This debacle came at a time when the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) was suffering from a lack of motive power to work on its rapidly expanding network and was part of what prompted a shift towards American and home-grown manufacturers.

The members of the P class of 1876 had been sold to private companies or the Public Works Department, leaving the classification unused.

Some changes were found necessary to obtain the best performance from them; the smokeboxes were extended, and the original Belpaire-type boilers were replaced with a new type to an NZR design.

In 2009, the rolling chassis of P 107 was trucked from Dunedin to Springfield for storage at the Midland Rail Heritage Trust's centre, where the restoration will be completed.

In 2004, the Ohai Railway Board Heritage Trust salvaged the remains of P 60 and P 133 from the Branxholme locomotive dumpsite on the Wairio Branch.