The NZR C class consisted of twenty-four steam locomotives built to perform shunting duties on New Zealand's national rail network.

The C class were placed into service initially in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch although some locomotives did spend short periods of time in Dunedin following overhaul at Hillside Workshops or as a short-term allocation following their completion.

It was found that while the C class were extremely capable, the locomotives were insufficiently heavy enough to move some of the larger trains being shunted.

During their service life, the C class occasionally handled suburban trains with the Wellington-based examples doing so at times over the Hutt Valley line.

During World War II, the decision was made to fit several Wellington-based engines, particularly of the C class, with fire-fighting pumps in case of a Japanese air raid.

By that time the NZR&LS Canterbury Branch had purchased C 864 for preservation, and it was trucked from storage at Linwood locomotive depot in 1974 to Ferrymead Heritage Park.

Although only the tender was required for this conversion, the engine unit of C 849 remained attached until the boiler house was decommissioned and the locomotive was scrapped.