South Australian Railways 600 class (steam)

The South Australian Railways 600 class was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

South Australian Railways 600 Class
600 class locomotive no. 605 soon after delivery
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerAlco / USRA, modified by Fred Shea
BuilderArmstrong Whitworth
Serial number623-632
Build date1925
Total produced10
RebuilderIslington Railway Workshops
Rebuild date1939-1942
Number rebuilt10
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte4-6-2
Gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Leading dia.2 ft 9 in (838 mm)
Driver dia.6 ft 3 in (1,905 mm)
Trailing dia.3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Length79 ft 3+14 in (24.162 m).
Height13 ft 11+12 in (4,254.5 mm)
Axle load23 long tons 13 cwt 2 qtr
(26.52 short tons; 24.05 t)
Adhesive weight70.555 long tons (79.022 short tons; 71.687 t)
Loco weight116 long tons 19 cwt 2 qtr
(131.01 short tons; 118.85 t)
Tender weight83.55 long tons (93.58 short tons; 84.89 t)
Total weight199 long tons 11 cwt 2 qtr
(223.52 short tons; 202.78 t) (as built)
196 long tons 19 cwt 2 qtr
(220.61 short tons; 200.14 t) (rebuilt)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity12 long tons (13 short tons; 12 t) (as built)
6 long tons (6.7 short tons; 6.1 t) coal,
1,912 imp gal
(2,296 US gal; 8,690 L) oil (rebuilt)
Water cap.7,130 imp gal
(8,560 US gal; 32,400 L) (as built)
7,250 imp gal
(8,710 US gal; 33,000 L) (rebuilt)
Firebox:
 • Grate area55 sq ft (5.1 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,400 kPa) (as built)
215 psi (1,480 kPa) (rebuilt)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox270 sq ft (25 m2) (as built)
330 sq ft (31 m2) (rebuilt)
 • Tubes and flues2,953 sq ft (274.3 m2)
Superheater:
 • Heating area743 sq ft (69.0 m2)
Cylinders2
Cylinder size24 in × 28 in (610 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Valve typePiston
Performance figures
Tractive effort36,600 lbf (162.80 kN) as built
39,300 lbf (174.82 kN) rebuilt
Factor of adh.4.43 (as built) 4.04 (rebuilt)
Career
OperatorsSouth Australian Railways
Class600
Number in class10
Numbers600-609
First run10 May 1926
Withdrawn1958-1961
Scrapped1961-1963
DispositionAll scrapped

History

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The 600 class were part of an order for 30 steam locomotives[note 1] placed with Armstrong Whitworth, England, in 1924, as part of the rehabilitation of the state's rail system overseen by railways commissioner William Webb. The 600 class design was based on the USRA Light Pacific, although modifications were made by SAR's Chief Mechanical Engineer, Fred Shea, including those necessary to fit South Australia's tighter loading gauge, which was lower than that of the United States. They arrived in Adelaide in 1926.[1]

609 was named Duke of Gloucester after hauling the Duke's Royal Train in 1934 and so became Australia's first "royal" engine.

The entire class received upgraded boilers and front ends from the late 1930s onwards, and was reclassified as the 600C class. They were also fitted with large smoke deflectors over their lifetime. Ten locomotives of the South Australian Railways 620 class were built at Islington Railway Workshops in 1936–1938, to a similar design.

All examples of the 600 class were withdrawn between 1955 and 1961. None were preserved.[1]

 
Many 600 class locomotives were based at Tailem Bend; lines to the east were relatively flat, allowing higher speeds made possible by the class's large driving wheels

Class list

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No. Entered service Condemned
600 14 August 1926 June 1959
601 10 May 1926 Sep 1958
602 25 May 1926 June 1959
603 18 May 1926 July 1961
604 13 August 1926 June 1959
605 6 July 1926 Sep 1958
606 8 July 1926 May 1960
607 22 June 1926 June 1959
608 22 July 1926 May 1960
609* 21 August 1926 June 1959
* Named Duke of Gloucester.

Notes

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  1. ^ The other classes of locomotives were the 500 class and 700 class.

References

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  1. ^ a b Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 148. ISBN 0-7301-0005-7.

Further reading

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