South Australian Railways T class

South Australian Railways T class

T251 at Jamestown in October 1967

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Islington Railway Workshops James Martin & Co Walkers Limited Build date 1903-1917 Total produced 78

Specifications Configuration 4-8-0 Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Length 52 ft 11 in (16.13 m) Total weight 78 long tons 8 cwt (175,600 lb or 79.7 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 8 long tons 0 cwt (17,900 lb or 8.1 t) Water cap 2,500 imperial gallons (11,000 l; 3,000 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 109 sq ft (10.1 m2) Boiler pressure 185 psi (1,276 kPa) Heating surface 939 sq ft (87.2 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 136 sq ft (12.6 m2) Cylinders 2 outside Cylinder size 16.5 in × 22 in (419 mm × 559 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 21,904 lbf (97.43 kN)

Career Operators South Australian Railways Numbers T23-T24, T44T48, T50-T51, T180-T186, T197-T258 Last run 1970 Preserved T181, T186, T199, T224, T251, T253 Disposition 6 preserved, 72 scrapped

The South Australian Railways T class was a class of 4-8-0 steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

Between February 1903 and September 1917, the South Australian Railways (SAR) placed 78 T class locomotives into service. They were built by Islington Railway Workshops (4), James Martin & Co, Gawler (34) and Walkers Limited, Maryborough (40). They were initially conceived to work on the Broken Hill line between Terowie and Peterborough and Port Pirie and Cockburn, but later operated across the SAR network, including on the isolated Eyre Peninsula Railway.

In 1922, six (219, 222, 223, 230, 235 & 237) were sold to the Tasmanian Government Railways, retaining their T class classification and road numbers. All were withdrawn between 1957 and 1961.

In 1922/23, five were converted at Islington Railway Workshops from 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge to 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge for use on the lightly laid Murraylands branch lines out of Tailem Bend depot. They were reclassified as the Tx class. In 1949, they returned to the narrow gauge. Between 1925 and 1939 all remaining 78 received superheated boilers.