South Australian Railways 500 class (diesel)

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South Australian Railways 500 class
500 class South Australian Loco.jpg
522 at Mount Gambier in South Australian Railways paint scheme to which ANR (Australian National Railways) branding has been added
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
Builder Islington Railway Workshops
Build date1964-1969
Total produced34
Specifications
Configuration:
   UIC Bo-Bo
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in),
1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Wheel diameter3 ft (914 mm)
Minimum curve 264 ft (80.467 m)
Wheelbase 28 ft (8.534 m) total,
7 ft 6 in (2.286 m) bogie
Length38 ft 6 in (11.735 m) over headstocks
Width9 ft 4 in (2.845 m)
Height13 ft 3+12 in (4.051 m)
Axle load 14 long tons
(14.2 tonnes; 15.7 short tons)
Loco weight56 long tons
(56.9 tonnes; 62.7 short tons)
Fuel capacity700 imp gal
(3,182 L; 841 US gal)
Prime mover English Electric 4SRKT Mk II
RPM range450–850 rpm
Engine type four stroke, four valves per cylinder
Aspiration turbocharged
Generator EE827/4C
Traction motors Four EE548/2A
Cylinders 4 inline
Cylinder size 10 in × 12 in
(254 mm × 305 mm)
Loco brake Air
Train brakes Air
Performance figures
Maximum speed40 miles per hour (64 km/h)
Power output550 hp (410 kW) gross,
500 hp (370 kW) net
Tractive effort 30,000 lbf (133.4 kN) at
4 mph (10 km/h)
Career
Operators South Australian Railways
Number in class34
Numbers500-534
First run25 April 1964
Preserved507, 515, 517, 532
Current owner Bluebird Rail Operations
Disposition1 in service, 4 preserved, 4 stored, 25 scrapped

The 500 class is a class of South Australian Railways diesel shunter locomotives built at Islington Railway Workshops between 1964 and 1969.

Contents

History

Thirty-four 500 class locomotives were built, all incorporating English Electric traction and control equipment. The first 27 were built with broad gauge bogies, the last seven with standard gauge bogies. They operated in yards at Gladstone, Murray Bridge, Naracoorte, Peterborough, Port Pirie, Tailem Bend and Wallaroo, and were deployed extensively in Adelaide. [1]

In March 1978 all were included in the transfer of the South Australian Railways to Australian National. Some were transferred to Port Augusta. In 1986, a new computer system required the class leaders of the former South Australian Railways to be renumbered as the last member of the class, with 500 becoming 534. [2]

Most were scrapped in the mid-1990s, and the remaining locomotives were included in the sale of Australian National's South Australian operations to Australian Southern Railroad in October 1997. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Surviving locomotives

References

  1. Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s – 1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 250. ISBN   0-730100-05-7.
  2. "Australian National Broken Hill Line Report" Railway Digest October 1986 page 314
  3. Broad & Standard Gauge 500-class diesel electric locomotives Chris' Commonwealth Railways Pages
  4. 500 Class (diesel, South Australia) Railpage
  5. 500 Class Rail SA
  6. 500 Class Vicsig
  7. "Australia Wide Fleet List" Motive Power issue 96 November 2014 page 67
  8. 515 National Railway Museum
  9. HRSA November Meeting Report Archived 21 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Heritage Rail South Australia November 2010
  10. Shunter returns home The Flinders News 21 July 2012
  11. Annual Report 2011/12 District Council of Peterborough