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.

South Australian Railways F class
F240 in 1952
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderIslington Railway Workshops (21)
James Martin & Co (12)
Perry Engineering (10)
Build date1902-1922
Total produced43
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-2T 1′C2′
Gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Leading dia.2 ft 11 in (889 mm)
Driver dia.5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Trailing dia.3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Length40 ft 7.25 in (12.38 m)
Height13 ft 3 in (4,038.6 mm)
Axle load12 long tons 6 cwt (27,600 lb or 12.5 t)
Adhesive weight35.25 long tons 0 cwt (79,000 lb or 35.8 t)
Loco weight59 long tons (66 short tons; 60 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Oil
Fuel capacity2.25 long tons (3 short tons; 2 t)
375 imp gal
(450 US gal; 1,705 L) oil
Water cap1,160 imp gal
(1,393 US gal; 5,273 L)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		18 sq ft (1.7 m2)
Boiler pressure185 psi (1,276 kPa)
Heating surface:
 • Tubes		1,204 sq ft (111.9 m2)
 • Firebox130.7 sq ft (12.14 m2)
Cylinders2
Cylinder size17 1⁄2 in × 24 in
(444 mm × 610 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Valve typePiston
Performance figures
Tractive effort18,335 lbf (81.56 kN)
Factor of adh.4.35
Career
OperatorsSouth Australian Railways
ClassF
Number in class43
NumbersF167-F189, F236-F255
First run30/04/1902
Withdrawn1955-1969
PreservedF245, F249 (Boiler), F251 & F255
Scrapped1956-1968
Disposition3 preserved, 41 scrapped

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 entering 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 the diesel multiple unit Redhen railcars. 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:

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
  1. F255 National Railway Museum
  2. F249 Australian Steam
  3. F251 SteamRanger
  4. F251 Australian Steam
  5. F255 Australian Steam

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