Victorian Railways R class
Encyclopedia
The R class was an express passenger steam locomotive
that ran on Australia's Victorian Railways
from 1951 to 1974. A long overdue replacement for the 1907-era A2 class
4-6-0
, their development and construction was repeatedly delayed due to financial constraints caused by the Great Depression
and later the manpower and materials shortages of World War II
and the immediate postwar period.
Orders eventually totalling 70 locomotives were placed with the North British Locomotive Company
of Glasgow
. Once initial teething problems were overcome, R class locomotives proved to be a success and their power and speed enabled faster timetabled services. However, they were almost immediately superseded by mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotive
s on the VR from 1952 onwards. With successive orders of diesel-electric locomotives through the 1950s and 1960s gradually displacing them, all but seven of the class were withdrawn and cut up for scrap
.
Four of the remaining locomotives were later restored to operating condition between 1984 and 1998. These have seen use ranging from hauling special heritage train services through to substituting for modern diesel-electric locomotives on regular intercity rail services run by V/Line
and West Coast Railway
. Another surviving example, number R 704, was originally displayed at the Festival of Britain
in 1951 and is now on permanent display at the Australian Railway Historical Society
museum in North Williamstown, Victoria.
'Pacific' type locomotives began to emerge from the VR's Locomotive Design Section, some of which were ultimately developed into the 3 cylinder S class
heavy Pacific of 1928. However, plans for a smaller 2 cylinder Pacific, with an axle load below 20 tons to allow operation across the VR mainline network, were put on hold during the 1930s. This was partly due to the decline in traffic and revenue due to the Great Depression
, and partly due to the improved power outputs and efficiency from the A2 locomotives after the application of a series of smokebox
design and draughting changes referred to as 'Modified Front End' in the mid 1930s.
By 1943 however, the situation had changed. There was a massive increase in traffic brought by the advent of World War II
, and the A2s were by this point well past their prime. The VR Locomotive Design Section once again turned their attention to the proposed Pacific replacement. The addition of a mechanical stoker, the enlarging of the grate
from 37 to 42 sq ft (3.4 to 3.9 m2) for increased performance and the use of heavy bar-frame construction for increased durability significantly increased the projected weight of the locomotive. To keep the axle load
to 19.5 tons, the design by 1944 had changed from a 4-6-2 'Pacific' to a 4-6-4
'Hudson' wheel arrangement.
The R class reflected an ongoing evolution of VR locomotive design and a response to the changing operational environment of the VR in the postwar era.
The R class adopted the bar frame construction of the H
and S
class express passenger locomotives, which had proven to be far more robust in coping with the VR's varying track quality than the fracture-prone plate frames of the A2.
The decision to install MB Type 1 mechanical stoker equipment (capable of feeding up to 10000 lb (4,536 kg) of coal per hour) on a locomotive with only a 42 square feet (3.9 m²) grate reflected improved postwar working conditions for locomotive firemen, the varying quality of postwar coal and the expectation of sustained high speed operation of the locomotive. The manually fired prewar VR S class Pacific
, although capable of 2,300 drawbar horsepower (1,700 kW), was limited by the physical ability of the fireman to feed its 50 square feet (4.6 m²) grate and as such was reliant on coal with a high calorific value.
Online locomotive database steamlocomotive.com notes: "They showed an interesting blend of European, British, American, and Australian practice. The slotted pilot is Australian, the long sand dome American, the Belpaire firebox and cab British, and the mid-line smoke lifters ('elephant ears') European."
Other modern features included SKF
roller bearings on all axles and the innovative, lightweight SCOA-P
type driving wheel
s, which were specially developed for the R class by the Steel Company of Australia.
in 1946, but remained unfulfilled for years as shortages of steel and manpower saw other projects (such as the overhaul of badly run-down infrastructure and the building of extra X class
goods locomotives) given precedence.
By the late 1940s, the A2 class was at the end of its life, and new motive power was desperately required. Australian Federal Government restrictions on the availability of US dollars (designed to favour trade within the British Empire) precluded the VR from purchasing American diesel-electric locomotives. The VR broke with a long standing policy of in-house steam locomotive construction and called for tenders to construct an additional 50 R class. The contract was awarded to North British Locomotive Company
in Glasgow, Scotland on 21 September 1949. The order was increased to 70 on 12 January 1950 with the cancellation of the original order of 20 locomotives from VR's Newport shops.
Further delays were experienced once the locomotives finally arrived from May 1951 onwards. Corrosion had already set in during their sea voyage as deck cargo from Scotland to Australia, and there were numerous manufacturing defects requiring rectification. R 703 was the first of the class in service, on 27 June 1951, and the last of the fleet R 769 did not enter service until 23 September 1953..
Their mechanical stoker, smooth riding characteristics and large, comfortable cab also made them popular with crews.
The R's impressive debut was cut short by the introduction of the B class (EMD ML2) diesel electric locomotives from July 1952, a locomotive type based on the latest GM EMD designs and built in Australia under licence by Clyde Engineering
. By the end of 1953, the success of the B class saw the R class withdrawn from The Overland service to Adelaide
and also VR's passenger service to Mildura
. The Gippsland line
, which was electrified to Traralgon
by 1955, was the first line to see the complete withdrawal of the R class from service. On 18 May 1964, R 703 worked the last regular steam-hauled passenger train out of Melbourne, the 6.05pm Geelong service.
The Rs were pressed into secondary passenger and goods service, roles which for which a Hudson with large diameter driving wheels was sometimes a less than ideal choice. There was little opportunity to exploit their high speed capability. Furthermore, their relatively low factor of adhesion
(4.08) and lack of fully compensated springing, coupled with the tendency of locomotives to transfer weight to the rearmost wheels under high drawbar pull conditions (which in the case of the R meant a weight transfer from the driving wheels to the unpowered trailing truck) caused them to slip
when starting heavy goods trains.
The R class is remembered by many for its role as power for the seasonal grain harvest. In times of a good harvest, virtually every available locomotive would be marshalled into service to shift wheat trains of over 1,000 tons from Victoria's Western district through to the ports for export. Double-headed R class locomotives, sometimes aided by a third R acting as banking engine at the rear, could be seen battling the 3 mile, 1 in 52 (1.92%) Warrenheip
Bank out of Ballarat.
In the 1960s, as the railway preservation movement began to gather momentum, a small number of R class locomotives found a new role as power for excursion train services. In this role they were able to fulfill their intended role of high speed passenger travel, with speeds of over 80 mph (129 km/h) being recorded.
R 707, which due to various defects had still not been put into service by 1954, was selected for modification for pulverised brown coal (PBC) operation, in conjunction with trials of this fuel being undertaken with X class
'Mikado'
X 32. While the PBC locomotives performed well, the expense of installing storage and handling facilities became increasingly uneconomic with falling prices for fuel oil and the success of diesel-electric traction. The conversion had also reduced the water capacity of R 707's tender such that there was insufficient margin for delays or bad weather running on many routes, confining the locomotive to the shorter Melbourne - Geelong
and Melbourne - Seymour
lines. The experiments were discontinued and R 707 was converted back to black coal operation in 1957.
R 719 and 748 were converted to oil-firing during the mid 1950s. They performed very well and were favourites among crews for their clean, cinder
-free running. The reduced maintenance associated with their oil-fired operation meant they also had the highest availability of any of the R class and as such recorded the highest mileages of any of the class. However, rising fuel oil costs and the ongoing dieselisation program on the VR precluded any further locomotives from being converted.
As the VR focussed its attention on diesel electric traction, steam locomotive depots were gradually closed down and the remaining steam fleet became a much lower maintenance priority. A particular problem was the lack of feedwater treatment, which saw many R class locomotive boilers condemned for severe corrosion well before the end of their design life.
1967 marked the final year of the R class in general service with the withdrawal of the final three operating in this capacity: R 742 on 23 June, R 735 on 24 July and oil-burning R 748 on 10 August 1967. After this date, the remaining R class locomotives on the register were used for special enthusiast workings. R 706, R 769 and R 749 continued in this role until boiler and mechanical conditions made them too costly to maintain and they too were withdrawn, leaving only R 707 and R 761 in operable condition.
Scrappings had commenced with R 755 in 1960, which had been involved in a serious rear-end collision with a freight train earlier that year, and continued through the decade. By 1970, only seven of the class remained intact. R 707 and R 761 continued to haul various special trains until both were withdrawn in 1974 as their boiler certificates expired, and with their withdrawal came the end of over a century of mainline steam locomotive operation on Victorian Railways.
R class locomotives saw a relatively brief but notable return to operation of regularly scheduled mainline passenger rail services when in the late 1990s, two of the remaining locomotives were extensively modified and returned to service. Private rail operator West Coast Railway
, which had successfully tendered for operation of the Warrnambool railway line in the privatisation of the Victorian passenger rail network, modified the locomotives as part of an ambitious plan to operate steam-powered express passenger services running to the same timetable as those operated by modern diesel electric locomotives.
In order to ensure the locomotive's ability to reliably keep to the timetable, a number of notable design changes were made. These included the replacement of the original single blastpipe with dual Lempor ejector
s, conversion to oil firing, fitting of power reverse, and the addition of a diesel control stand to allow for multiple unit operation
with diesel electric locomotives where required. R 711 entered service on regular trains on November 21, 1998, and design refinements based on its performance in service were made to the subsequent conversion of R 766.
For a number of years, the modified R class locomotives could be seen in regular operation between Melbourne and Warrnambool
, keeping a fast 3 hour 13 minute schedule which included six stops along the 267 km (166 mi) route. In 2004, West Coast Railway ceased operations after a number of operational problems made the business unviable. The two R class locomotives made a final trip back to Newport Workshops
, where they passed into the care of Steamrail Victoria
.
Seven R class locomotives have survived into preservation.
in 1951 and retained its commemorative plaques, is today preserved at the ARHS
North Williamstown Railway Museum. R 704 was painted in a one-off special livery of black with gold and red lining finished with stainless steel boiler banding for its display at the Festival. Although reverting to the standard VR R class livery on entering service, it retained the stainless steel trim and is currently displayed in this state.
As of May 2011, one R class locomotive is operational and available for mainline use: R 761, operated by Steamrail Victoria
. R707, operated by 707 Operations
Incorporated, was available for traffic until October 2010 when it was withdrawn for boiler repairs and is expected to be back in service by the end of 2011. Both locomotives have since restoration in the mid 1980s hauled many special passenger trains for enthusiasts to various destinations on Victoria's remaining broad gauge network. Prior to the privatisation of V/Line
in the 1990s, it was not uncommon to see R 707, 761 or 766 hauling normal revenue-earning V/Line passenger trains as a crew training exercise. R 707 has been named "City of Melbourne" in preservation.
As of May 2011, R711 is operational, but not yet permitted on mainline metals pending certification. Now wearing a special Victorian Railways
royal blue and gold livery reminiscent of the Spirit of Progress
days, 711 remains in storage. Its is expected that R711 will return to the mainline by the end of 2011 following mainline trials. Whilst remaining oil fired, the engine has reverted back to a single blast pipe set up as standard on the R class fleet as well as reverting to standard screw reverser. 711 is owned by the City of Bendigo.
R 700 is a current restoration project of Steamrail Victoria. R 700 was stored in a dismantled state at Ballarat East until early 2011 when it was lifted back onto its wheels and is awaiting return to Newport Workshops for restoration..
R 766 has passed through a number of operators and owners in preservation. It was acquired by a company trading as "Australian Vintage Travel" in 1981 and restored to operating condition for hauling luxury rail services. It was painted in a Brunswick green livery, matching the ex-South Australian Railways
carriages also restored for these services. After Australian Vintage Travel folded in 1986, R 766 was acquired by a syndicate of shareholders ("766 Syndicate") and leased to Steamrail Victoria. In 1994, Steamrail volunteers re-painted R 766 in a maroon livery based on that of the London Midland and Scottish Railway, before the locomotive was leased to West Coast Railway (and repainted in the WCR corporate livery) in 2000.
Like several other classes, the R-class was designed for ease of conversion to standard gauge
. Following its withdrawal from West Coast Railway service, R 766 was converted from 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) broad gauge
to 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) standard gauge
by Steamrail Victoria
for operation in New South Wales
by the Hunter Valley Railway Trust, and was transferred to NSW in December 2007.
R 753, allocated to 707 Operations, is currently stored out of service in a dismantled state and is used as a source of spare parts for R 707.
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...
that ran on Australia's Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
from 1951 to 1974. A long overdue replacement for the 1907-era A2 class
Victorian Railways A2 class
The A2 class was an express passenger locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1907 to 1963. A highly successful design entirely the work of Victorian Railways' own design office, its long service life was repeatedly extended as economic depression and war delayed the introduction of more...
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...
, their development and construction was repeatedly delayed due to financial constraints caused by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and later the manpower and materials shortages of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the immediate postwar period.
Orders eventually totalling 70 locomotives were placed with the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Once initial teething problems were overcome, R class locomotives proved to be a success and their power and speed enabled faster timetabled services. However, they were almost immediately superseded by mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
s on the VR from 1952 onwards. With successive orders of diesel-electric locomotives through the 1950s and 1960s gradually displacing them, all but seven of the class were withdrawn and cut up for scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
.
Four of the remaining locomotives were later restored to operating condition between 1984 and 1998. These have seen use ranging from hauling special heritage train services through to substituting for modern diesel-electric locomotives on regular intercity rail services run by V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
and West Coast Railway
West Coast Railway (Victoria)
West Coast Railway was the trading name of The Victorian Railway Company Pty Ltd, a railway company operating in Victoria, Australia. The company operated passenger services between Melbourne and Warrnambool from 1993 to 2004.-History:...
. Another surviving example, number R 704, was originally displayed at the Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
in 1951 and is now on permanent display at the Australian Railway Historical Society
Australian Railway Historical Society
The Australian Railway Historical Society was founded in Sydney in 1933 as The Australasian Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. It aims to foster an interest in the railways, and record and preserve many facets of railway operations. Membership now exceeds 2,500, with Divisions in every...
museum in North Williamstown, Victoria.
History
Within a few years of the introduction of the A2 class 4-6-0 in 1907, it was clear that increasingly heavy train loads would require a more powerful locomotive on principal main lines. From as early as 1918, a series of drawings for potential 4-6-24-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
'Pacific' type locomotives began to emerge from the VR's Locomotive Design Section, some of which were ultimately developed into the 3 cylinder S class
Victorian Railways S class
The S class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1928 to 1954. Built when the VR was at its zenith and assigned to haul premier interstate express passenger services, the S class remained the VR's most prestigious locomotive class until the advent of diesel...
heavy Pacific of 1928. However, plans for a smaller 2 cylinder Pacific, with an axle load below 20 tons to allow operation across the VR mainline network, were put on hold during the 1930s. This was partly due to the decline in traffic and revenue due to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and partly due to the improved power outputs and efficiency from the A2 locomotives after the application of a series of smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
design and draughting changes referred to as 'Modified Front End' in the mid 1930s.
By 1943 however, the situation had changed. There was a massive increase in traffic brought by the advent of World War II
Military history of Australia during World War II
Australia entered World War II shortly after the invasion of Poland, declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces, whose military units fought primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and...
, and the A2s were by this point well past their prime. The VR Locomotive Design Section once again turned their attention to the proposed Pacific replacement. The addition of a mechanical stoker, the enlarging of the grate
Grate
*A grate is a frame of iron bars to hold fuel for a fire.*It may also refer to a covering of a drain, also called a grating.*The act of using a grater, a kitchen utensil.- People :*Don Grate US sportsman....
from 37 to 42 sq ft (3.4 to 3.9 m2) for increased performance and the use of heavy bar-frame construction for increased durability significantly increased the projected weight of the locomotive. To keep the axle load
Axle load
The axle load of a wheeled vehicle is the total weight felt by the roadway for all wheels connected to a given axle. Viewed another way, it is the fraction of total vehicle weight resting on a given axle...
to 19.5 tons, the design by 1944 had changed from a 4-6-2 'Pacific' to a 4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
'Hudson' wheel arrangement.
Design Features
The R class adopted the bar frame construction of the H
Victorian Railways H class
The H class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1941 to 1958. Intended to eliminate the use of double heading A2 class locomotives on Overland services on the steeply graded Western line to Adelaide, wartime restrictions led to only one locomotive being built...
and S
Victorian Railways S class
The S class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Victorian Railways from 1928 to 1954. Built when the VR was at its zenith and assigned to haul premier interstate express passenger services, the S class remained the VR's most prestigious locomotive class until the advent of diesel...
class express passenger locomotives, which had proven to be far more robust in coping with the VR's varying track quality than the fracture-prone plate frames of the A2.
The decision to install MB Type 1 mechanical stoker equipment (capable of feeding up to 10000 lb (4,536 kg) of coal per hour) on a locomotive with only a 42 square feet (3.9 m²) grate reflected improved postwar working conditions for locomotive firemen, the varying quality of postwar coal and the expectation of sustained high speed operation of the locomotive. The manually fired prewar VR S class Pacific
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
, although capable of 2,300 drawbar horsepower (1,700 kW), was limited by the physical ability of the fireman to feed its 50 square feet (4.6 m²) grate and as such was reliant on coal with a high calorific value.
Online locomotive database steamlocomotive.com notes: "They showed an interesting blend of European, British, American, and Australian practice. The slotted pilot is Australian, the long sand dome American, the Belpaire firebox and cab British, and the mid-line smoke lifters ('elephant ears') European."
Other modern features included SKF
SKF
SKF, Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB , later AB SKF, is a Swedish bearing company founded in 1907, supplying bearings, seals, lubrication and lubrication systems, maintenance products, mechatronics products, power transmission products and related services globally.-History:The company was founded on...
roller bearings on all axles and the innovative, lightweight SCOA-P
SCOA-P wheel
thumb|SCOA-P driving wheelsthumb|SCOA-P wheel centre detail SCOA-P pattern wheels are a type of steam locomotive wheel. Rather than having traditional solid spokes, the SCOA-P spoke is hollow, with a 'U' shaped cross section...
type driving wheel
Driving wheel
On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons...
s, which were specially developed for the R class by the Steel Company of Australia.
Production
An order for 20 locomotives was placed with the VR's Newport WorkshopsNewport Railway Workshops
The Newport Railway Workshops is a facility in the Melbourne suburb of Newport, Victoria, Australia, that builds, maintains and refurbishes railway rollingstock. It is located between the Williamstown and Werribee railway lines.-History:...
in 1946, but remained unfulfilled for years as shortages of steel and manpower saw other projects (such as the overhaul of badly run-down infrastructure and the building of extra X class
Victorian Railways X class
The X class was a mainline goods locomotive of the 2-8-2 'Mikado' type that ran on the Victorian Railways between 1929 and 1961. They were the most powerful goods locomotive on the VR until the advent of diesel-electric traction, and operated over the key Bendigo, Wodonga, and Gippsland...
goods locomotives) given precedence.
By the late 1940s, the A2 class was at the end of its life, and new motive power was desperately required. Australian Federal Government restrictions on the availability of US dollars (designed to favour trade within the British Empire) precluded the VR from purchasing American diesel-electric locomotives. The VR broke with a long standing policy of in-house steam locomotive construction and called for tenders to construct an additional 50 R class. The contract was awarded to North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
in Glasgow, Scotland on 21 September 1949. The order was increased to 70 on 12 January 1950 with the cancellation of the original order of 20 locomotives from VR's Newport shops.
Further delays were experienced once the locomotives finally arrived from May 1951 onwards. Corrosion had already set in during their sea voyage as deck cargo from Scotland to Australia, and there were numerous manufacturing defects requiring rectification. R 703 was the first of the class in service, on 27 June 1951, and the last of the fleet R 769 did not enter service until 23 September 1953..
Service life
Once the manufacturing defects and corrosion damage were corrected, the R class proved to be a fine locomotive in its intended role of express passenger service. Dynamometer car testing showed they were capable of producing a maximum 1840 drawbar horsepower (1840 hp) at 37.5 mph (60.4 km/h), a significant improvement over the A2's 1230 hp at 32 mph (51.5 km/h). They quickly took over virtually all mainline passenger services previously operated by the A2 and passenger timetables were revised to take advantage of their higher performance, with cuts to journey times as high as 60 minutes. Individual R class locomotives were soon running upwards of 950 to 1250 mi (1,528.9 to 2,011.7 km) each per week.Their mechanical stoker, smooth riding characteristics and large, comfortable cab also made them popular with crews.
The R's impressive debut was cut short by the introduction of the B class (EMD ML2) diesel electric locomotives from July 1952, a locomotive type based on the latest GM EMD designs and built in Australia under licence by Clyde Engineering
Clyde Engineering
Clyde 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...
. By the end of 1953, the success of the B class saw the R class withdrawn from The Overland service to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and also VR's passenger service to Mildura
Mildura, Victoria
Mildura is a regional city in northwestern Victoria, Australia and seat of the Rural City of Mildura local government area. It is located in the Sunraysia region, and is on the banks of the Murray River. The current population is estimated at just over 30,000.Mildura is a major agricultural centre...
. The Gippsland line
Orbost railway line
The Orbost railway line is a railway serving the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia...
, which was electrified to Traralgon
Traralgon, Victoria
Traralgon is a regional city located in the Latrobe Valley in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Traralgon is a city within the City of Latrobe....
by 1955, was the first line to see the complete withdrawal of the R class from service. On 18 May 1964, R 703 worked the last regular steam-hauled passenger train out of Melbourne, the 6.05pm Geelong service.
The Rs were pressed into secondary passenger and goods service, roles which for which a Hudson with large diameter driving wheels was sometimes a less than ideal choice. There was little opportunity to exploit their high speed capability. Furthermore, their relatively low factor of adhesion
Factor of adhesion
In railroad engineering, the factor of adhesion of a locomotive is the weight on the driving wheels divided by the starting tractive effort.A common rule is that for a steam locomotive a good factor of adhesion equals or exceeds 4, but not by too much...
(4.08) and lack of fully compensated springing, coupled with the tendency of locomotives to transfer weight to the rearmost wheels under high drawbar pull conditions (which in the case of the R meant a weight transfer from the driving wheels to the unpowered trailing truck) caused them to slip
Locomotive wheelslip
Locomotive wheelslip is an event that affects railway motive power when starting from stationary.The greatest effort is required from a locomotive when starting...
when starting heavy goods trains.
The R class is remembered by many for its role as power for the seasonal grain harvest. In times of a good harvest, virtually every available locomotive would be marshalled into service to shift wheat trains of over 1,000 tons from Victoria's Western district through to the ports for export. Double-headed R class locomotives, sometimes aided by a third R acting as banking engine at the rear, could be seen battling the 3 mile, 1 in 52 (1.92%) Warrenheip
Warrenheip, Victoria
Warrenheip is a small suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia located on the western rural-urban fringe. At the 2006 census, Warrenheip had a population of 435....
Bank out of Ballarat.
In the 1960s, as the railway preservation movement began to gather momentum, a small number of R class locomotives found a new role as power for excursion train services. In this role they were able to fulfill their intended role of high speed passenger travel, with speeds of over 80 mph (129 km/h) being recorded.
PBC and oil firing
Victorian Railways X class
The X class was a mainline goods locomotive of the 2-8-2 'Mikado' type that ran on the Victorian Railways between 1929 and 1961. They were the most powerful goods locomotive on the VR until the advent of diesel-electric traction, and operated over the key Bendigo, Wodonga, and Gippsland...
'Mikado'
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
X 32. While the PBC locomotives performed well, the expense of installing storage and handling facilities became increasingly uneconomic with falling prices for fuel oil and the success of diesel-electric traction. The conversion had also reduced the water capacity of R 707's tender such that there was insufficient margin for delays or bad weather running on many routes, confining the locomotive to the shorter Melbourne - Geelong
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
and Melbourne - Seymour
Seymour, Victoria
Seymour is a township in the Shire of Mitchell in the state of Victoria, Australia and is located north of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Seymour had a population of 6,063...
lines. The experiments were discontinued and R 707 was converted back to black coal operation in 1957.
R 719 and 748 were converted to oil-firing during the mid 1950s. They performed very well and were favourites among crews for their clean, cinder
Cinder
A cinder is a pyroclastic material. Cinders are extrusive igneous rocks. Cinders are similar to pumice, which has so many cavities and is such low-density that it can float on water...
-free running. The reduced maintenance associated with their oil-fired operation meant they also had the highest availability of any of the R class and as such recorded the highest mileages of any of the class. However, rising fuel oil costs and the ongoing dieselisation program on the VR precluded any further locomotives from being converted.
Demise
Because they were superseded so early in their lives by more modern forms of traction, and because they spent so much of their remaining lives stored for seasonal grain traffic and/or in poor condition, the R class achieved one of the lowest average mileages of any VR locomotive. The lowest was that of R 716, which recorded just 88,909 miles (143,085 km) in just four years of service before being withdrawn in 1956 and scrapped in 1962.As the VR focussed its attention on diesel electric traction, steam locomotive depots were gradually closed down and the remaining steam fleet became a much lower maintenance priority. A particular problem was the lack of feedwater treatment, which saw many R class locomotive boilers condemned for severe corrosion well before the end of their design life.
1967 marked the final year of the R class in general service with the withdrawal of the final three operating in this capacity: R 742 on 23 June, R 735 on 24 July and oil-burning R 748 on 10 August 1967. After this date, the remaining R class locomotives on the register were used for special enthusiast workings. R 706, R 769 and R 749 continued in this role until boiler and mechanical conditions made them too costly to maintain and they too were withdrawn, leaving only R 707 and R 761 in operable condition.
Scrappings had commenced with R 755 in 1960, which had been involved in a serious rear-end collision with a freight train earlier that year, and continued through the decade. By 1970, only seven of the class remained intact. R 707 and R 761 continued to haul various special trains until both were withdrawn in 1974 as their boiler certificates expired, and with their withdrawal came the end of over a century of mainline steam locomotive operation on Victorian Railways.
21st century steam: West Coast Railway's R 711 and R 766
West Coast Railway (Victoria)
West Coast Railway was the trading name of The Victorian Railway Company Pty Ltd, a railway company operating in Victoria, Australia. The company operated passenger services between Melbourne and Warrnambool from 1993 to 2004.-History:...
, which had successfully tendered for operation of the Warrnambool railway line in the privatisation of the Victorian passenger rail network, modified the locomotives as part of an ambitious plan to operate steam-powered express passenger services running to the same timetable as those operated by modern diesel electric locomotives.
In order to ensure the locomotive's ability to reliably keep to the timetable, a number of notable design changes were made. These included the replacement of the original single blastpipe with dual Lempor ejector
Lempor ejector
The Lempor ejector is a Steam locomotive exhaust system developed by noted Argentine locomotive engineer Livio Dante Porta. In a steam locomotive, draft is produced in the firebox by exhausting the steam coming from the cylinders out of the chimney, or also by a blower. The LemPor exhaust delivers...
s, conversion to oil firing, fitting of power reverse, and the addition of a diesel control stand to allow for multiple unit operation
Multiple-unit train control
Multiple-unit train control, sometimes abbreviated to multiple-unit or MU, is a method of simultaneously controlling all the traction equipment in a train from a single location, whether it is a Multiple unit comprising a number of self-powered passenger cars or a set of locomotives.A set of...
with diesel electric locomotives where required. R 711 entered service on regular trains on November 21, 1998, and design refinements based on its performance in service were made to the subsequent conversion of R 766.
For a number of years, the modified R class locomotives could be seen in regular operation between Melbourne and Warrnambool
Warrnambool, Victoria
-Cityscape:The original City of Warrnambool was a 4x8 grid, with boundaries of Lava Street , Japan Street , Merri Street and Henna Street . In the nineteenth century, it was intended that Fairy Street – with its proximity to the Warrnambool Railway Station – would be the main street of...
, keeping a fast 3 hour 13 minute schedule which included six stops along the 267 km (166 mi) route. In 2004, West Coast Railway ceased operations after a number of operational problems made the business unviable. The two R class locomotives made a final trip back to Newport Workshops
Newport Railway Workshops
The Newport Railway Workshops is a facility in the Melbourne suburb of Newport, Victoria, Australia, that builds, maintains and refurbishes railway rollingstock. It is located between the Williamstown and Werribee railway lines.-History:...
, where they passed into the care of Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
.
Preservation
Static Display
R 704, which was displayed at the Festival of BritainFestival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
in 1951 and retained its commemorative plaques, is today preserved at the ARHS
Australian Railway Historical Society
The Australian Railway Historical Society was founded in Sydney in 1933 as The Australasian Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. It aims to foster an interest in the railways, and record and preserve many facets of railway operations. Membership now exceeds 2,500, with Divisions in every...
North Williamstown Railway Museum. R 704 was painted in a one-off special livery of black with gold and red lining finished with stainless steel boiler banding for its display at the Festival. Although reverting to the standard VR R class livery on entering service, it retained the stainless steel trim and is currently displayed in this state.
Operational, stored or under restoration
Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
. R707, operated by 707 Operations
707 Operations
707 Operations is a railway preservation group based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The volunteer organisation was established in 1980 to restore R class locomotive R707. The company has its own section of the Newport Workshops that is used for storing carriages and locomotives when not in...
Incorporated, was available for traffic until October 2010 when it was withdrawn for boiler repairs and is expected to be back in service by the end of 2011. Both locomotives have since restoration in the mid 1980s hauled many special passenger trains for enthusiasts to various destinations on Victoria's remaining broad gauge network. Prior to the privatisation of V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
in the 1990s, it was not uncommon to see R 707, 761 or 766 hauling normal revenue-earning V/Line passenger trains as a crew training exercise. R 707 has been named "City of Melbourne" in preservation.
As of May 2011, R711 is operational, but not yet permitted on mainline metals pending certification. Now wearing a special Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
royal blue and gold livery reminiscent of the Spirit of Progress
Spirit of Progress
The Spirit of Progress was the premier express train passenger service on the Victorian Railways in Australia, running from Melbourne to the Victorian border, and later through to Sydney.-Route:...
days, 711 remains in storage. Its is expected that R711 will return to the mainline by the end of 2011 following mainline trials. Whilst remaining oil fired, the engine has reverted back to a single blast pipe set up as standard on the R class fleet as well as reverting to standard screw reverser. 711 is owned by the City of Bendigo.
R 700 is a current restoration project of Steamrail Victoria. R 700 was stored in a dismantled state at Ballarat East until early 2011 when it was lifted back onto its wheels and is awaiting return to Newport Workshops for restoration..
R 766 has passed through a number of operators and owners in preservation. It was acquired by a company trading as "Australian Vintage Travel" in 1981 and restored to operating condition for hauling luxury rail services. It was painted in a Brunswick green livery, matching the ex-South Australian Railways
South Australian Railways
South Australian Railways built and operated railways in South Australia from 1854 to the incorporation of its non-urban railways into the Australian National Railways Commission in 1975, together with the former Commonwealth Railways and the former Tasmanian Government Railways...
carriages also restored for these services. After Australian Vintage Travel folded in 1986, R 766 was acquired by a syndicate of shareholders ("766 Syndicate") and leased to Steamrail Victoria. In 1994, Steamrail volunteers re-painted R 766 in a maroon livery based on that of the London Midland and Scottish Railway, before the locomotive was leased to West Coast Railway (and repainted in the WCR corporate livery) in 2000.
Like several other classes, the R-class was designed for ease of conversion to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. Following its withdrawal from West Coast Railway service, R 766 was converted from 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
to 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
by Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria
Steamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
for operation in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
by the Hunter Valley Railway Trust, and was transferred to NSW in December 2007.
R 753, allocated to 707 Operations, is currently stored out of service in a dismantled state and is used as a source of spare parts for R 707.
External links
- Anatomy of West Coast Railway's "Super" R Class - article from Steamrail VictoriaSteamrail VictoriaSteamrail Victoria is a not-for-profit volunteer group established in 1965 to the restore and operate historic locomotives and rolling stock used on the railways in Victoria, Australia. The main depot of the group is at the Newport Railway Workshops in suburban Melbourne...
's magazine 'Stack Talk', August 2001 - Victorian Railways, Museum Victoria: Last of the Steam Locos - various R class photographs
- Public Record Office Victoria Image VPRS 12800/P1 H 4622 - Classic early 1960s photograph (here colourised) of diesel-electrics B 60, T 333, and steam locomotive R 717 powering up Warrenheip Bank with an export grain train
- Steamrail R766 page - photographic essay detailing the conversion of former West Coast Railway locomotive R 766 to standard gauge for future operation in NSW
- Steamrail R711 page - photographic essay detailing the overhaul of former West Coast Railway locomotive R 711
- Railpictures