South Australian Railways Y class

South Australian Railways Y / Yx class[1]

Y Class loco at Jamestown in 1967
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder South Australian Railways, Islington Workshops
Beyer Peacock, Manchester, England
James Martin, Gawler, South Australia
Build date 1885
Total produced 129
Specifications
Configuration 2-6-0
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Length 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
Locomotive weight 47 long tons 15 cwt (107,000 lb or 48.5 t)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 4 long tons 10 cwt (10,100 lb or 4.6 t)
Water capacity 1,600 imperial gallons (7,300 l; 1,900 US gal)
Boiler pressure 145 psi (1,000 kPa)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 14.5 in × 20 in (0.37 m × 0.51 m)
Performance figures
Tractive effort 13,289 lbf (59.1 kN)
Career
Operator(s) South Australian Railways
First run 1885
Preserved Y71, Y82, Yx86, Y97, Y109, Yx141

The Y class was a steam locomotive class built in South Australia for the South Australian Railways. In numbers built the Y class were the largest class of locomotives in the South Australian Railways history, 129 were built between 1885 and 1898. They worked on the narrow gauge network and performed general service on passenger and goods trains. Some members of the Y class were later upgraded and became the Yx class this work started in 1906, and progressed over many years until the 1950s.[1]

The initial order for 51 units was placed with Beyer, Peacock and Company of Manchester in England, another 77 were manufactured by James Martin & Co. of Gawler South Australia. Y 179 was the last built of the class and the first locomotive built at the Islington Workshops. The Y class were a variation on the narrow gauge mogul type, common at the time across all states of Australia, except Victoria.[2]

The Yx modifications added a new Belpaire boiler that allowed steam pressure to be set at 185 psi (1,276 kPa). The result was a more powerful locomotive.[3]

The class saw service across the entire narrow gauge network that included the Southern, Western, Northern and Eyre Peninsula regions of South Australia.[2]

Preserved units

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Narrow Gauge Y/Yx". Website. ComRails. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Y97". Website. National Railway Museum. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  3. "Class Yx". website. Steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 16 April 2011.