South Australian Railways 2-6-0 Locomotives in Australia

Pine Creek, NT Notes

NF 5 was originally South Australian Railways W 53, built by Beyer Peacock & Co, Manchester.

In 1889 a 3'-6" railway was constructed between the towns of Pine Creek and Palmerston (Darwin). It was later extended southward to Katherine. In 2004 a standard gauge railway was completed linking Adelaide, SA to Darwin, NT. Portions of the original 3'-6" railway line are still visible. In one case, the new standard gauge line uses the same bridge piers that were used for the 3'-6" line.

The Pine Creek Railway Station and a small yard of tracks still remain in Pine Creek. An operational 2-6-0 steam locomotive is sheltered at this station in a protective enclosure. The locomotive is lettered "North Australian Historical Railway". It is locomotive number NF-5 (W-53), a North Australia Railway class NF (South Australia class W) locomotive. The number plate on the locomotive has the letters "C R N F 5" on it. They stand for Commonwealth Railways NF Class. It is a Beyer, Peacock & Co. locomotive built in 1877 at the Gorton Foundry in Manchester. It was rebuilt in 1902 at the Islington Works.

I have been told that it is desired to use this locomotive on the line that remains in Pine Creek on a tourist railway.

There are two other locomotives of this class (that I know of). One of them, CRNF-2, once displayed at the Fanny Bay Jail Museum in Darwin. This locomotive may have been scrapped in 1950. The other, CRNF-6, is sunk in the Darwin harbour after the Japanese bombed it during WWII on February 19th, 1942.


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class U (Locobase 3799)

Data from [link]

Chris Drymalik, ed.

This class preceded the more numerous Ws by a couple of years, arriving together on the NORTH in 1876. They had the same basic dimensions as the Ws.. Four worked the Port Wakefield-Hoyleton line, the others operated the Port Pirie-Crystal Brook route. Most lasted until the 1920s.


Class W (Locobase 2428)

Data from Robert Charles Patterson, "On the best methods of Railway Construction for the development of New Countries, as illustrated by the Railway Systems of South Australia."Minutes of Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 1878-1879, Part II (London: ICE, 1878), pp. 24-93; see particularly pp. 39-40. See also [link] . Narrow-gauge goods engine built by Beyer, Peacock & Co that were constrained in their size by the SA Government's insistence on laying rail of no more than 40 lb/yd.

Boiler pressure later raised to 145 psi, which increased tractive effort to 8,566 lb. Then known as the Wx class.

Seven of these engines were sold as the NF class to Comonwealth Railways for North Australia Railway operations in 1911.


Class X (Locobase 5690)

Data from Douglas Colquhoun's entries presented in the Australian national railway museum site: [link] (visited 14 October 2003) and DeGolyer, Volume 10, p. 72.. Works numbers were 5229-5230, 5234-5235, 5237, and 5244 in August 1881, 5246-5247 in September 1881.

Even as small as these Moguls appear to North American eyes, they were still bigger and longer than their predecessors. As a result, the SAR had to reprofile the curves to avoid binding and derailments. Seven of the eight ran on SAR metals for 20 years before being scrapped, but 49 was sold to Millar Brothers in 1896 and remained in service into the 1930s.


Class Y (Locobase 2429)

Narrow-gauge goods engine designed by Beyer, Peacock & Co and built by them (48), James Martin & Co., Gawler (76), and Islington shops (2). BP's locomotive list ([link], last accessed 22 April 2009) gives the following work number series and years:

1499-1506 (1875), 1715-1734 (1877-1878), 1800-1802, 1819-1820, 1822-1823 (1878), 1850 (1879), 2050-2052 and 2123 (1881), 2139-2141 (1882), 2478, 2536-2541 (1885), 2907-2915, 3142-3155 (1889)

They had a low running board that lifted up to clear the cylinders, a dome nearly as tall as the stack, and a useful combination of power and light-footedness. Indeed, they could be found anywhere: Cockburn to Port Pirie for goods (freight) hauls. Less likely at first glance was their use on the Great Northern Railway from Port Augusta to Oodnadatta in "express passenger" service. Y-class engines eventually served most of the narrow-gauge lines of the SAR on divisions such as the Northern, Port Lincoln, and South Eastern.

58 of the class were later upgraded significantly in 1904-1924 as Yx-class engines; see Locobase 10221.


Class Yx (Locobase 10221)

Data from locomotive diagram hosted by [link], last accessed 22 April 2009.

The data actually stand for the rebuilt Y class, called Yx after they received a new Belpaire boiler that allowed steam pressure to be set at 185 psi. The makeover of so many Ys conferred a benefit larger than the number of locomotives. Although the program took 20 years, the result was a stronger stud of local freight locomotives.

Commonwealth Railways procured 18 Yx-class engines in two batches - 8 in 1941-1942, 10 more later in 1942. These were classed as NFB. Seven were transferred to the Tasmanian Government Railway as their F class in 1949. In the event, only 4 could be put in service.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassUWXYYx
Locobase ID3799 2428 5690 2429 10221
RailroadSouth Australian RailwaysSouth Australian RailwaysSouth Australian RailwaysSouth Australian RailwaysSouth Australian Railways
CountryAustraliaAustraliaAustraliaAustraliaAustralia
Whyte2-6-02-6-02-6-02-6-02-6-0
Number in Class835812658
Road Numbers44-51
Gauge3'6"3'6"3'6"3'6"3'6"
Number Built8358126
BuilderBeyer, PeacockBeyer, PeacockBurnham, Parry, Williams & CoseveralJames Martin
Year18761878188118851904
Valve GearStephensonStephensonStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) 7.50 8.67 / 2.64 7.60 / 2.32 7.50 / 2.29
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)1314.67 / 4.4713.33 / 4.0613.33 / 4.06
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.58 0.59 0.57 0.56
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)34.70 / 10.5854 / 16.4636.20 / 11.0330.97 / 9.4432.25 / 9.83
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)11,536 / 523314,448 / 655416,688 / 757017,920 / 8128
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)33,04042,000 / 19,05150,064 / 22,70952,304 / 23,725
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)67,536 / 30,63442,000 / 29,61848,272 / 21,89658,240 / 26,41763,168 / 28,653
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)74,928 / 33,98740,320 / 18,28948,720 / 22,09948,720 / 22,099
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)116,928 / 63,60588,592 / 40,185106,960 / 48,516111,888 / 50,752
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)850 / 3.2210201800 / 6.821600 / 6.062040 / 7.73
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) 5.90 / 5 4.20 / 4 4.50 / 45 / 5
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)18 / 923 / 11.5028 / 1429 / 14.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)39 / 99139 / 99138 / 96539 / 99139 / 991
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)130 / 900130 / 900130 / 900147.90 / 1020185 / 1280
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)12" x 20" / 305x50812" x 20" / 305x50814.5" x 18" / 368x45714.5" x 20" / 368x50814.5" x 20" / 368x508
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)8160 / 3701.328160 / 3701.3211,005 / 4991.7913,555 / 6148.4516,955 / 7690.67
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.05 3.82 3.69 3.08
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)170 - 1.5" / 38
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m) 7.69 / 2.34
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)45.40 / 4.2245 / 4.1869 / 6.4169.50 / 6.4676.20 / 7.08
Grate Area (sq ft / m2) 9.76 / 0.91 9.80 / 0.9114.60 / 1.3613.67 / 1.2713.33 / 1.24
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)537 / 49.91544 / 50.56577 / 53.60779 / 72.40806 / 74.91
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)537 / 49.91544 / 50.56577 / 53.60779 / 72.40806 / 74.91
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume205.12207.79167.72203.80210.86
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation12691274189820222466
Same as above plus superheater percentage12691274189820222466
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area59025850897010,27914,097
Power L124662482220728333734
Power MT496.84347.54374.26472.17

Photos

All material Copyright © SteamLocomotive.com
Wes Barris