New South Wales D58 class locomotive
Encyclopedia
The D58 class was a class of steam locomotive
s operated by the New South Wales Government Railways
in Australia
. They were built with the 4-8-2
wheel arrangement.
valve gear in lieu of the Gresley 2:1 conjugated vale gear
for the middle cylinder and the use of smaller cylinders to enable the locomotives to run to Newcastle
, a route which had a tighter loading gauge. They also used a Woodard divided drive of twin coupling rods between the second and third driving wheels. A valance was fitted over the valve gear on the front platform.
Eveleigh Workshops built 11 locomotives and Cardiff Workshops built two. 5801 was placed in traffic in March, 1950. Following the building of 13 locomotives, construction was suspended owing to lack of funds, dieselisation and also, to a degree, dissatisfaction with their performance in traffic. Work was never resumed on the remainder of the order.
and used more steam, thus making the locomotives uneconomical in the use of coal and water when compared with the 57-class. Despite the design being made to enable use on the Main Northern line from Sydney to Broadmeadow
, very few journeys were ever made.
After a very short service life, the entire class had been withdrawn by July, 1957 and were all cut up by March, 1964. Some parts were recovered and used on 57-class locomotives. There are no surviving examples, however the tender of 5808 lies near Canberra Station. Many 57 and 58 class tenders were used as water tankers around NSW. One is at the DSR&M. Some small parts are with the NSWRHC.
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...
s 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...
in 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...
. They were built with the 4-8-2
4-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
wheel arrangement.
Construction
In 1943, approval was given for the N.S.W.G.R. Workshops to build 25 locomotives and tenders to a design modified from the D57-class. The main alterations were the use of a rack and pinionRack and pinion
A rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. A circular gear called "the pinion" engages teeth on a linear "gear" bar called "the rack"; rotational motion applied to the pinion causes the rack to move, thereby...
valve gear in lieu of the Gresley 2:1 conjugated vale gear
Gresley conjugated valve gear
The Gresley conjugated valve gear is a valve gear for steam locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, chief mechanical engineer of the LNER, assisted by Harold Holcroft...
for the middle cylinder and the use of smaller cylinders to enable the locomotives to run to Newcastle
Newcastle, 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...
, a route which had a tighter loading gauge. They also used a Woodard divided drive of twin coupling rods between the second and third driving wheels. A valance was fitted over the valve gear on the front platform.
Eveleigh Workshops built 11 locomotives and Cardiff Workshops built two. 5801 was placed in traffic in March, 1950. Following the building of 13 locomotives, construction was suspended owing to lack of funds, dieselisation and also, to a degree, dissatisfaction with their performance in traffic. Work was never resumed on the remainder of the order.
Operations
Whilst the derived rack and pinion valve gear appeared far superior in theory, in practice it required more maintenance and lubrication. The smaller diameter cylinders demanded a later cut-offCutoff (steam engine)
In a steam engine, cutoff is the point in the piston stroke at which the inlet valve is closed. On a steam locomotive, the cutoff is controlled by the reverser....
and used more steam, thus making the locomotives uneconomical in the use of coal and water when compared with the 57-class. Despite the design being made to enable use on the Main Northern line from Sydney to Broadmeadow
Broadmeadow, New South Wales
Broadmeadow is the geographic centre of Newcastle city. Its main commercial hub is located at the “Nineways”.-Origins:Broadmeadow was originally part of the Newcastle Pasturage Reserve of 648 hectares...
, very few journeys were ever made.
After a very short service life, the entire class had been withdrawn by July, 1957 and were all cut up by March, 1964. Some parts were recovered and used on 57-class locomotives. There are no surviving examples, however the tender of 5808 lies near Canberra Station. Many 57 and 58 class tenders were used as water tankers around NSW. One is at the DSR&M. Some small parts are with the NSWRHC.