Kitson steam trams were imported to Christchurch to operate on the new tramlines being laid by the Canterbury Tramway Company. Eight engines were imported in two batches; the first batch numbers 1-5 were imported in 1880, and the second batch consisting of numbers 6-8 the following year in 1881. Kitson number 7 is the sole survivor of the fleet of eight. It is preserved by the Tramway Historical society in Christchurch, New Zealand and has just undergone a five-year overhaul to make it operational again.
Number 7 was built, arriving in the port of Lyttelton on 27 September 1881. These trams would run to all corners of the tramway system in Christchurch. One of the more scenic routes was the run from Cathedral Square in the city centre to the seaside suburb of Sumner, six miles away, half of the Sumner route is coastal and in the early days would run over two impressive trestle bridges on the edge of the estuary on the way to Sumner.
