The South Australian Railways M Class (1st) locomotives were originally built by the Avonside Engine Company for the Canterbury Provincial Railways in 1868 to 1874. They were later sent to South Australia in 1878 and were first in service on the South Australian Railways between 1880 and 1881.[1]

South Australian Railways M Class (1st)
South Australian Railways M Class (1st) No. 43
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Avonside Engine Company Serial number 740-741, 855, 964 & 1020 Build date 1868-1874 Total produced 5 Rebuilder Islington Railway Workshops Rebuild date 1887-1915 Number rebuilt 5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-2WT 0-4-2T  • UIC B1 T Gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Length 24 ft 1⁄2 in (7.33 m) 23 ft 3+1⁄2 in (7.10 m) Axle load 8 long tons 3 cwt 2 qr (18,310 lb or 8.31 t) 8 long tons 6 cwt 3 qr (18,680 lb or 8.47 t) Loco weight 22 long tons 10 cwt 2 qr (50,460 lb or 22.89 t) 22 long tons 8 cwt 3 qr (50,260 lb or 22.8 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 0 long tons 19 cwt (2,100 lb or 1 t) 0 long tons 16 cwt 3 qr (1,880 lb or 0.85 t) Water cap. 580 imp gal (697 US gal; 2,637 L) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 8.4 sq ft (0.78 m2) Boiler pressure 130 psi (900 kPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes 454.4 sq ft (42.22 m2)  • Firebox 54 sq ft (5.0 m2) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 12+1⁄2 in × 16 in (318 mm × 406 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 4,740 lbf (21.1 kN)
Career Operators South Australian Railways Class M Number in class 5 Numbers 43-47 Withdrawn 1913-1917 Disposition All scrapped in 1922

History

The two earlier built locomotives (Nos. 44 & 46) were fitted out with well tanks instead of side tanks, while the other M class locomotives (Nos. 43, 45 and 47) did have side tanks.

On their journey to South Australia, the ship which was carrying the M Class (as well as other locomotives destined for the country) got wrecked off New Zealand. All the locomotives on board were eventually salvaged and the M Class entered service on the Port line and its branch lines. They also occasionally worked on the privately operated Glanville to Largs Bay railway line. Their duties included shunting on the wharves, and later on in their life they worked trains to Henley Beach, Outer Harbour, Semaphore and on mixed traffic trains on the Northern railway line. The class was extinct by 1922.[2]

References