1928: 9 long tons (9 t) 1951: 2,000 imp gal (9,092 L; 2,402 US gal)
Water cap.
1928: 8,600 imp gal (39,096 L; 10,328 US gal) 1951: 12,600 imp gal (57,281 L; 15,132 US gal) water
Firebox:
• Grate area
50 sq ft (4.6 m2)
Boiler pressure
200 psi (1.38 MPa)
Heating surface
1928: 3,691 sq ft (342.9 m2) 1951: 3,723 sq ft (345.9 m2)
Superheater:
• Heating area
570 sq ft (53.0 m2)
Cylinders
3
Cylinder size
20.5 in × 28 in (521 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gear
Walschaerts/Gresley
Valve type
10-inch (254 mm) piston valves
Valve travel
6 inches (152 mm)
Valve lap
1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm); exhaust lap: −3⁄16 inch (−4.8 mm)
Valve lead
5⁄16 inch (7.9 mm)
Performance figures
Power output
at drawbar: 2,300 horsepower (1,720 kW) at 45 miles per hour (72 km/h)
Tractive effort
41,670 lbf (185.4 kN) at 85% boiler pressure
Career
Operators
Victorian Railways
Numbers
S300-S303
Delivered
1928-1930
Disposition
All scrapped
The Victorian Railways S class was a class of 4-6-2 express passenger steam locomotive operated by the Victorian Railways (VR) in Australia between 1928 and 1954. Built when the VR was at its zenith and assigned to haul the broad gauge-leg of its Melbourne to Sydney interstate express passenger services,[1] the S class remained the VR's most prestigious locomotive class until the advent of diesel electric locomotives in the early 1950s.
They were the first Pacific-type locomotives on the VR, as well as its first 3-cylinder locomotive type. Renowned for their power and speed, in the ten years that followed their introduction the running time of the premier Sydney express service they operated was progressively reduced by one and a half hours.[2] These service improvements culminated in 1937 with the replacement of the Sydney Limited with the Art Deco streamliner Spirit of Progress, and the S class locomotives were fitted with streamlined casings to match the new train set. They were also equipped with long-range tenders to enable the entire 190+1⁄2-mile (306.6 km) journey to be run non-stop at a speed that remained for the next 20 years Australia's fastest train service.[3]
Although only four S class locomotives were built, they were highly utilised. They ran up annual mileages double that of other classes of locomotives on the VR and by 1954 had run a combined total of approximately 5,700,000 miles (9,200,000 km).[4] However their size and heavy axle load made them unsuitable for regular service on any other lines than the North Eastern line, and so within six months of the introduction of the new B class diesel locomotives on the Spirit of Progress roster in April 1954 the S class had all been withdrawn and scrapped. Their scrapping was a catalyst for the rail preservation movement in Victoria to lobby for the preservation of remaining examples of other VR steam locomotives, resulting in the establishment in 1962 of the Australian Railway Historical Society Museum in Williamstown North.[5]
^"NEWS OF THE DAY. Powerful Australian Locomotive". The Age. Melbourne: David Syme & Co. 10 April 1928. p. 5.
^"From Dogboxes to Unsplashed Soup". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 18 February 1950. p. 2 Supplement: The Argus Week-end Magazine. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
^"DAYLIGHT EXPRESS FASTEST TRAIN – Spirit of Progress Will Lose Honor Today". The Age. Melbourne: David Syme & Co. 30 September 1957. p. 3.
^"Famous Loco Goes To Scrap Heap". Benalla Ensign. Vic.: National Library of Australia. 7 January 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
^"AHRS Railway Museum – About Us". Archived from the original on 3 March 2009.
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