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
South Australian Railways 600 Class Locomotive No. 605, c. 1926
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Armstrong Whitworth Serial number 623-632 Build date 1925 Total produced 10 Rebuilder Islington Railway Workshops Rebuild date 1939-1942 Number rebuilt 10
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2 Gauge 1,600 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) Length 79 ft 3+1⁄4 in (24.162 m). Height 13 ft 11+1⁄2 in (4,254.5 mm) Axle load 23 long tons 13 cwt 2 qtr (26.52 short tons; 24.05 t) Adhesive weight 70.555 long tons (79.022 short tons; 71.687 t) Loco weight 116 long tons 19 cwt 2 qtr (131.01 short tons; 118.85 t) Tender weight 83.55 long tons (93.58 short tons; 84.89 t) Total weight 199 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 type Coal Fuel capacity 12 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:  • Firegrate area 55 sq ft (5.1 m2) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1,400 kPa) (as built) 215 psi (1,480 kPa) (rebuilt) Heating surface:  • Tubes and flues 2,953 sq ft (274.3 m2)  • Firebox 270 sq ft (25 m2) (as built) 330 sq ft (31 m2) (rebuilt) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 743 sq ft (69.0 m2) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 24 in × 28 in (610 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston
Performance figures Tractive effort 36,600 lbf (162.80 kN) as built 39,300 lbf (174.82 kN) rebuilt Factor of adh. 4.43 (as built) 4.04 (rebuilt)
Career Operators South Australian Railways Class 600 Number in class 10 Numbers 600-609 First run 10/5/1926 Withdrawn 1958-1961 Scrapped 1961-1963 Disposition all scrapped

History

The 600 class were part of larger order for 30 steam locomotives placed with Armstrong Whitworth, England in 1924 as part of the rehabilitation of the state's rail system being 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 to allow them to fit South Australia's tighter loading gauge. 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 out 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]

Class list

References

• Douglas Colquhoun; Ronald Stewien; Adrian Thomas (1971). 600 - The Pacific Locomotives of The South Australian Railways. Adelaide, South Australia: A.R.H.S. SA division.
• Drymalik, Chris. "Broad Gauge 600-class 4-6-2 (later 600C-class) locomotives". comrails.com. Retrieved 27 May 2011.

External links

• Media related to South Australian Railways 600 class at Wikimedia Commons