New South Wales C32 class locomotive
Encyclopedia
The C32 class is a class of steam locomotive
built for and operated by the New South Wales Government Railways
of Australia
.
Beyer, Peacock and Company
was finally selected to provide the new locomotives. Thus was born the P(6)-class (re-classified as C32-class in 1924) 4-6-0
s, one of the system's most outstanding locomotive types.
The first batch of 50 locomotives was delivered by Beyer, Peacock between February 1892 and July 1893. They became known as the Manchester Engines, and were originally fitted with 6-wheel tenders. Whilst the builders had not previously built locomotives of such heavy weight, they were an immediate success, with far fewer and far less serious teething troubles than most classes first entering service.
At the request of the Railway Commissioners, the builders altered the last two engines of the first batch to operate as compounds
, but these did not prove satisfactory and during 1901 were converted to 2-cylinder simples. The particular compound arrangement was never used in another locomotive, before or since.
When first introduced, the class was assigned to the Southern and Northern Mail and express trains. Following the strengthening of the Wagga Wagga Viaduct in 1901, they worked the full length of the line from Sydney to Albury, the express covering the 621km in 12 hours and 35 minutes, including 14 stops.
Over the 19 years after their introduction, the class was enlarged to a total of 191 locomotives. After the initial 50 they were supplied with bogie tenders, and many of the originals were likewise subsequently supplied with bogie tenders; however, a number of the class kept the shorter tenders to enable them to be turned on the 50 feet (15.24 m) turntables at certain locations, including Hornsby
, Campbelltown
and Maitland
.
The builders of these locomotives were as follows :
The final engine was delivered in April 1911. It was built with a superheater, and tests showed a significant improvement in performance; as result the remaining 190 engines were similarly fitted as they became due for boiler renewal between 1914 and 1939.
from November 1929, covering the distance of 167 km in 2.75 hours. Similar trains followed to Mount Victoria
and Nowra-Bomaderry
.
Apart from some very light country branch lines, the class worked throughout the state. They worked almost all South Coast
line passenger services right up until the end of steam. They were equally at home on commuter services to Campbelltown
or Richmond
; on Newcastle suburban trains as far as Singleton
and Dungog
; on country branch line mixed or goods trains or even the Riverina Express from Narrandera
to Griffith
. Because they kept a good head of steam and could get a "good turn of speed", the 32-class locomotives were considered as one of the most reliable and versatile of all steam trains, as one of the best to drive and maintain, and as one of the most economical.
in July 1956. 3246 had the honour of working the last regularly steam-hauled passenger train in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, on 24 July 1971. In December 1971, 3229 (a shunting locomotive at Goulburn Depot), was the last of its class to be withdrawn.
The member of the class which attained the highest distance travelled in its life was 3210, with a figure of 4185685 kilometres (2,600,870.5 mi).
The first passenger locomotives used on the Trans-Australian Railway
- the G class - were of similar design, and the class leader, G1, is preserved at the NRM, Port Dock, Adelaide.
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
built for and operated by the New South Wales Government Railways
New South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Introduction
When the new Chief Commissioner, E.M.G. Eddy, took up duty in 1888, he was anxious to have additional locomotives manufactured within the Colony, and the Government sought the formation of a manufacturing company in N.S.W. by interested parties. When this failed, designs were prepared prior to inviting tenders in England.Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
was finally selected to provide the new locomotives. Thus was born the P(6)-class (re-classified as C32-class in 1924) 4-6-0
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
s, one of the system's most outstanding locomotive types.
The first batch of 50 locomotives was delivered by Beyer, Peacock between February 1892 and July 1893. They became known as the Manchester Engines, and were originally fitted with 6-wheel tenders. Whilst the builders had not previously built locomotives of such heavy weight, they were an immediate success, with far fewer and far less serious teething troubles than most classes first entering service.
Compound locomotive
A compound engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure cylinder, then having given up heat and losing pressure, it exhausts directly into one or more larger...
, but these did not prove satisfactory and during 1901 were converted to 2-cylinder simples. The particular compound arrangement was never used in another locomotive, before or since.
When first introduced, the class was assigned to the Southern and Northern Mail and express trains. Following the strengthening of the Wagga Wagga Viaduct in 1901, they worked the full length of the line from Sydney to Albury, the express covering the 621km in 12 hours and 35 minutes, including 14 stops.
Over the 19 years after their introduction, the class was enlarged to a total of 191 locomotives. After the initial 50 they were supplied with bogie tenders, and many of the originals were likewise subsequently supplied with bogie tenders; however, a number of the class kept the shorter tenders to enable them to be turned on the 50 feet (15.24 m) turntables at certain locations, including Hornsby
Hornsby, New South Wales
* Highest Maximum Temperature: 42 °C* Lowest Maximum Temperature: 4.9 °C* Warmest Month: January* Coolest Month: July* Highest Precipitation: February* Lowest Precipitation: July-Notable residents:...
, Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
and Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
.
The builders of these locomotives were as follows :
- Beyer, Peacock and Company: 106
- Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
: 20 - Clyde Engineering Company LimitedClyde EngineeringClyde Engineering was the name of part of the business now known as Downer EDI Rail. Clyde Engineering were involved in the construction of railway locomotives and rolling stock, as well as larger scale engineering projects on behalf of the governments of Australia...
: 45 - NSWGR Eveleigh WorkshopsNew South Wales Government RailwaysThe New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
: 20
The final engine was delivered in April 1911. It was built with a superheater, and tests showed a significant improvement in performance; as result the remaining 190 engines were similarly fitted as they became due for boiler renewal between 1914 and 1939.
Into service
With the arrival of even larger engines from 1909 to handle the important mail and express trains, attention was turned to creating lighter trains which could be hauled by the P-class at high speeds. New services were introduced from Sydney to NewcastleNewcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
from November 1929, covering the distance of 167 km in 2.75 hours. Similar trains followed to Mount Victoria
Mount Victoria, New South Wales
Mount Victoria is a small township in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is the westernmost village in the City of Blue Mountains, located approximately 120 kilometres via road from Sydney and 1043 metres above sea-level...
and Nowra-Bomaderry
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
.
Apart from some very light country branch lines, the class worked throughout the state. They worked almost all South Coast
South Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
line passenger services right up until the end of steam. They were equally at home on commuter services to Campbelltown
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
or Richmond
Richmond, New South Wales
Richmond is a town in New South Wales, north-west of Sydney, in the Local Government Area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located at a latitude of 33° 35' 54" South and a longitude of 150°45' 04" east, 19 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue...
; on Newcastle suburban trains as far as Singleton
Singleton, New South Wales
-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....
and Dungog
Dungog, New South Wales
Dungog is a country town on the Williams River in the upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. Located in the middle of dairy and timber country, it is the centre of the Dungog Shire Local Government Area and at the 2006 census it had a population of 2,102 people. The area includes the...
; on country branch line mixed or goods trains or even the Riverina Express from Narrandera
Narrandera, New South Wales
-Transport:Narrandera is well served for transport. The Sturt Highway and the Newell Highways cross, just south of Narrandera. Greyhound buses pass daily - note that the destination can be listed as Jillenbah....
to Griffith
Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
. Because they kept a good head of steam and could get a "good turn of speed", the 32-class locomotives were considered as one of the most reliable and versatile of all steam trains, as one of the best to drive and maintain, and as one of the most economical.
Last years and demise of the class
The first of the class to be scrapped was 3264 in January 1957, following an accident at OtfordOtford, New South Wales
Otford is a northern suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia located near the Sydney metropolitan area. It has a railway station on the CityRail South Coast Line....
in July 1956. 3246 had the honour of working the last regularly steam-hauled passenger train in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, on 24 July 1971. In December 1971, 3229 (a shunting locomotive at Goulburn Depot), was the last of its class to be withdrawn.
The member of the class which attained the highest distance travelled in its life was 3210, with a figure of 4185685 kilometres (2,600,870.5 mi).
Preservation
Four members of the once 191-strong class are now preserved.- 3203 and 3214 are both in the care of the New South Wales Rail Transport MuseumNew South Wales Rail Transport MuseumThe New South Wales Rail Transport Museum located in Thirlmere, New South Wales south-west of Sydney, is a museum dedicated to displaying former locomotives, carriages and goods wagons from the New South Wales Government Railways as well as private operations in NSW. The collection features steam,...
at ThirlmereThirlmereThirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. It runs roughly south to north, with a dam at the northern end, and is bordered on the eastern side by the A591 road and on the western side by a minor road....
NSW. 3203 is in a red and buff lined black livery with NSW Railways crests, and is in open storage at Broadmeadow, minus its front bogie. 3214 is at the Valley Heights branch of the RTM and is on display in the roundhouse, having been repainted into plain black.
- 3237 is operational, and is owned by the Lachlan Valley Railway Museum, Cowra. After a long-term restoration at the LVR's Cowra base, the locomotive was returned to steam in 2005. It currently wears a black livery lined in signal red, and is a resident at the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh, where it is regularly seen on tours. 3237 currently carries the name 'Lachlan'. Though not prototypical, the name is that of the river that flows nearest to Cowra, and thus furthers the NSWGR's tradition of naming locomotives after rivers crossed by the routes upon which they travelled.
- 3265 is preserved in working order by the Powerhouse MuseumPowerhouse MuseumThe Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the other being the historic Sydney Observatory...
, Sydney, in the lined maroon livery it carried in the 1930s while in service on the 'Northern Commercial Limited'; correctly for that period, it carries the name 'Hunter'. After undergoing restoration at the Large Erecting Shop, Eveleigh, 3265 underwent a series of trial runs from 2 July 2009, and was returned to service on 20 September 2009. It is currently stored at Thirlmere Rail Heritage Centre.
The first passenger locomotives used on the Trans-Australian Railway
Trans-Australian Railway
The Trans-Australian Railway crosses the Nullarbor Plain of Australia from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia...
- the G class - were of similar design, and the class leader, G1, is preserved at the NRM, Port Dock, Adelaide.