South Australian Railways R class

Last updated

South Australian Railways R & Rx class
South Australian Railways Rx 149, McLaren Vale, South Australia, 1920.jpeg
Rx149 with a load of wine casks at McLaren Vale
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder Dübs & Co (6)
James Martin & Co (24)
Islington Railway Workshops (14)
North British Locomotive Company (15)
Walkers Limited (25)
Build date1885–1916
Total produced84
Rebuilder Islington Railway Workshops
Rebuild date1899–1913 as Rx
Number rebuilt30 to Rx
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  Whyte 4-6-0 (2′C 3) (2′C 2′2′)
Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Leading dia. 2 ft 11 in (889 mm)
Driver dia.4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm)
Length49 ft 11 in (15.215 m)
Height13 ft 4 in (4,064 mm)
Axle load 9 long tons 17 cwt (22,100 lb or 10 t) (R)
11 long tons 8 cwt (25,500 lb or 11.6 t) (Rx)
Adhesive weight 28.50 long tons 0 cwt (63,800 lb or 29 t)
Loco weight40 long tons (45 short tons; 41 t) (R)
Tender weight22 long tons (25 short tons; 22 t) (R)
Total weight65 long tons (73 short tons; 66 t) (R), 88 long tons (99 short tons; 89 t)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity4 long tons 18 cwt (11,000 lb or 5 t) (R), 7 long tons 16 cwt (17,500 lb or 7.9 t) (Rx),
6 long tons 17 cwt (15,300 lb or 7 t)
(Rx 6 wheel tender)
Water cap.2,040 imp gal
(2,450 US gal; 9,300 L) (R)
3,750 imp gal
(4,500 US gal; 17,000 L) (Rx),
3,200 imp gal
(3,800 US gal; 15,000 L) (Rx 6 wheel tender)
Firebox:​
 • Grate area17.6 sq ft (1.64 m2) (R)
20.37 sq ft (1.892 m2) (Rx)
Boiler pressure145 psi (1,000 kPa) (R)
175 psi (1,207 kPa) (Rx)
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox98.3 sq ft (9.13 m2). (R)
105 sq ft (9.8 m2) (Rx)
 • Tubes1,196 sq ft (111.1 m2) (R)
1,208 sq ft (112.2 m2) (Rx)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area178 sq ft (16.5 m2) (Rx)
(not fitted to some locos)
Cylinders 2
Cylinder size 18 in × 24 in
(457 mm × 610 mm)
Valve gear Allan Straight Link
Valve type Piston
Performance figures
Tractive effort 17,700 lbf (78.73 kN) (R)
21,420 lbf (95.28 kN) (Rx)
Factor of adh. 3.49
Career
Operators South Australian Railways
Class R/Rx
Number in class84
Numbers5, 9, 10, 15, 20*, 25*, 48, 55, 56, 91*-96*, 102*-107*, 138*-153*, 155, 158, 160, 190-203, 206-235 (* originally built as R class)
First run10 February 1886
Last run5 September 1969
Withdrawn1927–1969
PreservedRx 5, Rx 55, Rx 93, Rx, 160, Rx 191, Rx 201, Rx 207, Rx 217, Rx 224 & Rx 231
Scrapped1928-1974
DispositionTen preserved, remainder scrapped

The South Australian Railways R class was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways. The initial 30 of the class were upgraded and reclassified as the Rx class; the 54 later acquisitions were built to Rx specifications.

Contents

History

In 1886, Dübs and Company of Glasgow, UK delivered the first six R class locomotives. A further 24 had been built by James Martin & Co, of Gawler SA by November 1895. Starting in 1899, all of the class were rebuilt with Belpaire boilers, achieving a 20 per cent increase in tractive effort. They were reclassified as Rx class engines. A further 54 locomotives were built as Rx class by the Islington Railway Workshops, North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow and Walkers Limited, Maryborough, Queensland. All were in service by May 1916. [1]

At the outset, the locomotives were the predominant class used on broad-gauge mainline services in South Australia. After railways commissioner William Webb introduced large locomotives of contemporary American design in the early 1920s, their roles were reduced to hauling freight and mixed (passenger and freight) trains on secondary mainlines, Adelaide suburban passenger trains and regional branchline passenger trains; and shunting in freight yards. A large group of Rx class locomotives, mainly early builds, were withdrawn from service in 1934; the remainder continued to serve into the mid-1960s. [1] [2]

Preservation

Ten members of the class remain in various states of preservation.

References

  1. 1 2 Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 54. ISBN   0-7301-0005-7.
  2. 1 2 "Locomotive Rx93". National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide . 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  3. ↑ Anonymous (2025). "Rx5". Australian Steam. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  4. ↑ Anonymous (2025). "Rx55". Australian Steam. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  5. ↑ Anonymous (2025). "Rx160". Australian Steam. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Anonymous (2025). "Rx191". Australian Steam. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  7. ↑ Anonymous (2025). "Rx201". Australian Steam. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Our locomotive fleet". SteamRanger Heritage Railway . 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Anonymous (2025). "Rx217". Australian Steam. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  10. ↑ Anonymous (2025). "Rx231". Australian Steam. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
Commons-logo.svg

 Media related to South Australian Railways R class at Wikimedia Commons

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.