6029

6029
6029 crossing the Murrumbidgee River Railway Bridge, Wagga Wagga in June 2015
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Builder Beyer, Peacock and Company, Manchester
Serial number 7531
Build date 1954
Specifications
Configuration:
 ​
 • Whyte 4-8-4+4-8-4
Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia. 4 ft 7 in (1.397 m)
Adhesive weight 282,000 lb (128 t) or 317,000 lb (144 t)
Loco weight 562,000 lb (255 t) or 582,000 lb (264 t)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 14 long tons (14 t), later 18 long tons (18 t)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		 65 sq ft (6.0 m2)
Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa)
Heating surface 3,030 sq ft (281 m2)
Superheater:
 ​
 • Heating area 750 sq ft (70 m2)
Cylinders Four
Cylinder size 19 1⁄4 in × 26 in (489 mm × 660 mm) or 19 7⁄8 in × 26 in (505 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effort 59,560 lbf (264.9 kN)
Factor of adh. 4.73 or 4.99
Career
Operators New South Wales Government Railways
Class AD60
Numbers 6029
First run 24 April 1954
Withdrawn September 1972
Current owner Phillip Davis and David Sommerville
Disposition In service
Distance travelled 996,827 km

6029 is a four-cylinder, simple, non-condensing, superheated, articulated 4-8-4+4-8-4 Garratt steam locomotive, of the AD60 class, built by Beyer, Peacock and Company, Manchester, England, for the New South Wales Government Railways. It was restored to operational condition in 2014, and is named City of Canberra.

Service

6029 entered service in 1954 on the Main North line also working one the Main South and later Main Western line. On 17 February 1959 the locomotive was converted to dual control and had an extension to the coal bunker, increasing its coal capacity.[1]

It was withdrawn in September 1972 and condemned on 4 January 1973. In 1974 the National Museum of Australia acquired the locomotive and placed it in the custody of the Australian Railway Historical Society's Canberra Railway Museum. It worked from Sydney to Goulburn in December 1974 before hauling a special charter to Canberra on 5 January 1975.[2]

It was restored to operational condition and operated heritage trains for the Canberra Railway Museum. 6029 is the only locomotive of its class to operate interstate, when in 1980 it visited Victoria participating in a parallel run to Wangaratta with Victorian Railways K153. Heritage tours continued over several years until boiler problems caused it to be withdrawn from service in 1981.[1]

In 1994 a feasibility study confirmed the requirements to get 6029 back in steam. A replacement ex-NSWGR boiler was obtained from a Victorian sawmill. Restoration commenced in 2007, being completed in July 2014 and after mainline trials, 6029 received official mainline accreditation in December 2014 with the first public trips taking place on 28 February 2015.[1][3][4][5]

It was named City of Canberra by minister Shane Rattenbury on 23 February 2015.[1][6] In 2017, it was placed up for sale by the liquidator of the Canberra Railway Museum and purchased privately by Phillip Davis and David Sommerville.[7][8]

Due to the locomotive not being based in Canberra and for historic reasons, AD60s were not allowed to travel though single line tunnels during their service and of which 3 exist between Bungendore and Queanbeyan on the Bombala railway line, the locomotive's nameplates (City of Canberra) were unofficially taken off in late 2017. They were given to two unnamed sources.

Importance

6029 is the only currently preserved AD60 to be in operating condition. It is also the last so-called Super-Garratt in existence, with the modification work done on the locomotive. Although, the second brake stand has been removed, due to it being unnecessary and for storage in the cab, and the second throttle handle not been connected to the main throttle since its restoration.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 6029 Australian Steam
  2. ↑ "Garratt's Last Fling" The Railway Magazine issue 894 October 1975 page 493
  3. ↑ Massive restored steam train completes first test run in Canberra ABC News 25 July 2014
  4. ↑ Project 6029 Project 6029 blog
  5. ↑ Beyer-Garratt 6029 Inaugural Trip Canberra Railway Museum
  6. ↑ Whitford, Richard(Ed) (2015), Federal City Express, Canberra: ARHS(ACT div), p. 1
  7. ↑ Canberra Railway Museum forced to sell off historic train carriages ABC Radio Canberra 13 July 2017
  8. ↑ 1953 Beyer Garrett AD60 Class 4-8-4 + 4-8-4 Articulated Steam Locomotive Slattery Auctions

Media related to 6029 at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.