South Australian Railways 600 class

South Australian Railways 600 class

609
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder Armstrong Whitworth
Serial number 623-632
Build date 1925
Total produced 10
Specifications
Configuration:
 ​
 • Whyte 4-6-2
Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Driver dia. 6 ft 3 in (1.905 m)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 12 long tons 0 cwt (26,900 lb or 12.2 t)
Boiler pressure 200 psi (1,379 kPa)
Cylinders 2
Cylinder size 24 in × 28 in (610 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effort 36,600 lbf (162.80 kN)
Career
Operators South Australian Railways
Numbers 600-609
Withdrawn 1955-1961
Scrapped 1961-1963
Disposition all scrapped

The South Australian Railways 600 class was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

History

The 600 class were part of larger order for 30 steam locomotives placed with Armstrong Whitworth, England in 1924 as part of the rehabilitation of the state's rail system being overseen by railways commissioner William Webb. The 600 class design was based on the USRA Light Pacific, although modifications were made by SAR's Chief Mechanical Engineer Fred Shea to allow them to fit South Australia's tighter loading gauge. They arrived in Adelaide in 1926.[1]

609 was named Duke of Gloucester after hauling the Duke's Royal Train in 1934 and so became Australia's first 'royal' engine.

The entire class received upgraded boilers and front ends from the late 1930s onwards and was reclassified as the 600C class. They were also fitted out with large smoke deflectors over their lifetime. Ten locomotives of the South Australian Railways 620 class were built at Islington Railway Workshops in 1936–1938 to a similar desgn.

All examples of the 600 class were withdrawn between 1955 and 1961. None were preserved.[1]

SAR 600-class locomotive in 1926

Class list

Number Date in Service Date Condemned Name
600 14 August 1926 June 1959 -
601 10 May 1926 September 1958 -
602 25 May 1926 June 1959 -
603 18 May 1926 July 1961 -
604 13 August 1926 June 1959 -
605 6 July 1926 September 1958 -
606 8 July 1926 May 1960 -
607 22 June 1926 June 1959 -
608 22 July 1926 May 1960 -
609 21 August 1926 June 1959 Duke of Gloucester

References

  1. 1 2 Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 148. ISBN 0 7301 0005 7.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.