| Tasmanian Government Railways M class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 M5 at the Tasmanian Transport Museum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tasmanian Government Railways M class is a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
| Tasmanian Government Railways M class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M5 at the Tasmanian Transport Museum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tasmanian Government Railways M class is a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
On 12 March 1952, the Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) took delivery of ten M class branch line locomotives from Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The locomotives were similar to the Indian Railways YB class. [1] [2]
They were allocated to operate on the North-Eastern and Western lines and at Hobart. However, with the TGR having already commenced dieselisation with the X class, some of the lines intended for M class operation had already been converted. Hence in 1957, four were fitted with smaller driving wheels recovered from withdrawn Australian Standard Garratts enabling them to operate heavier trains over the steeply graded North-Eastern line. [1] [3] [4]
As they fell due for overhaul, they were withdrawn from 1960, with the last removed from traffic in 1975. [1]
All members of the class have been preserved to an extent, with four locomotives seeing further use on heritage trains.
| Original number | Builder's number | Final number | Preservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | 7421 | MA2 | Don River Railway, Devonport [5] |
| M2 | 7422 | MA4 | Don River Railway, Devonport [6] |
| M3 | 7423 | M3 | Don River Railway, Devonport [7] |
| M4 | 7424 | M4 | Don River Railway, Devonport [8] |
| M5 | 7425 | M5 | Tasmanian Transport Museum, Glenorchy [9] |
| M6 | 7426 | MA3 | Public park, Margate [10] [11] |
| M7 | 7427 | M1 | Derwent Valley Railway [12] |
| M8 | 7428 | MA1 | Derwent Valley Railway [13] |
| M9 | 7429 | M6 | Bellarine Railway, Queenscliff, Victoria [14] |
| M10 | 7430 | M2 | Tanfield Railway, England [15] |
The M class designation was previously used by the M class, the last of which was withdrawn in 1931.
A Garratt locomotive is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bridge". The two other parts, one at each end, have a pivot to support the central frame; they consist of a steam engine unit – with driving wheels, trailing wheels, valve gear, and cylinders, and above it, fuel and/or water storage.
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul.
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-6-4 locomotive has two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and four trailing wheels.
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.
The X class is a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric for the Tasmanian Government Railways between 1950 and 1952. They were the first class of diesel locomotive to enter mainline service on a Government-owned railway in Australia.
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 NZR WF class were steam locomotives designed, built and used by New Zealand Railways (NZR). Their wheel arrangement is described by the Whyte notation 2-6-4T and the first members of the class entered service in 1904. The locomotives were tank engines designed by the Railways Department's Chief Mechanical Engineer A. L. Beattie, and were mainly built for suburban duties such as those between Christchurch and Lyttelton. They also saw main-line service in the Taranaki region, but most of the class members were assigned to branch line and local services throughout the country. Two were experimentally converted to oil burners in 1909-1910. The tests were satisfactory, but as coal was much cheaper than oil at the time, no further conversions took place.
The C class was a mainline goods locomotive of the 2-8-0 'Consolidation' type that ran on the Victorian Railways between 1918 and 1962. Although its original design had some key shortcomings, a number of improvements were made over the class' long career on the VR, many of which were subsequently applied to other locomotive classes on the system.
The Y class is a class of diesel locomotives built by the Tasmanian Government Railways between 1961 and 1971.
The railways of New South Wales, Australia, use a large variety of passenger and freight rolling stock. The first railway in Sydney was opened in 1855 between Sydney and Granville, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales Government Railways. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning. By 1880, there was a half hourly service to Homebush.
The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lyell railway allowing connection through to Queenstown.
The South Australian Railways T class was a class of 4-8-0 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways. Several were sold to the Tasmanian Government Railways; some others operated on the Commonwealth Railways.
The Tasman Limited was a passenger train operated by Tasmanian Government Railways (TGR) on the Main and Western lines between Hobart, Launceston and Wynyard from April 1954 to July 1978.
The Tasmanian Government Railways C class is a class of 2-6-0 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
The Tasmanian Government Railways H class was a class of 4-8-2 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
The Tasmanian Government Railways Q class was a class of 4-8-2 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
The Tasmanian Government Railways R class was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
The Tasmanian Government Railways V class are a class of diesel locomotives operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways.
The Tasmanian Government Railways P Class locomotive was a 2-6-2T engine bought second hand from a timber company in New South Wales. It was withdrawn c1941 having spent the majority of its service in or around Launceston Works and Yards.