Commonwealth Railways K class

The Commonwealth Railways K class was a class of 2-8-0 freight locomotives built in 1916 by North British Locomotive Company, United Kingdom, for the Commonwealth Railways, Australia.

Commonwealth Railways K class
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder North British Locomotive Company Serial number 21230-21237 Build date 1916 Total produced 8
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-0 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Loco weight 111 long tons (113 t; 124 short tons) Fuel type Coal Water cap. 4,850 imp gal (22,000 L; 5,820 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 29 sq ft (2.7 m2) Boiler pressure 160 psi (11 bar; 1,100 kPa) Cylinder size 21 in × 26 in (533 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 28,777 lbf (128.01 kN)
Career Operators Commonwealth Railways Numbers K27-K34 First run March 1916 Disposition All scrapped

History

In order to operate freight trains on the then under construction Trans-Australian Railway, Commonwealth Railways ordered eight locomotives of the same design as the New South Wales Government Railways' T class (later the D50 class), but with higher capacity tenders.^[1][2]

All were delivered between March and June 1916. Most had been withdrawn by the early 1950s with the last withdrawn in March 1952 after dieselisation.^[1][2]