The locomotive locally known as "Big Ben" was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works as an 0-6-0 ST type in 1919 as their works number 5212. The locomotive was exported in a new condition on a steamer from New York to Tasmania, Australia, where it was used by the Public Works Department on the Marrawah Tramway in Tasmania's far north west running between Smithton and Marrawah.
On the Marrawah Tramway, the locomotive was locally known as "Big Ben", however it was also referred to as Marrawah tramway No. 3. When the Tasmanian Government Railways took over the Marrawah tramway in 1929, the engine passed into their ownership. Big Ben was apparently light on the front wheels and as a result, the front was often prone to rise above the wheels when running front first. On the 6 September 1938 when running with a load of logs the wheels risen up again but when they came down they didn't find the rails resulting in a derailment which caused the driver to die from injuries the next day. After this incident, a load of old rails were tied to the front of the engine to weigh it down.
In April 1946, Big Ben was sent to Launceston to receive a general overhaul but was only used as a standby engine on the tram due to the Tasmanian Government Railways introduction of more powerful locomotives. In mid 1948 the Tasmanian Government Railways sent Big Ben to work on the Parattah to Oatlands railway in southern Tasmania because the other engines working it were needed on other branch lines.
In 1949 after the Parattah to Oatlands lines closure Big Ben was sent to Launceston as a shunter and was scrapped in October 1951.
A narrow-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard 1,435 mm. Most narrow-gauge railways are between 600 mm and 1,067 mm.
A Climax locomotive is a type of geared steam locomotive built by the Climax Manufacturing Company, of Corry, Pennsylvania. These had two steam cylinders attached to a transmission located under the center of the boiler, which sent power to driveshafts running to the front and rear trucks. Some 1000-1100 were built in three classes - A, B, and C - between 1888 and 1928.
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were connected by a single gear wheel, but from 1825 the wheels were usually connected with coupling rods to form a single driven set.
Oatlands is an important historical village on the shores of Lake Dulverton in the centre of Tasmania, Australia. Oatlands is located 84 km north of Hobart and 115 km south of Launceston on the Midland Highway. At the 2021 census, Oatlands had a population of 728.
The North East Dundas Tramway was a 2 ft narrow gauge tramway, that ran between Zeehan and Deep Lead on the West Coast of Tasmania. Opening in 1896 and closing in 1932, it was part of the Tasmanian Government Railways network. The world's first Garratt locomotives, the K class, were used on the line.
The Tasmanian Government Railways K class was a class of 0-4-0+0-4-0 Garratt locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways from 1909 – the first Garratt locomotives built.
Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
The history of the Railways on the West Coast of Tasmania has fascinated enthusiasts from around the world, because of the combination of the harsh terrain in which the railways were created, and the unique nature of most of the lines.
The Australian Standard Garratt (ASG) was a Garratt locomotive designed in Australia during World War II, and used on 3 ft 6 in narrow gauge railway systems in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) was the former operator of the mainline railways in Tasmania, Australia. Formed in 1872, the railway company was managed by the Government of Tasmania, and existed until absorption into the Australian National Railways Commission in 1978.
The Tasmanian Main Line Company (T.M.L.) was a privately owned railway company that existed in Tasmania from 1872 to 1890. The company were the first operators of rail services between Hobart and Launceston, where it connected with the Launceston and Western Railway (L.W.R.).
Rail transport in Tasmania consists of a network of narrow gauge track of 1,067 mm reaching virtually all cities and major towns in the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Today, rail services are focused primarily on bulk freight, with no commercial passenger services being operated. The mainline railways of Tasmania are currently operated by TasRail, a Government of Tasmania-owned Corporation, who owns and maintains both rolling stock, locomotives, and track infrastructure.
The Wee Georgie Wood Railway is a 2 ft narrow gauge tourist tramway running from Tullah, on a 1.9 km (1.2 mi) short track by the edge of Lake Rosebery in the West Coast Municipality of Tasmania.
The Belfast and Northern Counties Railway (BNCR) Class N was a class of 0-4-0ST dock engines that worked on the Belfast Harbour Commissioners' lines in north-east Ireland. No.42 was the first of the class and was built by Sharp, Stewart and Company in 1874. A second, similar engine, No.16, was built by the MR (NCC) in 1914.
Parattah is a small township in Tasmania, located approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi) southeast of the town of Oatlands. At the 2011 census, Parattah had a population of 360.
The locomotive to become known as Spider in its service on the Marrawah Tramway, Tasmania was originally a small Baldwin-built steam tram constructed about 1890 for usage on the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in gauge in Bendigo street tramway, Victoria, Australia.
The rail transport in the island state of Tasmania, Australia has had many train accidents since its historic opening in 1871. The following is a list of train related accidents that have occurred on Tasmania's rail network.
The South African Railways Dock Shunter 0-4-0ST of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The Marrawah Tramway was a 28 miles (45.1 km) long narrow gauge forest railway near Marrawah in Tasmania with a gauge of 3 ft 6 in. The construction was initiated around 1911 to harvest timber in the Mowbray Swamp. The tramway was bought by the state government in October 1913 and the steel rails extended to Marrawah. It was decommissioned in 1961.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
