NZR RM class (Wairarapa)

NZR RM class Wairarapa
Wairarapa railcar RM 4 "Maahunui" in 1936 on a test run.
In service	1936–1955
Manufacturer	New Zealand Government Railways
Built at	Hutt Workshops
Entered service	September–December 1936 (RM 4–9) March 1937 (RM 10)
Number built	7
Number in service	None
Number preserved	1
Fleet numbers	RM 4–RM 10
Capacity	RM 4–9: 49 passengers RM 10: 20 passengers, 3 tons freight
Operators	New Zealand Government Railways
Lines served	Rimutaka Incline; Wairarapa Line
Specifications
Car length	57 ft 11 in (17.65 m) over buffers
Maximum speed	60 mph (97 km/h)
Weight	13.56 tonnes (13.35 long tons; 14.95 short tons)
Prime mover(s)	Originally six-cylinder 10-litre Leyland petrol engine From 1940–41, six-cylinder 10-litre Leyland Diesel engine[1]
Power output	130 hp (97 kW) (petrol) 119 hp (89 kW) (diesel)
Transmission	Mechanical
UIC classification	2-A
Bogies	One bogie (front, unpowered), one single axle (rear, powered)
Multiple working	No
Track gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)

The NZR RM class Wairarapa railcar was a class of railcars on New Zealand's national rail network. They entered service in 1936 (three weeks after the Midland railcars) and were classified RM like all other classes of railcars in New Zealand; they came to be known as the "Wairarapa" class as they were designed to operate over the famous Rimutaka Incline to the Wairarapa region on the Wairarapa Line. They also acquired the nickname of "tin hares" in New Zealand railfan jargon. The first two to be introduced re-used the numbers RM 4 and RM 5 that had previously been used by the withdrawn experimental Model T Ford railcars. The class consisted of six passenger railcars and one passenger-freight railcar. It is often described incorrectly as a class of six railcars.