WAGR Q class (1895)

The WAGR Q class was a six-member class of 4-6-2T tank engine steam locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1896 and 1925.

WAGR Q class
Q139 with a train of new suburban carriages at Rocky Bay (North Fremantle), 1905
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder R&W Hawthorn Leslie & Co Total produced 6 Rebuilder Midland Railway Workshops Rebuild date 1905, 1909 Number rebuilt 4 as Qa class
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2T Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Length Q: 34 ft 1 in (10.39 m) Qa: 35 ft 2 in (10.72 m) Loco weight Q: 41 long tons 0 cwt (91,800 lb or 41.7 t) Qa: 52 long tons 0 cwt (116,500 lb or 52.8 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity Q: 2.5 long tons 0 cwt (5,600 lb or 2.5 t) Qa: 3 long tons 0 cwt (6,700 lb or 3 t) Water cap. Q: 1,200 imp gal (5,500 L; 1,400 US gal) Qa: 1,600 imp gal (7,300 L; 1,900 US gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area Q: 14 sq ft (1.3 m2) Qa: 17 sq ft (1.6 m2) Boiler pressure Q: 160 lbf/in2 (1.10 MPa) Qa: 175 lbf/in2 (1.21 MPa)
Performance figures Tractive effort Q: 14,908 lbf (66.31 kN) Qa: 16,306 lbf (72.53 kN) Factor of adh. Q: 3.9, Qa: 4.3
Career Operators Western Australian Government Railways Numbers Q138-Q143 First run 19 August 1896 Withdrawn 31 March 1925 Disposition All scrapped

History

In April 1896, the WAGR placed an order with R&W Hawthorn Leslie & Co for four 4-6-2T locomotives. Meanwhile, the builder had two very similar locomotives that had been built in 1895 for the Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique, Mozambique as part of a cancelled order. A deal was done in May 1896 for the WAGR to purchase them and they entered service in August 1896. The other four entered service in 1896/97. The 1895 built locomotives had different shaped cab windows and side tanks.

They were employed as shunters at Fremantle and Midland. In 1905, Q140 was rebuilt with a new boiler and converted to 4-6-4T configuration with water and coal capacity increased to make it suitable to operate on the Upper Darling Range railway, Q141-Q143 followed in 1909. They were reclassified as the Qa class.

They operated branch line services on the Mundaring, Mundaring Weir, Pinjarra-Holyoake and Upper Darling Range lines as well as on the Eastern Railway to Northam and South Western Railway to Bunbury. All were withdrawn in 1924/25.

Class list

The numbers and periods in service of each member of the Q class were as follows:

Builder's number Road number In service Rebuilt as Qa Withdrawn 2312 138 19 August 1896 31 January 1924 2313 139 19 August 1896 31 January 1924 2351 140 5 December 1896 30 September 1905 31 January 1924 2352 141 20 January 1897 13 March 1909 31 March 1925 2353 142 13 March 1897 29 May 1909 31 March 1925 2354 143 13 March 1897 30 June 1909 31 January 1924

Namesakes

The Q class designation was reused for the Q class locomotives that were introduced in 1931. It was reused in the 1990s when the Westrail Q class diesel locomotives entered service.

See also

• Rail transport in Western Australia
• List of Western Australian locomotive classes

References

Cited works

• Gunzburg, Adrian (1984). A History of WAGR Steam Locomotives. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society (Western Australian Division). ISBN 0959969039.