Commonwealth Railways 0-6-0 Locomotives in Australia


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class NB (Locobase 6690)

Data from Douglas Colquhoun's entries presented in the Australian national railway museum site: [link] (visited 22 July 2005).

Unusual quartet of saddle-tanks in several respects. First of all, they were supplied by Vulcan (works #2532-2533, 2539-2540) to contractors building the RAN's Henderson Naval Base in Western Australia.

Nine years later, the Commonwealth Railways bought the earlier two (2532-2533) to operate on the narrow-gauge Central Australian Railway. 29's withdrawal in October 1946 was followed by years in mothballs until it was scrapped in July 1958.

30 soldiered on a few years longer, going into mothballs in April 1950. Seven years later, however, the locomotive was converted to a diesel-hydraulic, which must be so unusual a modification as to be perhaps one of a kind.

In August 2006, Graeme Reid of Australia sent Locobase some photos of #4, a saddle-tanker with the builder's number of 2539. Locobase believes the engine must be similar or identical to the two described above and in fact the site says it too was used in the construction of the Henderson Naval Base. This is confirmed by [link], which relates all four locomotives' later history.

The Bellarine Peninsula Railway website -- [link], accessed 21 August 2006 -- shows 2 (or 3) in this grouping as they also have #5 (VIW 2540) and they seem to be unsure if #4 is 2539 or 2541 (a builder's-plate switch?). #5 also served the construction crew. Then both were sold to Australian Portland Cement in 1926 to work at the Fyansford Cement Works. It was from the latter that the two came to this museum railway.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassNB
Locobase ID6690
RailroadCommonwealth Railways
CountryAustralia
Whyte0-6-0ST
Number in Class4
Road Numbers29-30
Gauge3'6"
Number Built4
BuilderVulcan Iron Works
Year1916
Valve GearStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)65,408 / 29,669
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)65,408 / 29,669
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)1320 / 5
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) 0.70 / 1
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)36 / 18
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)36 / 914
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)140 / 970
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)13" x 18" / 330x457
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)10,056 / 4561.33
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 6.50
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)50 / 4.65
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)14 / 1.30
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)598 / 55.58
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)598 / 55.58
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume216.25
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation1960
Same as above plus superheater percentage1960
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area7000
Power L12576
Power MT260.48

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