored at Brixton until 2010 when sold to Steam Incorporated. Currently stored. A 1902 A 56156 A 2317 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Ex-Auckland charter fleet. Purchased from KiwiRail Scenic Journeys in 2013. Restored 2013 to 2014. Mainline certified. A 1928 A 3389 AS 2500 ASO 27 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage First 56-foot carriage rebuilt as a big window car in 1987, used as a survey car. Purchased from KiwiRail Scenic Journeys in 2013. Currently stored. A 1933 A 3212 AO 221 NZR Addington Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Large window observation car. Purchased from The Great Journeys of New Zealand in 2018. Transferred by rail to Paekakariki in Sept 2018. Currently stored awaiting overhaul. A 1942 A 56453 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Surplus ex-Auckland suburban service in 1996. Under restoration, will be fitted with a South Island First Class-style Coupe compartment. A 1943 A 56461 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Surplus ex-Auckland Suburban trains 1996. Sold to Gisborne City Vintage Railway, later on-sold to Waitara Railway Preservation Society. Sold to Steam Incorporated in 2010. Currently stored. A 1947 A 3239 AO 83 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Rear window observation car. Purchased from The Great Journeys of New Zealand in 2018. Transferred by rail to Paekakariki in Sept 2018. Currently stored awaiting restoration. A 1953 A 56544 NZR Otahuhu Workshops 56' steel-panelled mainline carriage Ex-Auckland charter fleet. Sold to Steam Inc. in 2008. Restoration completed in 2012. Mainline certified. A 1962 A 56333