Victorian Railways H class (1877)

The Victorian Railways H class was a class of 4-4-0 light line passenger locomotives operated by the Victorian Railways between 1877 and 1916.

For the 1941 steam locomotives, see Victorian Railways H class. For the 1968 diesel locomotives, see Victorian Railways H class (diesel).

Victorian Railways H class
Unidentified H class 4-4-0 at Ballarat, date unknown
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer William Meikle Builder Phoenix Foundry Serial number 40-47 Build date 1877-1878 Total produced 8
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0 Gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Victorian broad gauge Leading dia. 3 ft 1+1⁄2 in (952 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1,520 mm) Wheelbase 34 ft 1 in (10.39 m) Length 42 ft 0 in (12.80 m)[1] Height 13 feet 0 inches (3.96 m)[1] Axle load 10 long tons 7 cwt (23,200 lb or 10.5 t) Loco weight 32 long tons 7 cwt (72,500 lb or 32.9 t) Tender weight 16 long tons 3 cwt (36,200 lb or 16.4 t) Total weight 48 long tons 10 cwt (108,600 lb or 49.3 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 60 long cwt (6,700 lb or 3,000 kg) Water cap. 1,223 imp gal (5,560 L; 1,469 US gal) Boiler pressure Nos. 146, 148, 152 (1904): 120 psi (827 kPa) Nos. 154, 156 (1904): 125 psi (862 kPa) Nos. 150, 158, 160 (1904): 130 psi (896 kPa)[1] Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 72.89 sq ft (6.772 m2)  • Tubes 794.85 sq ft (73.844 m2)  • Total surface 867.74 sq ft (81 m2) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 15 in × 22 in (381 mm × 559 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 8,250 lbf (36.7 kN) at 100 psi
Career Operators Victorian Railways Trawalla and Waterloo Tramway Numbers H146-H160 (even only) First run September 1877 Last run 19 February 1916 (38.5 years) Disposition 1 tender preserved at Newport Railway Museum, all engine units scrapped.

History

During the late 1870s, William Meikle had designed a pair of 4-4-0 locomotives and had them built at Williamstown Workshops. These locomotives would be built using spare parts of engines from the Geelong & Melbourne Railway Company and were numbered 38 and 40 (later G class). Meikle would develop upon this design and placed an order of 8 from the Phoenix Foundry of Ballarat in 1877. While these were originally unclassed, they were later classed 'H' in 1886.^[2]

Production

Upon completion, the locomotives were similar to the 1874 K class and G class in both power and weight, but with driving wheels of 5 feet diameter instead of 4 feet. One strange feature was the inexplicably small grate area. Four-wheeled tenders with a 7-foot wheelbase were fitted.^[2]

Regular service

H150 was noted as being in motor service in 1908.^[2]

Design improvements

Accidents

• 26 January 1881 - H160 in accident at Beaufort^[2]
• 26 July 1881 - H160 collided with F98 at Beaufort^[2]
• 1889 - H152 broke driving axle^[2]

Withdrawal

All the locomotives were removed from the Victorian Railways register between 1905 and 1916. The boiler of H156 went to the Bendigo sheds in 1912.

H130 was sold to Trawalla and Waterloo Tramway for £600 on 31 May 1909^[2] and was later sold to Smith and Timms, in 1912. It was last seen in 1922 at the Mile End rail yards in South Australia.^[3]

A tender from one of the H class locomotives is preserved at the Newport Railway Museum, attached to Crane No. 2. The tender had last been used on Crane No. 3 (ex-Z526) until its withdrawal in 1978.

Fleet summary

Key:	In Service	Preserved	Stored or Withdrawn	Scrapped

Locomotive	Builder No.	Entered service	Withdrawn	Scrapped	Status	Notes
H146	40	September 1877	19 August 1905		Scrapped	[2]
H148	41	October 1877	26 August 1905		Scrapped	[2]
H150	42	December 1877	31 May 1909		Scrapped	Sold to Trawalla and Waterloo Tramway - 31 May 1909. Sold to Smith and Timms, SA - 1912. Last seen at Mile End, SA - 1922[2][3]
H152	43	January 1878	28 July 1906		Scrapped	Boiler to Bendigo shed[2]
H154	44	May 1878	18 March 1905		Scrapped	[2]
H156	45	May 1878	15 July 1911		Scrapped	[2]
H158	46	May 1878	19 February 1916		Scrapped	[2]
H160	47	June 1878	30 March 1907		Scrapped	[2]