Victorian Railways J class

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Victorian Railways J class

Victorian Railways photograph of coal-fired J 503
Power type	steam
Builder	Vulcan Foundry
Configuration	2-8-0
Driver size	55 in
Length	60 ft 5½ in
Axle load	14 t 10 c
Weight on drivers	57 t 7 cwt
Total weight	66 t 19 cwt (engine) 45 t 16 cwt (tender) 112 t 15 cwt (total)
Tender capacity	5 t coal, 4,200 gal water (coal burners) 1,500 gal oil, 4,100 gal water (oil burners)
Boiler pressure	175 psi
Fire grate area	31 ft²
Heating surface: Total	1,682 ft²
Cylinders	2
Cylinder size	20×26 in
Tractive effort	28,650 lbf at 85% boiler pressure
Number in class	60

The J class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1954 to 1972. A development of the successful Victorian Railways K class 2-8-0, they were the last new class of steam locomotive introduced on the VR. Introduced concurrently with the diesel-electric locomotives that ultimately superseded them, these unremarkable but trouble-free locomotives were only in service on the VR for a relatively short time.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Design Features 1.2 Production 1.3 Regular Service 1.4 Demise 2 Preservation 2.1 J class locomotives in operation 2.2 J class locomotives in static preservation 3 References 4 External links

[edit] History

During the early 1950s, Victorian Railways embarked on a massive upgrading of its ageing locomotive fleet as part of 'Operation Phoenix', an £80 million program to rebuild a network badly run down by years of Depression-era underinvestment and wartime overutilisation.^[1]

Victoria's branch line railway network, laid with 60 lb/yd rail and featuring gradients of up to 1 in 40, was still largely served by the D1, D2 and D3 variants of the 261-strong 1902-era Dd class 4-6-0, which by the early 1950s was at the end of its life.^[2] These were supplemented by 53 K class 2-8-0 locomotives, some of which had been built as recently as 1946. Although highly successful, the K was unsuitable for potential conversion from 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) broad gauge to 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) standard gauge in the event of the Victorian network being standardised, and VR policy was for all new locomotives to be engineered for easy conversion.^[3] As such, the building of further K class was not a desirable option.

With mainline electric and diesel-electic locomotives already on order, Victorian Railways' design team opted for an updated, gauge-convertible K class as what would turn out to be their final steam locomotive design.

[edit] Design Features

The key problem with the K class design was the placement of the firebox between the locomotive's frames and rear driving wheels, making conversion to a narrower gauge impossible without radical redesign of the firebox. A previous attempt to develop a gauge convertible K class, the N class, utilised a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement and positioned the firebox above the frames and behind the driving wheels. However, the extra length of these locomotives (they were a total 67 ft long) made them unsuitable for a number of branch lines where only a 50 or 53-foot turntable was available.

The J class adopted an alternative approach to the problem by utilising a high-set boiler (with the boiler centre 9 ft 2½ in above rail level,^[4] compared with 8 ft 4 in for the K class^[5]) setting the firebox above the frames and driving wheels, and retaining the K class' short wheelbase.

The J class also featured a number of other design advances over the K class. It had a larger grate, a firebox equipped with thermic siphons, as well as substantially redesigned cylinder porting to improve steam flow and efficiency.^[6] The innovative SCOA-P type driving wheel centre developed for the Victorian Railways R class was adapted for the 55 in diameter J class drivers.

The high-set boiler, together with the German-style smoke deflectors, gave the J class a distinctly European appearance.^[3]

[edit] Production

A total of fifty J class locomotives were initially ordered from the Vulcan Foundry in Lancashire, England. However, VR reassessed its motive power requirements and opted to sell ten of its brand-new, second generation N class locomotives to the South Australian Railways, and increased the J class order to sixty locomotives.^[7]

With fluctuating oil prices and an unreliable supply of coal in the early 1950s, the VR appeared to take something of a bet either way, ordering thirty of the class as coal burners and thirty as oil burners.^[3]

[edit] Regular Service

The J class was introduced for both passenger and goods traffic on Victoria's branch line network, with a maximum permissible speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).

Although the J class produced the same nominal tractive effort as the K or N class, they had a slightly higher adhesive weight (and as such a better factor of adhesion) and were permitted to haul heavier loads on gradients.^[8]

However, within a year of the J's introduction, the T class (EMD G8) diesel electric locomotive was also introduced. Although VR did not indicate the T was intended to replace the J class,^[9] it proved to be such a successful design that further orders of this locomotive class were made during the late 1950s and 1960s, displacing the J class from many of its normal duties.

[edit] Demise

By the late 1960s the J class was largely relegated to shunting at various country yards, with many losing their cowcatchers and gaining wooden shunter's boards. The introduction of the Y class (EMD G6B) diesel electrics saw the J class superseded in this role, and in November 1967, J 523 became the first J class to be scrapped.^[10] Scrappings continued until June 1978, with J 538 the last to go.^[10] J 550 holds the distinction of being the very last steam of locomotive in normal revenue service on Victorian Railways, hauling the 6:00am Bendigo pilot on 25 May 1972.^[7]

[edit] Preservation

The J class lasted as a complete class later than any other VR steam locomotive. By the time that scrapping commenced, interest in railway preservation was sufficient for eleven examples to be preserved.^[11]

[edit] J class locomotives in operation

• J 515 is currently in service, operated by Seymour Railway Heritage Centre. This locomotive hauls various enthusiast specials across the remaining broad gauge network.
• J 549 was until recently in service on the Victorian Goldfields Railway, hauling passenger services between Castlemaine and Maldon in Central Victoria. However, as of August 2006, the locomotive is currently out of service awaiting overhaul.^[12]

[edit] J class locomotives in static preservation

• J 556 (wearing the historically significant plates of scrapped J 559, the last steam locomotive to enter service on the VR) is preserved at the ARHS North Williamstown Railway Museum.
• J 507 is on public display at Mulwala, New South Wales.
• J 524 is on public display at Donald, Victoria.
• J 539 is on public display at Dimboola, Victoria.
• J 550 is on public display at Warragul, Victoria.
• J 536 was until recently on public display at Colac, Victoria. It was recently transferred to Newport Workshops as a future restoration project by 707 Operations Incorporated.
• J 516 is owned by the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway and is currently stored, pending future restoration.
• J 512 is owned by Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and is currently being restored to operating condition. As part of the restoration, it is being converted from broad to standard gauge.
• J 541 is owned by the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway and is currently being restored.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• victorianrailways.net J class locomotive page Details and further photographs of J class locomotives
• Victorian Goldfields Railway operators of J 549