Victorian Railways publicity photograph of R 701, 1951
Type and origin
Power type
Steam
Builder
North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow
Specifications
Configuration:
• Whyte
4-6-4
Gauge
5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) 766 converted from 5' 3" (Broad Gauge) to 4' 8.5" (Standard Gauge)
Driver dia.
73 in (1,854 mm)
Length
77 ft 3+1⁄4 in (23.55 m)
Axle load
19 long tons 10 cwt (43,700 lb or 19.8 t)
Adhesive weight
50 long tons 10 cwt (113,100 lb or 51.3 t)
Loco weight
107 long tons 12 cwt (241,000 lb or 109.3 t)
Tender weight
79 long tons 16 cwt (178,800 lb or 81.1 t)
Total weight
187 long tons 8 cwt (419,800 lb or 190.4 t)
Tender cap.
6 long tons 0 cwt (13,400 lb or 6.1 t) coal 9,000 imp gal (40,915 L; 10,809 US gal) water
Firebox:
• Grate area
42 sq ft (3.9 m2)
Boiler pressure
210 psi (1.45 MPa)
Heating surface
2,705 sq ft (251.3 m2)
Cylinders
2
Cylinder size
21.5 in × 28 in (546 mm × 711 mm)
Performance figures
Power output
1,840 hp (1,372 kW) at 37.5 mph (60.4 km/h)
Tractive effort
32,080 lbf (142.7 kN) at 85% boiler pressure
Career
Number in class
70
Preserved
7
The R class was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Australia's Victorian Railways (VR) from 1951 to 1974. A long overdue replacement for the 1907-era A2 class 4-6-0, their development and construction was repeatedly delayed due to financial constraints caused by the Great Depression and later the manpower and materials shortages of World War II and the immediate postwar period.
Orders eventually totalling 70 locomotives were placed with the North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow. Once initial teething problems were overcome, R class locomotives proved to be a success and their power and speed enabled faster timetabled services. However, they were almost immediately superseded by mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives on the Victorian Railways from 1952 onwards. With successive orders of diesel-electric locomotives through the 1950s and 1960s gradually displacing them, all but seven of the class were withdrawn and cut up for scrap.
Four of the remaining locomotives were later restored to operating condition between 1984 and 1998. These have seen use ranging from hauling special heritage train services through to substituting for modern diesel-electric locomotives on regular intercity rail services run by V/Line and West Coast Railway. Another surviving example, number R 704, was originally displayed at the Festival of Britain in 1951 and is now on permanent display at the Newport Railway Museum in Newport, Victoria.
and 18 Related for: Victorian Railways R class information
The Rclass was an express passenger steam locomotive that ran on Australia's VictorianRailways (VR) from 1951 to 1974. A long overdue replacement for...
The T class are a class of diesel locomotives built by Clyde Engineering, Granville for the VictorianRailways between 1955 and 1968. In July 1954, the...
The VictorianRailways S class was a class of 4-6-2 express passenger steam locomotive operated by the VictorianRailways (VR) in Australia between 1928...
class was an express passenger locomotive that ran on VictorianRailways from 1907 to 1963. A highly successful design entirely the work of Victorian...
The VictorianRailways H class was an express passenger steam locomotive operated by the VictorianRailways from 1941 to 1958. Intended to eliminate the...
The DD class (later reclassified into D1, D2 and D3 subclasses) was a passenger and mixed traffic steam locomotive that ran on VictorianRailways from 1902...
The VictorianRailways X class was a mainline goods locomotive of the 2-8-2 'Mikado' type operated by the VictorianRailways (VR) between 1929 and 1960...
The K class was a branch line steam locomotive that ran on VictorianRailways in Australia from 1922 to 1979. Although its design was entirely conventional...
The VictorianRailways L class was a class of electric locomotives built by English Electric and operated by the VictorianRailways and later V/Line from...
operations. Most of the lines operated by the VictorianRailways were of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm). However, the railways also operated up to five 2 ft 6 in (762 mm)...
The VictorianRailways Y class was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotives. The Y class was an example of the new policy of standard design principles being...
The VictorianRailways G class is a class of steam locomotives built for the VictorianRailways 2 ft 6 in gauge branch lines by Beyer, Peacock & Company...
The C class was a mainline goods locomotive of the 2-8-0 'Consolidation' type that ran on the VictorianRailways between 1918 and 1962. Although its original...
The E class was a class of suburban tank steam locomotive that ran on Australia's VictorianRailways (VR). The pattern locomotive, named "Tasmania", was...
South Wales Government Railways Pacific locomotive 3801, a triple-parallel run alongside broad gauge VictorianRailwaysRclass locomotives, and parallel...
The mainline passenger locomotives, later classified as B class, ran on the VictorianRailways (VR) between 1862 and 1917. They used a 2-4-0 wheel arrangement...
is a list of Victorian locomotive classes, being classes of locomotive that have worked on railways in Victoria. The majority of Victorian steam locomotive...
Global Information