Re: The Very Last: Lucky Me

That's very sad news about the closure of Prices at Thames. As Chris writes they built a fair number of locos for both the NZR and industry. The NZR designed its own locos from an early date after importing them from both the UK and the US and many of them were of distinct NZ appearance. It built many of them in its own shops but Prices also supplied a fair number, several of which have been preserved. A class Pacific no. 428, Price no. 31/1909, now runs on the Weka Pass Railway north of Christchurch and is a particularly striking example of the company's work. Some enthusiasts regard the A's as the NZR's best proportioned locos. Their geared locos for the bush tramways which Chris mentions were also distinctive and in 1943 they built the world's last Heisler (works no. 143) some years after construction ceased in the US. It's now preserved by the Canterbury Steam Preservation Society at their depot in the outskirts of Christchurch.

They went on to build diesels but also diversified away from railway work from the 1970's and seemed to be one of the few traditional steam builders to have done so successfully.

Their website is still up and running and some of its entries, especially their history page, are worth downloading before the site is taken down. It's at [www.agprice.co.nz] and their rail products brochure at [www.agprice.co.nz] is also interesting.

James