New South Wales C32 class locomotive

New South Wales C32 class

Class C32 'P6' Class Locomotive

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Beyer, Peacock & Co. (106) Baldwin Locomotive Works (20) Clyde Engineering (45) Eveleigh Railway Workshops (20) Build date 1892–1911 Total produced 191

Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0  • UIC 2'Cn, later 2'Ch Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 0 in (1,524 mm) Adhesive weight 93,000–101,000 lb (42–46 t) Loco weight 126,000–141,000 lb (57–64 t) Fuel type Coal Firebox:  • Firegrate area 27 sq ft (2.5 m2) Boiler pressure 150–160 psi (1.03–1.10 MPa) Heating surface 1,485–1,925 sq ft (138.0–178.8 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type None originally, later all retrofitted  • Heating area 335–430 sq ft (31.1–39.9 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 20 in × 26 in (508 mm × 660 mm) or 21 in × 26 in (533 mm × 660 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 23,573–25,990 lbf (104.9–115.6 kN) Factor of adh. 3.89–4.06

Career Operators New South Wales Government Railways Class P6, C32 from 1924 Withdrawn 1957–1971 Preserved 3203, 3214, 3237, 3265 Disposition 4 preserved, 187 scrapped

The C32 class was a class of steam locomotives built for the New South Wales Government Railways of Australia.

When the new Chief Commissioner, Edward Eddy, took office in 1888, he was anxious to have additional locomotives manufactured within the Colony, and the Government sought the formation of a manufacturing company in New South Wales by interested parties. When this failed, designs were prepared prior to inviting tenders in England.

Beyer, Peacock and Company was selected to build the new locomotives. The first batch of 50 locomotives were delivered between February 1892 and July 1893. They became known as the Manchester Engines.

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-cylinders. The particular compound arrangement was never used in another locomotive, before or since.

Further orders over the 19 years saw 11 locomotives built the last being delivered in April 1911. The initial 50 were built with six wheel tenders, the remainder with eight wheel bogie tenders. Many of the originals were later equipped with bogie tenders, however a number of the class kept the shorter tenders to enable them to be turned on the 50-foot (15.24 m) turntables at certain locations.

The final engine 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.

The first passenger locomotives used on the Trans-Australian Railway the 26 strong Commonwealth Railways G class, were of similar design, and the class leader is preserved at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide.

When first introduced, the class was assigned to the Northern and Southern mail and express trains. Following the strengthening of the Wagga Wagga Viaduct in 1901, they worked the full length of the Main South line from Sydney to Albury, the express covering the 621 km in 12 hours and 35 minutes, including 14 stops.