Victorian Railways J class

Victorian Railways J class
J515 on the Victorian Goldfields Railway in January 2007
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Vulcan Foundry Serial number 6046–6095, 6146–6155 Build date 1954 Total produced 60
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-0 Gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) Driver dia. 55 in (1,397 mm) Length 60 ft 5 1⁄2 in (18.43 m) Axle load 14.5 long tons (14.7 t; 16.2 short tons) Adhesive weight 57.35 long tons (58.27 t; 64.23 short tons) Loco weight 66.95 long tons (68.02 t; 74.98 short tons) Tender weight 45.8 long tons (46.5 t; 51.3 short tons) Total weight 112.75 long tons (114.56 t; 126.28 short tons) Fuel type Coal (30) Oil (30) Fuel capacity 5 long tons (5.1 t; 5.6 short tons) coal, 4,200 imp gal (19,000 l) water (coal burners); 1,500 imp gal (6,800 l) oil, 4,100 imp gal (19,000 l) water (oil burners) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 31 sq ft (2.9 m2) Boiler pressure 175 lbf/in2 (1.21 MPa), later 180 lbf/in2 (1.24 MPa) Heating surface 1,682 sq ft (156.3 m2) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 20 in × 26 in (508 mm × 660 mm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 28,650 lbf (127.4 kN) at 85% boiler pressure, later 29,500 lbf (131 kN)
Career Operators Victorian Railways Numbers J500-J559 Disposition 11 preserved, 49 scrapped

The Victorian Railways J class was a branch line steam locomotive operated by the Victorian Railways (VR) between 1954 and 1972. A development of the successful Victorian Railways K class 2-8-0, it was the last new class of steam locomotive introduced on the VR. Introduced almost concurrently with the diesel-electric locomotives that ultimately superseded them, these locomotives were only in service for a relatively short time.

During the early 1950s, Victorian Railways embarked on a massive upgrading of its ageing locomotive fleet as part of 'Operation Phoenix', an £80 million program to rebuild a network badly run down by years of Depression-era underinvestment and wartime overutilisation.

Victoria's branch line railway network, laid with 60 lb/yd (29.8 kg/m) rail and featuring gradients of up to 1 in 30 (3.33%), was still largely served by the D1, D2 and D3 variants of the once 261-strong 1902-era Dd class 4-6-0, which by the early 1950s was at the end of its life. These were supplemented by 53 K class locomotives, some of which had been built as recently as 1946. Although highly successful, the K was unsuitable for potential conversion from 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) to 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge in the event of the Victorian network being standardised, and VR policy was for all new locomotives to be engineered for easy conversion. As such, the building of further K class was not a desirable option.