South Australian Railways 600 class (steam)

This article is about the South Australian Railways steam locomotive class. For the South Australian Railways diesel locomotive class, see South Australian Railways 600 class (diesel).

The South Australian Railways 600 class was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

South Australian Railways 600 class
600 class locomotive no. 605 soon after delivery
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Alco / USRA, modified by Fred Shea Builder Armstrong Whitworth Serial number 623-632 Build date 1925 Total produced 10 Rebuilder Islington Railway Workshops Rebuild date 1939-1942 Number rebuilt 10
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2 Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Leading dia. 2 ft 9 in (838 mm) Driver dia. 6 ft 3 in (1,905 mm) Trailing dia. 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Length 79 ft 3+1⁄4 in (24.162 m). Height 13 ft 11+1⁄2 in (4,254.5 mm) Axle load 23 long tons 13 cwt 2 qtr (26.52 short tons; 24.05 t) Adhesive weight 70.555 long tons (79.022 short tons; 71.687 t) Loco weight 116 long tons 19 cwt 2 qtr (131.01 short tons; 118.85 t) Tender weight 83.55 long tons (93.58 short tons; 84.89 t) Total weight 199 long tons 11 cwt 2 qtr (223.52 short tons; 202.78 t) (as built) 196 long tons 19 cwt 2 qtr (220.61 short tons; 200.14 t) (rebuilt) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 12 long tons (13 short tons; 12 t) (as built) 6 long tons (6.7 short tons; 6.1 t) coal, 1,912 imp gal (2,296 US gal; 8,690 L) oil (rebuilt) Water cap. 7,130 imp gal (8,560 US gal; 32,400 L) (as built) 7,250 imp gal (8,710 US gal; 33,000 L) (rebuilt) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 55 sq ft (5.1 m2) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1,400 kPa) (as built) 215 psi (1,480 kPa) (rebuilt) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 270 sq ft (25 m2) (as built) 330 sq ft (31 m2) (rebuilt)  • Tubes and flues 2,953 sq ft (274.3 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 743 sq ft (69.0 m2) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 24 in × 28 in (610 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston
Performance figures Tractive effort 36,600 lbf (162.80 kN) as built 39,300 lbf (174.82 kN) rebuilt Factor of adh. 4.43 (as built) 4.04 (rebuilt)
Career Operators South Australian Railways Class 600 Number in class 10 Numbers 600-609 First run 10 May 1926 Withdrawn 1958-1961 Scrapped 1961-1963 Disposition All scrapped

History

The 600 class were part of an order for 30 steam locomotives^{[note 1]} placed with Armstrong Whitworth, England, in 1924, as part of the rehabilitation of the state's rail system overseen by railways commissioner William Webb. The 600 class design was based on the USRA Light Pacific, although modifications were made by SAR's Chief Mechanical Engineer, Fred Shea, including those necessary to fit South Australia's tighter loading gauge, which was lower than that of the United States. They arrived in Adelaide in 1926.^[1]

609 was named Duke of Gloucester after hauling the Duke's Royal Train in 1934 and so became Australia's first "royal" engine.

The entire class received upgraded boilers and front ends from the late 1930s onwards, and was reclassified as the 600C class. They were also fitted with large smoke deflectors over their lifetime. Ten locomotives of the South Australian Railways 620 class were built at Islington Railway Workshops in 1936–1938, to a similar design.

All examples of the 600 class were withdrawn between 1955 and 1961. None were preserved.^[1]

Many 600 class locomotives were based at Tailem Bend; lines to the east were relatively flat, allowing higher speeds made possible by the class's large driving wheels

Class list

No.	Entered service	Condemned
600	14 August 1926	June 1959
601	10 May 1926	Sep 1958
602	25 May 1926	June 1959
603	18 May 1926	July 1961
604	13 August 1926	June 1959
605	6 July 1926	Sep 1958
606	8 July 1926	May 1960
607	22 June 1926	June 1959
608	22 July 1926	May 1960
609*	21 August 1926	June 1959
* Named Duke of Gloucester.

Notes

1. The other classes of locomotives were the 500 class and 700 class.