South Australian Railways F class (1902)

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

History

The F class hauled the majority of Adelaide's suburban passenger trains from its introduction in 1902. The first 22 were built by the Islington Railway Workshops. James Martin & Co built 12 units, with the remaining 10 built by Perry Engineering, the last enterng service in October 1922.^[1]

The type replaced the smaller P class 2-4-0T engines, which were struggling with the increasing sizes of suburban passenger trains. From the 1930s, F class locomotives were replaced by 55 and 75 class Brill railcars on lightly patronized routes. They continued to see extensive service on popular routes until their displacement in 1955/56 by Redhen diesel multiple units. Some engines were retained for shunting duties at Port Adelaide and Mile End with F225, the final member of the class being condemned in 1969.^[1]

The locomotives had saturated steam boilers and were considered attractive. While slow to accelerate away from stations, the locomotives were capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 mph (100 km/h). They were a capable locomotive, they faced few restrictions, except for the Belair line operations which were limited to three carriages.^[1]

Preserved examples

Three members of the class have been preserved:

• F249: plinthed at Gawler railway station^[2]
• F251: by SteamRanger^[3][4]
• F255 by the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide^[1][5]

Gallery
F242 hauling a passenger train at Eden Hills in 1952  F242 hauling a passenger train at Clapham in 1952  F176 and F177 in 1951

References

External links

Media related to South Australian Railways F class (1902) at Wikimedia Commons