South Australian Railways T class

The South Australian Railways T class was a class of 4-8-0 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

South Australian Railways T class
T251 at Jamestown in October 1967
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderIslington Railway Workshops
James Martin & Co
Walkers Limited
Build date1903-1917
Total produced78
Specifications
Configuration:
  Whyte4-8-0
Gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Leading dia.2 ft 6 in (762 mm)
Driver dia.3 ft 7 in (1,092 mm)
Length52 ft 11 in (16.13 m)
Height11 ft 7 14 in (3,536.95 mm)
Total weight78 long tons 8 cwt (175,600 lb or 79.7 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity8 long tons 0 cwt (17,900 lb or 8.1 t)
Water cap2,500 imp gal
(11,000 l; 3,000 US gal)
Firebox:
  Firegrate area
109 sq ft (10.1 m2)
Boiler pressure185 psi (1,276 kPa)
Heating surface939 sq ft (87.2 m2)
Superheater:
  Heating area136 sq ft (12.6 m2)
Cylinders2 outside
Cylinder size16.5 in × 22 in
(419 mm × 559 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Valve typePiston
Performance figures
Tractive effort21,904 lbf (97.43 kN)
Factor of adh.3.54
Career
OperatorsSouth Australian Railways
ClassT/Tx
Number in class78
NumbersT23-T24, T44T48, T50-T51, T180-T186, T197-T258
First run13.2.1903
Last run1970
PreservedT181, T186, T199, T224, T251, T253
Disposition6 preserved, 72 scrapped

History

Between February 1903 and September 1917, the South Australian Railways (SAR) placed 78 T class locomotives into service. They were built by Islington Railway Workshops (4), James Martin & Co, Gawler (34) and Walkers Limited, Maryborough (40). They were initially conceived to work on the Broken Hill line between Terowie and Peterborough and Port Pirie and Cockburn, but later operated across the SAR network, including on the isolated Eyre Peninsula Railway.[1][2]

In 1920–21, six (219, 222, 223, 230, 235 & 237) were sold to the Tasmanian Government Railways, retaining their T class classification and road numbers. All were withdrawn between 1957 and 1961.[2][3][4]

In 1922/23, five were converted at Islington Railway Workshops from 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge to 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge for use on the lightly laid Murraylands branch lines out of Tailem Bend depot. They were reclassified as the Tx class. In 1949, they returned to the narrow gauge. Between 1925 and 1939 all remaining 78 received superheated boilers.[2][4]

During World War II, many T class worked on the Central Australia Railway as far as Alice Springs. Five (46, 50, 212, 218 & 256) were temporarily transferred to the Commonwealth Railways as the NMA class and numbered 50 to 54. They returned to the SAR in 1942.[2]

Most remained in service until replaced by the 830 class in the 1960s.[2] The last examples were withdrawn when the Broken Hill line was converted to standard gauge in 1970.[5]

Preserved units

References

Notes

  1. Turner, Jim (1997). Australian Steam Locomotives 1896-1958. Kenthurst: Kangaroo Press. p. 41. ISBN 086417778X.
  2. Oberg, Leon (2010). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-2010. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 124–126. ISBN 9781921719011.
  3. "T Class 4-8-0 Locomotive" Australian Model Rail Magazine December 1982 page 117
  4. "Steam Locomotives of the Tasmanian Government Railways and its Constituents" Australian Railway History issue 917 March 2014 page 11
  5. T253 National Railway Museum
  6. T181 Australian Steam
  7. T186 Australian Steam
  8. South Australian Railways T class locomotives Pichi Richi Railway
  9. T199 Australian Steam
  10. T224 Australian Steam
  11. T251 Australian Steam
  12. T253 Australian Steam

Bibliography

  • Evans, John (2012). T199: Celebration of a Centenarian. Elizabeth, SA: Railmac Publications. ISBN 9781864770872.
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