The South Australian Railways P class was a class of 2-4-0T steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

South Australian Railways P class
P71 at Mile End in 1952
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Beyer, Peacock & Co (6) James Martin & Co (14) Serial number BP: 2401-2404, 2528-2529 JM: 52-55, 57-66 Build date 1884-1893 Total produced 20
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-4-0T (1′B) Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Leading dia. 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1,524 mm) Length 28 ft 5 in (8,661 mm) Height 12 ft 0 in (3,657.6 mm) Axle load 12 long tons 14 cwt (28,400 lb or 12.9 t) Adhesive weight 24.55 long tons 0 cwt (55,000 lb or 24.9 t) Loco weight 33.7 long tons (37.7 short tons; 34.2 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 1.5 long tons (1.7 short tons; 1.5 t) Water cap. 600 imp gal (720 US gal; 2,700 L) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 14.67 sq ft (1.363 m2) Boiler pressure 145 psi (1,000 kPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes 1,847.49 sq ft (171.637 m2)  • Firebox 187.49 sq ft (17.418 m2) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 16 in × 0 in (406 mm × 0 mm) Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Piston
Performance figures Tractive effort 10,517 lbf (46.78 kN) Factor of adh. 5.23
Career Operators South Australian Railways Class P Number in class 20 Numbers P21, P22, P70-P75, P115-P126 First run 29/08/1884 Withdrawn 1929-1957 Preserved P117 Scrapped 1929-1960 Disposition 1 preserved, 19 scrapped

History

The first six were built by Beyer, Peacock & Co for the South Australian Railways (SAR) in 1884.[1][2][3]

Their design was based on an earlier design built by Beyer Peacock for the Isle of Wight Railway. The New South Wales Government Railways F351 class locomotive was also based on this design. The class was successful and a further 14 locomotives were built by James Martin & Co.[2]

Initially the locomotives served hauling suburban trains in Adelaide until replaced by the F class in the early 1900s. In 1899, the SAR took over operations on the Glenelg Railway Company's two lines. The P and K classes replaced the small tank engines on this line, running until 1929 when the lines were closed. The P class served out the remainder of its career on shunting duties and hauling freight trains between Adelaide and Port Adelaide.[2]

P117 has been preserved by the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide.[2]

References

External links

Media related to South Australian Railways P class at Wikimedia Commons