Eb 25 after the rebuild to a diesel locomotive
Museum of Transport and Technology
In 1925, the NZR had a battery locomotive built for shunting by the Goodman Manufacturing Co. in the USA. Four more were built in New Zealand four years later. The class designation was EB for “Electric Battery”. A total of 120 battery cells delivered an output of 32 hp. Although new batteries would have been needed shortly before the start of the Second World War, they were not replaced. It was not until the 1950s that they were rebuilt to diesel-electric locomotives with twice the power while retaining the traction motors. The central driver's cab was replaced with an end driver's cab. They were retired in the second half of the 1970s.