South Australian Railways P class

The South Australian Railways P class was a class of 2-4-0T steam locomotives operated by the South Australian Railways.

South Australian Railways P class
P71 at Mile End in 1952
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBeyer, Peacock & Co (6)
James Martin & Co (14)
Serial numberBP: 2401-2404, 2528-2529
JM: 52-55, 57-66
Build date1884-1893
Total produced20
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte2-4-0T (1′B)
Gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Leading dia.3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Driver dia.5 ft 0 in (1,524 mm)
Length28 ft 5 in (8,661 mm)
Height12 ft 0 in (3,657.6 mm)
Axle load12 long tons 14 cwt (28,400 lb or 12.9 t)
Adhesive weight24.55 long tons 0 cwt (55,000 lb or 24.9 t)
Loco weight33.7 long tons (37.7 short tons; 34.2 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity1.5 long tons (1.7 short tons; 1.5 t)
Water cap.600 imp gal (720 US gal; 2,700 L)
Firebox:
 • Grate area14.67 sq ft (1.363 m2)
Boiler pressure145 psi (1,000 kPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox187.49 sq ft (17.418 m2)
 • Tubes1,847.49 sq ft (171.637 m2)
Cylinders2
Cylinder size16 in × 0 in (406 mm × 0 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Valve typePiston
Performance figures
Tractive effort10,517 lbf (46.78 kN)
Factor of adh.5.23
Career
OperatorsSouth Australian Railways
ClassP
Number in class20
NumbersP21, P22, P70-P75, P115-P126
First run29/08/1884
Withdrawn1929-1957
PreservedP117
Scrapped1929-1960
Disposition1 preserved, 19 scrapped

History

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The first six were built by Beyer, Peacock & Co for the South Australian Railways (SAR) in 1884.[1][2][3]

Their design was based on an earlier design built by Beyer Peacock for the Isle of Wight Railway. The New South Wales Government Railways F351 class locomotive was also based on this design. The class was successful and a further 14 locomotives were built by James Martin & Co.[2]

Initially the locomotives served hauling suburban trains in Adelaide until replaced by the F class in the early 1900s. In 1899, the SAR took over operations on the Glenelg Railway Company's two lines. The P and K classes replaced the small tank engines on this line, running until 1929 when the lines were closed. The P class served out the remainder of its career on shunting duties and hauling freight trains between Adelaide and Port Adelaide.[2]

P117 has been preserved by the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "P117 NRM exhibit". Australian steam – preserved steam locomotives down under. Australian Steam. 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Locomotive P117". National Railway Museum. National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide. 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  3. ^ Oberg, Leon (1984). Locomotives of Australia 1850s-1980s. Frenchs Forest: Reed Books. p. 48. ISBN 0-7301-0005-7.
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