| Locomotive No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | Robert Stephenson and Company |
| Serial number | 958 |
| Configuration | 0-4-2 |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 5 ft 6 in (1.676 m) |
| Length | 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m) |
| Locomotive weight | 26 tons 1 cwt 1 qtr (26.48 t) |
| Tender capacity | 4 tons (4,100 kg) coal, 2000 gallons (9,100 liters) water |
| Boiler pressure | 120 lbf/in² (830 kPa) |
| Firegrate area | 13.8 sq ft (1.28 m2) |
| Heating surface: Tubes |
1,060 sq ft (98 m2) |
| Heating surface: Firebox |
85.3 sq ft (7.92 m2) |
| Cylinders | Two |
| Cylinder size | 16 × 24 in (406 × 610 mm) |
| Tractive effort | 8,900 lbf (40 kN) |
| Career | Sydney Railway |
| Class | 1 |
| Number in class | 4 |
| Delivered | January 1855 |
| First run | May 24, 1855 |
| Retired | 1877 |
Locomotive No. 1 hauled the first passenger train in New South Wales, Australia. It was built by Robert Stephenson and Company who had built the first successful engine, the Rocket. In 1846 the Sydney Railway Company was formed with the objective of building a railway line between Sydney and Parramatta. No. 1 was one of four locomotives that arrived by sea from the manufacturer in January 1855. The first passenger train hauled by No. 1 was a special service from Sydney Station to Long Cove viaduct (near the present site of Lewisham) on 24 May 1855, Queen Victoria's birthday.
A common misconception is that Locomotive No.1 hauled the first train at the grand opening of the first New South Wales railway, on 26 September 1855. In fact, No. 1 was in need of maintenance that day and not in steam. Its identical sister locomotive No. 3 worked the first passenger train from Sydney at 9:00 am and this was followed by the official train at 12:00 noon hauled by No. 2, driven by William Sixsmith and fireman William Webster.[1]
The design for Locomotive No. 1 was an 0-4-2 mixed traffic variation of an 0-6-0 fast goods locomotive that had been supplied to the London and North Western Railway in 1854. Comparison of early photographs and diagrams reveals that there were few technical changes aside from the wheel arrangement.
Locomotive No. 1 was withdrawn from service on 15 March 1877 due to an accident that bent its main frame. Sister No. 2 was the last in service in 1879. In 1884 Locomotive No. 1 was rebuilt and repainted and given to the Museum of Science and History, which was later to become the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.[2] There had been a large amount of debate over the identity of the locomotive claimed as being No. 1, some suggesting that it may in fact be No.2. An extensive restoration in the 1970s revealed that parts from all locomotives Nos. 1 to 4 were used. Under locomotive workshop practices of the time, parts were interchanged between the sister locomotives throughout their 25 years' service.
In 2005, the 150-year anniversary of NSW Railways was celebrated with an exhibition of Locomotive No. 1 at the Powerhouse Museum.[3]