Victorian Railways H class
Victorian Railways H class
Builder's photograph of H220, 1941
|
| Type and origin |
| Power type |
Steam |
| Builder |
Newport Workshops |
| Build date |
1941 |
| Total produced |
1 |
|
| Specifications |
Configuration:
|
|
| • Whyte
|
4-8-4 |
| Gauge |
1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
|
Driver dia. |
67 in (1,702 mm) |
| Length |
92 ft 5 3⁄4 in (28.19 m) |
| Axle load |
23 long tons 5 cwt (52,100 lb or 23.6 t) |
| Adhesive weight |
92 long tons 12 cwt (207,400 lb or 94.1 t) |
| Loco weight |
146 long tons 10 cwt (328,200 lb or 148.9 t) |
| Tender weight |
113 long tons 11 cwt (254,400 lb or 115.4 t) |
| Total weight |
260 long tons 1 cwt (582,500 lb or 264.2 t) |
| Fuel type |
Coal |
| Fuel capacity |
9 t (8.9 long tons; 9.9 short tons) |
| Water cap |
14,000 imp gal (64,000 L; 17,000 US gal) |
Firebox:
• Firegrate area |
68 sq ft (6 m2) |
| Boiler pressure |
220 lbf/in2 (1,517 kPa) |
| Heating surface |
4,760 sq ft (442 m2) |
| Cylinders |
3 |
| Cylinder size |
21.5 in × 28 in (546 mm × 711 mm) |
|
| Performance figures |
| Tractive effort |
55,000 lbf/in2 (379 MPa) at 85% boiler pressure |
|
|
|
| Type and origin |
| Power type |
Steam |
| Builder |
Newport Workshops |
| Build date |
1941 |
| Total produced |
1 |
| Specifications |
Configuration:
|
|
| • Whyte
|
4-8-4 |
| Gauge |
1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
|
Driver dia. |
67 in (1,702 mm) |
| Length |
92 ft 5 3⁄4 in (28.19 m) |
| Axle load |
23 long tons 5 cwt (52,100 lb or 23.6 t) |
| Adhesive weight |
92 long tons 12 cwt (207,400 lb or 94.1 t) |
| Loco weight |
146 long tons 10 cwt (328,200 lb or 148.9 t) |
| Tender weight |
113 long tons 11 cwt (254,400 lb or 115.4 t) |
| Total weight |
260 long tons 1 cwt (582,500 lb or 264.2 t) |
| Fuel type |
Coal |
| Fuel capacity |
9 t (8.9 long tons; 9.9 short tons) |
| Water cap |
14,000 imp gal (64,000 L; 17,000 US gal) |
Firebox:
• Firegrate area |
68 sq ft (6 m2) |
| Boiler pressure |
220 lbf/in2 (1,517 kPa) |
| Heating surface |
4,760 sq ft (442 m2) |
| Cylinders |
3 |
| Cylinder size |
21.5 in × 28 in (546 mm × 711 mm) |
| Performance figures |
| Tractive effort |
55,000 lbf/in2 (379 MPa) at 85% boiler pressure |
The Victorian Railways H class was an express passenger steam locomotive operated by the Victorian Railways from 1941 to 1958. Intended to eliminate the use of double heading A2 class locomotives on The Overland services on the steeply graded Western line to Adelaide, wartime restrictions led to only one locomotive being built. Nicknamed Heavy Harry, H220 was the largest locomotive ever built in Australia and the largest non-articulated steam locomotive to run on Australian railways.
By 1923, the A2 class 4-6-0 locomotives, which dated back to 1907, were frequently double-heading on interstate expresses to Serviceton and Albury as increasing traffic saw loads exceed the eight car maximum of a single A2 on these services. The Victorian Railways Commissioners recommended considerably more powerful locomotives to haul trains of up to eleven cars unassisted over the ruling gradients on these lines. The S class 4-6-2 Pacifics displaced the A2s from North East line express services from 1928 onwards and allowed a faster timetable to be introduced. However a Pacific-type locomotive was not particularly well suited to the Western line. The section between Melbourne and Ballarat had sharply curved, steep inclines, the most notorious of which was the 10-mile (16 km), 1 in 48 (2.08&) ruling gradient of the Ingliston Bank. As early as 1923 VR locomotive designers were considering 4-8-2 Mountain-type locomotives for this purpose, along with the use of a third cylinder to allow increased power to be achieved without breaching the loading gauge.
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