South Australian Railways 500 class (steam)

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South Australian Railways 500 class
South Australian Railways locomotive no 504, Tom Barr Smith, in new Overland livery, smooth casing and valance, ca 1937.jpg
South Australian Railways 500B class locomotive no. 504 "Tom Barr Smith", newly streamlined, about 1937
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Designer USRA Light Mikado modified by Fred Shea
Builder Armstrong Whitworth
Serial number633-642
Build date1925
Total produced10
Rebuilder Islington Railway Workshops
Rebuild date1929-1936
Number rebuilt10
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte As built: 4-8-2 2'D1' 2'2′
With booster:4-8-4 2'D2' 2'2'
Gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm)
Leading dia. 33 in (838 mm)
Driver dia.63 in (1,600 mm)
Trailing dia. 36 in (914 mm) 42 in (1,067 mm)
Length83 ft 11 in (25,578 mm) (as built)
84 ft 2 in (25,654 mm) (rebuilt)
Height13 ft 11+12 in (4,254.5 mm)
Axle load 22 long tons 7 hundredweight 2 quarters (25.06 short tons; 22.73 t) (as built)
222 long tons 3 hundredweight (24.8 short tons; 22.5 t) (rebuilt)
Adhesive weight 88.85 long tons (99.51 short tons; 90.28 t) (as built)
87.20 long tons (97.66 short tons; 88.60 t) (rebuilt)
Loco weight135.80 long tons (152.10 short tons; 137.98 t) (as built)
143.80 long tons (161.06 short tons; 146.11 t) (rebuilt)
Tender weight85.15 long tons (95.37 short tons; 86.52 t) (as built)
78.80 long tons (88.26 short tons; 80.06 t) (rebuilt)
Total weight218 long tons 13 hundredweight (244.9 short tons; 222.2 t) (as built)
222 long tons 6 hundredweight (249.0 short tons; 225.9 t) (rebuilt)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity12 long tons (13 short tons; 12 t) (as built)
11 long tons (12 short tons; 11 t) (rebuilt)
Water cap.8,300 imperial gallons (10,000 US gal; 38,000 L) as built (Water capacity reduced to 7,100 imperial gallons (8,500 US gal; 32,000 L) in 1930)
7,000 imperial gallons (8,400 US gal; 32,000 L) (rebuilt)
Firebox:
  Grate area66.6 sq ft (6.19 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,379 kPa)
Heating surface:
  Firebox395 sq ft (36.7 m2)
  Tubes and flues3,253 sq ft (302.2 m2)
Superheater:
  Heating area835 sq ft (77.6 m2)
Cylinders 2
Cylinder size 26 in × 28 in (660 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gear Walschaerts valve gear
Valve type Piston
Performance figures
Tractive effort 51,000 lb (23,000 kg) (as built)
59,000 lb (27,000 kg) (rebuilt)
Factor of adh. 4
Career
Operators South Australian Railways
Class 500
Number in class10
Numbers500-509
First run22/5/1926
Last run11/5/1963
Withdrawn1958-1963
Preserved504
Scrapped1961-1965
Disposition1 preserved, 9 scrapped

The South Australian Railways 500 class was a class of 4-8-2 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways. The locomotives were rebuilt in 1928, when booster engines were installed, becoming the 500B class with a wheel arrangement of 4-8-4 and a tractive effort of 59,000 pounds-force (260 kN). They were the most powerful non-articulated steam locomotives to operate in Australia.

Contents

History

The 500 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. They replaced the Rx and S class locomotives, many dating back to 1894, that were still performing mainline duties, meaning that double and even triple heading was common. All ten 500-class locomotives arrived in Adelaide in 1926, and entered service on the Adelaide to Wolseley line as far as Tailem Bend. All were named after notable South Australians. [1]

Rebuilding

In May 1928, 506 was experimentally fitted with a booster in a newly built four-wheel trailing truck, replacing the original unpowered two-wheel truck. The modification, popular in the United States, proved highly successful, increasing the locomotive's tractive effort from 51,000 pounds-force (230  kN ) to 59,000 pounds-force (260 kN). Boosters were subsequently fitted to the nine remaining locomotives, resulting in the class changing to 500B – although their popular name, among railway employees and the public alike, remained "Mountain class" rather than their new "Northern" configuration. With their upgraded tractive effort, the 500B class briefly became the most powerful non-articulated steam locomotives to operate in Australia [2] [ user-generated source ] until supplanted the following year by the New South Wales D57 class.

Throughout the mid-1930s, all but two of the locomotives in the class were semi-streamlined and had valances fitted. The first two locomotives were withdrawn from service in 1955 and the last was withdrawn in 1962. [1]

504 is preserved as a static exhibit at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide. [3]

Class list

NumberDate in ServiceDate CondemnedName
5004 June 1926May 1963 James McGuire
5012 July 1926September 1958 Sir Henry Barwell
50222 May 1926July 1961 John Gunn
50323 July 1926July 1962 RL Butler
50418 October 1926July 1962 Tom Barr Smith
50528 October 1926July 1962 Sir Tom Bridges
50625 October 1926July 1962 Sir George Murray
50712 October 1926March 1958Margaret Murray
50814 September 1926July 1962 Sir Lancelot Stirling
50924 August 1926July 1961 WA Webb

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References

  1. 1 2 Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 147. ISBN   0 7301 0005 7.
  2. "500B Class steam locomotive (rebuilt) - tractive effort operational data".
  3. "Tom Barr Smith". National Railway Museum. Retrieved 31 October 2016.

Further reading