South Australian Railways R class
Rx149 with a load of wine casks at McLaren Vale
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder |
Dübs & Co (6) James Martin & Co (24) Islington Railway Workshops (14) North British Locomotive Company (15) Walkers Limited (25) |
| Build date | 1886-1916 |
| Total produced | 84 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Configuration | 4-6-0 |
| Gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
| Driver dia. | 4 ft 6 in (1.372 m) |
| Length | 49 ft 11 in (15.215 m) |
| Loco weight | 40 long tons (40,642 kg) (R) |
| Tender weight | 22 long tons (22,353 kg) (R) |
| Total weight | 65 long tons (66,043 kg) (R), 88 long tons (89,412 kg) |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 4 tons 18 cwt (R), 7 tons 16 cwt (Rx), 6 tons 17 cwt (Rx 6 wheel tender) |
| Water cap | 2,040 gallons (R) 3,750 gallons (Rx), 3,200 gallons (Rx 6 wheel tender) |
| Boiler pressure | 145 psi (1,000 kPa) |
| Heating surface: • Tubes |
1,196 square feet (R), 1,208 square feet (Rx) |
| Cylinders | 2 |
| Cylinder size | 18 in × 24 in (457 mm × 610 mm) |
| Valve gear | Stephenson |
| Performance figures | |
|---|---|
| Tractive effort | 17,700 lbf (78.73 kN) (R) 21,420 lbf (95.28 kN) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | South Australian Railways |
| Numbers | 5, 9, 10, 15, 20*, 25*, 48, 55, 56, 91*-96*, 102*-107*, 138*-153*, 155, 158, 160, 190-203, 206-235 (* originally built as R class) |
| Disposition | 10 preserved, 74 scrapped |
The South Australian Railways R class, later upgraded to Rx Class was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.
In 1886, Dübs and Company of Glasgow delivered the first six R class. A further 24 had been built by James Martin & Co by November 1895. From 1899, all were rebuilt with higher powered Belpaire boilers and reclassified as the Rx class. A further 54 locomotives were built as Rx class by the Islington Railway Workshops, North British Locomotive Company and Walkers Limited with all in service by May 1916.
R class were the predominant locomotive used on broad gauge main line services in South Australia from their introduction. After the introduction of the large Webb engines they were relegated to secondary lines and services such as shunting and hauling goods trains. A large group of Rx class locomotives, mainly early builds, were withdrawn from service in 1934, however the remainder continued to serve into the mid 1960s.
Several Rx class locomotives and one R class survive to this day in various states of preservation.
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Wikipedia