South Australian Railways 1-3

South Australian Railways 1, 2 & 3 were the first three locomotives used to pull trains on South Australian Railways on the Adelaide to Port Adelaide line in 1856. Built by William Fairbairn in Manchester they were named Adelaide, Victoria and Albert, later being renumbered 1-3. They were later used on the Adelaide to Kapunda line. These locomotives were originally tank engines but received a tender engine conversion in 1869 to increase their capacity for fuel and water prior to their being withdrawn by 1873.[1][2]

South Australian Railways 1, 2 & 3
B24
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder William Fairbairn Build date 1855 Total produced 3 Rebuild date 1869 Number rebuilt 3
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-4-0 Well Tank  • UIC 1'B 3 Gauge 5'3" Broad Gauge Driver dia. 5 ft. 3 in. Length 43 ft. 6 in. Height 4.2672 Metres Total weight [about] 37 tons (38t) Boiler pressure 80 psi (550 kPa) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 15 in × 24 in (38 cm × 61 cm)
Performance figures Tractive effort 5,800 lbs
Career Operators South Australian Railways Class Unclassified Numbers 1-3 First run 1856 Last run 1871-1874 Withdrawn 1871-1874 Scrapped 1871-1874 Disposition all scrapped

After the locomotives were scrapped, the coupling wheels from numbers 1 and 2 were used as bogies on a well wagon known as The Crocodile built by the Adelaide Locomotive Works. It was used to transport narrow gauge locomotives over the broad gauge to and from Islington Railway Workshops until 1977. One set is on display at the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide and the other at SteamRanger.[1][3] Parts of number 2 were used in the 1882 assembly of E56.