South Australian Railways

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South Australian Railways built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 to the incorporation of its non-urban railways into the Australian National Railways Commission (ANRC) in 1975, together with the former Commonwealth Railways and the former Tasmanian Government Railways. The Adelaide urban lines were transferred to the State Transport Authority, which was incorporated into TransAdelaide in 1994.

South Australia is one of the few places in Australia, if not the world that has all three major rail gauges, in addition to other uncommon gauges.

[edit] History

The beginnings of the railway were in the Port Adelaide railway line. This suburban main line linked the harbour area of Port Adelaide to the colony, and was laid with broad gauge (5 ft 3 in; 1600 mm) track. This line was opened in 1856. Later on, branch lines in the state's north in the mining towns of Kapunda and Burra were linked through to the Adelaide metropolitan system. From here, a south main line extended to meet the horse tramway from Victor Harbor to Strathalbyn, and towards to SA/Victorian Border.

With the metropolitan systems being broad gauge, the mid north and south east of the state were originally laid with 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm) narrow gauge track. These systems were heavily based on British practice, as was the broad gauge system prior to 1926. Locomotives and rolling stock were purchased from Britain and America, from builders such as Dûbs and Company, the North British Locomotive Company and Baldwin Locomotive Works.

In 1925, after the years of the Great War, the South Australian Railways were heavily dilapidated. Not only was infrastructure and rolling stock badly worn down, but the operating standards of the railway could no longer keep up with the rapidly growing state of South Australia. With the war magnifying the extent of this problem, the government sought the help of American William Webb, from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (The KATY, for short). Webb moved his young family to SA, and after surveying the railway operations for a year, he took over as railway commissioner, and began to make drastic changes.

Webb was mainly known for his Big Engine policy. Being an American, with a wide loading gauge and large locomotives, he placed on order 30 locomotives of the Mountain, Pacific and Mikado wheel arrangements, 10 of each class respectively. These were to become the 500, 600 and 700 class locomotives.

While the broad gauge system became the subject of much change by Webb, the narrow gauge system for the most part was left untouched. The northern system remained intact, apart from a mainline being converted to broad gauge. The South Eastern division was gauge converted to broad gauge to join as a branch line to the Adelaide-Melbourne mainline, however this took place some time after Webb's departure.

Not only were new locomotives introduced. Webb also introduced train order working to country lines - a typical American railroad practice. Railway facilities were upgraded, with several 85 foot turntables being installed throughout the state to cope for the needs of the giant locomotives being built by Armstrong Whitworth & Co. in the UK. A new capital city railway station was built, which rivaled many overseas. This grand building now acts as the casino of Adelaide.

When the new locomotives arrived, the public and enginemen of the SAR had never seen anything like them. The two shiploads of locomotives arrived in 1926. Having been designed by Fred Shea, the massive locomotives were unloaded at Port Adelaide and taken off the pier by horses (the locomotives weight alone exceeding the docks maximum loading capacity). The locomotives went into service soon after, and apart from some initial teething problems (mainly to do with overheating bearings and round riding due to excessive play allowed on driving axles) the new locomotives settled in nicely to their assigned positions. After the success of the original locomotives, ten more 700 class locomotives, with larger tenders and locally built at the SAR Islington workshops were introduced as a 710 class. In 1936 for the centenary year of the state, a fleet of ten new 620 class locomotives were introduced, being light line pacific engines. These locomotives, with streamlining based on that of the GNR's Cock O' the North locomotive, we able to traverse branch lines laid with 60 lb rail, as well as the mainline 80 lb rail.

Other additions to the big power loco fleet included the 720 class, Berkshires based around the 700 and 710 class locomotives, 740s based around the 700 class, and 520s, a mainline speedster based on the 620 and 500 class locomotives. It is interesting to note that the 500 class were later converted to the 500B class with the addition of a booster engine on the rear truck. This conversion also changed the wheel arrangement from 4-8-2 to 4-8-4, however the term Mountains stuck with the locomotives. These huge locomotives replaced the Rx class - a 4-6-0 Belpaire boilered locomotive. For a 13 car wooden Overland consist (the Melbourne-Adelaide express) three Rx locomotives were required: two at the front and one banking from the rear; however a 500B could single handedly take the train up the 19 miles of continuous 1-45 grade which faces trains leaving Adelaide heading for Victoria.

[edit] Steam Locomotives of the SAR

• Minor Classes of the South Australian Railways, Includes the A, B, C, I, J, L, N, O & Tx classes of Broad Gauge, and the K of the Narrow Gauge. Note that all these have 5 or less members. Also includes those locomotives without a class, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 97, 98, 154, 155, 205 of the BG, and 0, 107 (Sandfly, later NA1) & 260 of the NG.

[edit] External links

• Details of Broad Gauge locomotives
• Details of Narrow Gauge locomotives