New South Wales C38 class locomotive

New South Wales C38 Class
3801 on a Newcastle Flyer charter in October 2005
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Clyde Engineering (5) Eveleigh Railway Workshops (13) Cardiff Locomotive Workshops (12) Build date January 1943 – November 1949
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 5 ft 9 in (1,750 mm) Wheelbase 65 ft 7 1⁄8 in (19,993 mm) Length 76 ft 5 in (23.29 m) Total weight 201 long tons (204 t; 225 short tons) when in steam Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 14 long tons (14.225 t; 15.680 short tons) Water cap 8,100 imp gal (37,000 l; 9,700 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 47 sq ft (4.4 m2) Boiler pressure 245 psi (1.69 MPa) Heating surface 3,367.79 sq ft (312.878 m2)  • Tubes 142 tubes, 2 1⁄4 in (57.1 mm) dia each  • Flues 36 flues, 2 1⁄4 in (57.1 mm) dia each Superheater 36 element Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 21.5 in × 26 in (550 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Tractive effort 36,273 lbf (161.35 kN)
Career Operators New South Wales Government Railways Class C38 Number in class 30 Numbers 3801–3830 Locale New South Wales, Australia First run 22 January 1943 Last run 29 December 1970 Preserved 3801, 3813, 3820, 3830 Disposition 4 preserved, 26 scrapped

The C38 class was a class of steam locomotives built for the New South Wales Government Railways in Australia.

Built between January 1943 and November 1949, the 30 locomotives in the class were designed to haul express trains. They were the only New South Wales locomotives to use the popular Pacific 4-6-2 wheel arrangement and were the last steam locomotives built for passenger train operation, all subsequent deliveries being specifically for freight haulage.^[1]

Design

C.38 Class Locomotive Cab Controls

The 38 class were first conceived in the 1930s being heavily influenced by American and other streamlined locomotives of the time.^[2] The NSWGR needed a locomotive to eliminate the complications of double heading required on a number of fast interstate passenger trains.

The design team was headed by Harold Young, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the NSWGR. The conditions of trackwork with frequent sharp curvature to be traversed at high speed would require six-coupled driving wheels in a 'Pacific' 4-6-2 configuration. Maintenance considerations suggested a two-cylinder simple steam locomotive.

The design was carried out by the NSWGR Locomotive Section of the Design Office and incorporated the latest developments in locomotive design from Australia and overseas. The incorporation of as many Australian manufactured components as possible was a requirement at the design stage.

History

3803

3807 on The Riverina Express in 1946

3808

3809

In May 1939 an order for five 38 class locomotives was placed with Clyde Engineering.^[3] They suffered many delays during construction, mostly due to resource shortages caused by World War II. The first five locomotives were built by Clyde Engineering and had distinctive streamlined boiler casing. The remaining 25 locomotives were built at the New South Wales Government Railways' Eveleigh Railway Workshops (13 even number locomotives) and Cardiff Locomotive Workshops (12 odd numbered locomotives).^[4][5]

The Clyde Engineering built examples were delivered in wartime grey. Following the cessation of the war, all were repainted green as were the 25 unstreamlined locomotives from new. All except 3813 were repainted black in the 1950s.^[4][6]

Among the services they initially hauled were the Central West Express, Newcastle Flyer, Melbourne Limited Express, Riverina Express and South Coast Daylight Express as well as the overnight mail trains. Because of their axle load they were confined to operating between Sydney and the following extremities of operation: Port Kembla (Coniston), Albury, Dubbo and Maitland.^[5]

Following the arrival of the 42, 43 and 44 class diesel locomotives in the 1950s, these began to take over some express services, but the 38 class continued to haul many passenger and freight trains. Even after the electrification of the Main Western line to Lithgow in 1957 and the Main North line to Gosford in January 1960, using 46 class electric locomotives, the 38s still operated the Central West Express between Lithgow and Orange into the 1960s and the Newcastle Flyer between Gosford and Newcastle until December 1970.^[7]

The 38 class briefly returned to the former Melbourne Limited Express route in April 1962, when 3830 and 3813 hauled the inaugural standard gauge Spirit of Progress from Albury to Sydney. The first 38 class locomotive was withdrawn in 1961 with the last withdrawn in December 1970.^[4][6]

In August 1970, 3801 hauled the Western Endeavour to Perth following the completion of the standard gauge Trans-Australian Railway with 3813 assisting as far as Port Pirie. In April 1988, 3801 again operated to Perth during the Australian Bicentenary.^[5][8]

3801 featured in the 1974 short film A Steam Train Passes.

Roster

Streamlined 3805

Non streamlined 3820

3830 at Sydney

Preservation

References

External links

Media related to New South Wales C38 class locomotives at Wikimedia Commons